Reviews

The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu

eezla's review against another edition

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misogyny

tuftymctavish's review

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4.0

Each book in the trilogy has moved the story on a few years. This third episode was the biggest leap forward. Same characters, just further on in their lives, which makes for a very nice continuation that isn't exactly the same each time.

Plenty of action in a by now comfortable setting. A nice conclusion to the trilogy which I enjoyed reading.

kevinhendricks's review

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4.0

It's fun seeing this series shift gears, with Tao moving to a teenager. It's more fast action fun, though it is a little grinding trying to remember what happened in the previous installments.

vailynst's review

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3.0

Mini-Review:

The first book of the series took a while for me to like but I really enjoyed the overall process by the end of book one. Tons of potential for plot, characters and action. This was one of the series that I dove into each book without a big pause between. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the series more if I took breaks between? I doubt it. Plot took an odd turn in book two and the overall tone of the story became stale. It got a bit better in this book but not enough to make me feel the excitement I had in start.

The whole training process and character development is what made the first book really interesting. That part was rather absent in the book two and oddly thrown in book three. The readers are tossed between having an average person growing into the better half of his potential to a super awesome kid who is surpassing his above average potential. Don't get me wrong. I like Cameron but he was one of five characters that you follow in the story. The story became less cohesive and interesting with all of the new characters that had to be shown in order for the main plot line to move.

This series had the potential to be a five star rating. The alternate perspective on history was awesome! It was a hoot to follow. I liked the series enough to check out the author's other work. I'm hoping that I will have fun with them too. It's unfortunate that the series became a solid 3 star rating for me. I really wanted it to be a five star read.

grilledcheesesamurai's review

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5.0


I finished this book today - and in turn I got a massive sunburn because of it. I was so transfixed by the damn book that I wasn't paying attention to the fact that my skin was taking a beating and literally roasting off my body.

There's no getting around it...Wesley Chu owes me a bottle of aloe vera!

As for the book itself:

WOW WOW WOW!

This was the final instalment of the trilogy and lemme tell ya, it ends with a very satisfying BANG! The three novels are incredibly fun reads on their own, but when you finish this one and see them all collectively as a whole it really shows the talent and skill that went into putting them all together. They are all so different from one another, and yet at the same time very in sync as well.

I don't really know what else to say. I'm not one of those reviewers that take you through, step by step, telling you what happened. there are plenty of other reviews out there if that's what you are looking for. I just prefer to babble on and on about what I liked or didn't like.

In the case of the Tao books...well hell...I liked it all!

I'll say this, however. The characters that start off in the first book are completely changed by the time they reach the last. their journey is intense and full of high risks and insurmountable odds. Along the way, there is plenty of action, tragedy, and suspense. there are also quite a few laughs and some very heart warming scenes.

I'm actually kinda sad torn into a million little pieces that it's all over and done with.

I want a Tao. Or at the very least, I wanna toss back a few beers with Roen Tan and hear him tell me a tale or two.



sarahvinnet's review

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5.0

The Rebirths of Tao hits the ground running. The snark! The light-hearted comedy in the face of so-serious bureaucracies and Evil Overlord List-worthy villains! The logical consequences of the previous book permeating the lives of every character!

Rebirths had a killer opening scene (with minimal deaths) that smoothly introduced a myriad of plot-critical elements and was neatly mirrored in the end. This book has several concurrent plots with a variety of relatable themes: weighing family vs. work (when work is saving the world), coming of age/first love (with plenty of mature eye-rolling), coming to terms with a child’s independence. The Tao series is excellent at exploring the benefits and drawbacks of different generations working together (and coexisting in general), and this book in particular is a work of art.

The only downside of this book is that the key to the resolution is glaringly obvious, but since the characters are wrapped up in their problems and full of snark, I’ll forgive them. This book is going on my frequent re-read list.

jayshay's review

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3.0

Think I'll stop here a while, no you go on without me, I'm tired and slightly wearied from the thriller plot, evil evil villian and so many deaths - that and I don't really see an end in sight. Great concept, if grindingly depressing at the same time. We humans can apparently only take credit for Hitler. Really? Only Hitler?

dabbler's review against another edition

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5.0

Good ending for an increasingly bleak trilogy.

Or is it? I kept reading because I was committed to the characters ( both human and Quasing) and intrigued by the political and ecological premise. Lots of action, enjoyable.

robynldouglas's review

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4.0

3.5 rounded up to 4 on the strength of the ending. I wasn't as enthralled with the first half or so - probably because I missed Roen & Tao's banter - but once the action started, I was right back in the happy place! A satisfying conclusion that also seems to allow for a return to the world if so desired.

craig_tyler's review against another edition

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3.0

3 and a half stars.