This is the latest in a series of books written by others, in this case by Jerome Preisler. I had high hopes for this book, which is part of a series about a new cybersecurity-enhanced Seal Team type of military commandos. This shows how good an author Clancy is, and how Preisler is just a pale imitation. Like the “Rocky” movie sequels, the book picks up where previous books end, so you really can’t realize your full value if you read it as a standalone volume. And it just ends at some random plot point, without really resolving many of the characters’ situations. Like Clancy, it is filled with jargon, weaponry, mil-speak, and plenty of explosions and gun play. Unlike Clancy, none of this really makes much sense or is essential to moving the plot along, or even mildly interesting. As someone who works in cybersecurity, I thought its treatment of the IT issues were just juvenile and superficial and didn’t draw me into the narrative or characters. Plus, the actual advanced cybersec defenders are less dependent on those macho things that shoot bullets and more on using their brains and computer skills. If you are hungry for more Clancy, pick up one of his old classics like “Red October.” Or if you want to read a series that has much better character and plot development how an actual cybersec team works, check out this series. In either case, you should give this Protocol a pass.