Reviews

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu

emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition

4.0

Extremely entertaining and well-characterized. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will definitely read the rest of the series. The main character follows a very clear arc from zero to hero, in a classic wish fulfillment scenario. Except our underdog actually suffers the emotional consequences of going from office drone to secret agent, which I appreciated. I also enjoyed the fact that the aliens symbiotes each had their own personalities distinct from the personalities of their hosts. As a woman I appreciated the effort the author made to include a female presence in the book. There are a total of three female characters with names and dialogue, two of whom are pretty bad ass and not all of them were falling over themselves to attract the main male character's attention. That said, I would have liked to see a little more of an emotional build between Roen and Jill.

rewarner's review against another edition

3.0

A very original idea written in a cliché way. Largely boring.

jmoses's review against another edition

5.0

This was a great book. The overall idea isn't new (

Spoiler

alien race divided and fighting for earth

) but the execution is excellent. I really enjoyed the contrast between Roen and Tao, and the mindset that comes alone with such a long history.

lexeai's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

tani's review against another edition

3.0

I thought I would really like this book, after all the favorable reviews I had read. But while it wasn't terrible, it wasn't really for me either. I think a lot of my problem was with Roen. He was just so thoughtless. Things that are obvious, like that when you command a group of soldiers, you probably will feel some responsibility for their deaths, were things that he only thought about at the last moment. It made him really hard to connect with, for me.

I did think it was an easy to read book, but I have to admit, I kind of lost patience for it when a character expressed some incredibly sexist views, which no one seemed to really object to. After that, really struggled with the rest of the book.

I liked the ending more than I thought I would, though, and I suppose I will consider reading the second book eventually. It just might take me a while to get there.

dai_shan's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bailo2's review against another edition

3.0

While this is a trilogy, I only got around to reading the first two books. I give it props for the concept. Basically, there’s a secret war going on between two alien races who survive on our planet by taking over the bodies of humans. They then commune with these humans, get them to join their cause, and turn them into secret agents. This war is ultimately what is behind both modern-day and historical wars and politics. That’s the best way I can sum it up. It sounds a bit corny when I write it, but I thought the premise could have a lot of potential. There are some interesting bits and characters, but the writer’s style and technique is a bit juvenile. In this case, that was distracting for me and made the story feel contrived. But I was interested enough to get my husband to tell me what happens in the third book. I wanted to know what happened but no longer wanted to wade through the author’s prose.

ward_ja's review against another edition

4.0

The premise of this novel is original enough to hold my interest from the start. The character development and detailed execution was just OK. Lots of promise for the future as the writer develops.

littletaiko's review against another edition

4.0

I really don't remember why I bought this book several years ago and wasn't even sure what this book was about. It was a pleasant surprise to start reading this rather funny, sci-fi novel and be introduced to Tao. In a nutshell, Tao is an alien who resides in a host body and has been involved in a long war with another group of aliens who would like to destroy the world. When Tao suddenly needs to a new host body, he ends up with Roen, an out of shape, corporate drone type who doesn't have much initiative. He doesn't realize how his whole world is about to change. This was such fun - really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

barf_mobile's review against another edition

Definitely didn't read the synopsis right. Thought this had more to do with reincarnation than just a spy thriller with aliens. Totally not in the right audience for this.