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ekfmef's review
4.0
Oh jee, mijn vorige review is geliked door Mr. Chu himself, dat geeft toch wel wat druk... Eerlijk gezegd vond ik deel 3 toch de zwakste van de drie. Het verhaal is prima, het einde ook maar het mist toch wel een beetje de verrassende awesomeness van de eerste twee delen. Het past te goed en is te mooi afgerond.
Desondanks blijft het een steengoede serie die je absoluut gelezen moet hebben... en uiteraard vraagt dit deel om een vervolg!
Desondanks blijft het een steengoede serie die je absoluut gelezen moet hebben... en uiteraard vraagt dit deel om een vervolg!
morgandhu's review against another edition
4.0
The Rebirths of Tao, the third book in Wesley Chu's Tao trilogy, is a strong conclusion to a complex and absorbing story. Set over a decade after the events of The Deaths of Tao, much has changed, and yet much is the same. Humanity has learned of the existence of the Quasing. In some parts of the world - particularly China and Russia - the Genjix have such a hold on the political elites that the primary conflict is between Genjix jockeying for power and humans appear primarily as clients of one Genjix faction or another. In North America and Europe, humans are in ascendency and have formed a paramilitary force (the Interpol Extraterrestrial Task Force or IXTF) to hunt down and imprison all Quasing hosts and their allies, Genjix and Prophus alike. The Prophus, under attack from two fronts, are losing the war against the Genjix, and the future of humanity seems dim.
The novel follows two main narrative threads. The first details a power struggle within the Genjix between Enzo, host of Zoras, whose arrogance continues to hamper his twin goals of becoming the acknowledged leader of the Genjix and initiating the planned Quasiforming of Earth, and Vinnick, an older host reluctant to give up power. The second, and more complicated, follows the Tan family, living in Northern California where Jill runs a major hub in the Prophus underground network.
As Jill's network takes on two separate missions against Genjix operations, and the IXTF - without regard for the differing aims of Prophus and Genjix - complicate an already deadly struggle, we follow both the twists of the missions, which end in the destruction of the Prophus base and the scattering of the Tan family, and the intimate and thoughts of Roen Tan, Jill Tan, their son Cameron Tan and Tao the Quasing.
In the end, both narratives converge in a brutal battle in an undersea Genjix base, while new alliances are made and hope for the Prophus cause, and humanity, is rekindled.
There is so much that is very good about this novel - and the whole series. The dense political plotting, the vibrant action sequences, the solid growth in the characters over the 20-odd years covered in the overall storyline, the humour, the historical vista - it's all so rich in depth and worldbuilding, and well-executed and written. Reading a debut trilogy of this calibre makes me very excited about Chu's future work, and it pleases me to no end to hear that he has more books already in the pipeline, including a new trilogy set in the universe of Tao.
The novel follows two main narrative threads. The first details a power struggle within the Genjix between Enzo, host of Zoras, whose arrogance continues to hamper his twin goals of becoming the acknowledged leader of the Genjix and initiating the planned Quasiforming of Earth, and Vinnick, an older host reluctant to give up power. The second, and more complicated, follows the Tan family, living in Northern California where Jill runs a major hub in the Prophus underground network.
As Jill's network takes on two separate missions against Genjix operations, and the IXTF - without regard for the differing aims of Prophus and Genjix - complicate an already deadly struggle, we follow both the twists of the missions, which end in the destruction of the Prophus base and the scattering of the Tan family, and the intimate and thoughts of Roen Tan, Jill Tan, their son Cameron Tan and Tao the Quasing.
In the end, both narratives converge in a brutal battle in an undersea Genjix base, while new alliances are made and hope for the Prophus cause, and humanity, is rekindled.
There is so much that is very good about this novel - and the whole series. The dense political plotting, the vibrant action sequences, the solid growth in the characters over the 20-odd years covered in the overall storyline, the humour, the historical vista - it's all so rich in depth and worldbuilding, and well-executed and written. Reading a debut trilogy of this calibre makes me very excited about Chu's future work, and it pleases me to no end to hear that he has more books already in the pipeline, including a new trilogy set in the universe of Tao.
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
Received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Since the previous book a lot has changed in the world, Cameron is now a teenager, the world has split into pro-Prophus and pro-Genjix factions and with the revelation that aliens were inhabiting people, steps have been take to eradicate them by the Interpol Extraterrestrial Task Force. But a new threat has appeared, the Genjix are developing a technology to change the world. World War. A Genjix scientist who defects to the other side holds the key to preventing bloodshed on an almost unimaginable scale.
Roen survived the lost of his Quasing, Tao, but has lost some of his authority now he is no longer a host. He still has a key role to play in the battle. With Tao’s influence Cameron is a mature teen, but still suffers from not seeing the bigger picture at times. As the family are split after a Prophus attack, and Cameron starts to have a crush on the daughter of the scientist, the stakes suddenly raised much higher than before. Roen plays his trump card, and the final scene is set.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two in the series, I was really looking forward to this one, and mostly it didn’t disappoint. The characters are confident, the plot flips and twists nicely, and the whole concept has been well thought through and written. But this one didn’t have the same edge as the first two. Perhaps because it is the final one, and certain things need to be wrapped up, it didn’t have the cliff hanger ending or the pace of the others. That said it was still worth reading, and I do have a inkling that this will be continued; well at least I hope so.
Since the previous book a lot has changed in the world, Cameron is now a teenager, the world has split into pro-Prophus and pro-Genjix factions and with the revelation that aliens were inhabiting people, steps have been take to eradicate them by the Interpol Extraterrestrial Task Force. But a new threat has appeared, the Genjix are developing a technology to change the world. World War. A Genjix scientist who defects to the other side holds the key to preventing bloodshed on an almost unimaginable scale.
Roen survived the lost of his Quasing, Tao, but has lost some of his authority now he is no longer a host. He still has a key role to play in the battle. With Tao’s influence Cameron is a mature teen, but still suffers from not seeing the bigger picture at times. As the family are split after a Prophus attack, and Cameron starts to have a crush on the daughter of the scientist, the stakes suddenly raised much higher than before. Roen plays his trump card, and the final scene is set.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two in the series, I was really looking forward to this one, and mostly it didn’t disappoint. The characters are confident, the plot flips and twists nicely, and the whole concept has been well thought through and written. But this one didn’t have the same edge as the first two. Perhaps because it is the final one, and certain things need to be wrapped up, it didn’t have the cliff hanger ending or the pace of the others. That said it was still worth reading, and I do have a inkling that this will be continued; well at least I hope so.
vailynst's review against another edition
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.
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.
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
4.0
The final book in the Tao series. An enjoyable listen and good conclusion to the series. I liked that the book started a number of years after the second book, and how the characters have changed over that time.
The big bad was a little OTT sometimes, but i kinda liked that.
It was a fitting end that could allow future books in the series, but with a new set of characters. This is good, and something i will keep my eyes open for.
The big bad was a little OTT sometimes, but i kinda liked that.
It was a fitting end that could allow future books in the series, but with a new set of characters. This is good, and something i will keep my eyes open for.
silelda's review against another edition
5.0
A while ago I reviewed Rise of Io by Chu and promised myself I would go back and read the trilogy that came before it in that world. With this, I have kept my promise and it was a very easy and rewarding promise to keep. Despite ultimately knowing how things would turn out, I was still on the edge of my seat and heavily emotionally invested.
This book, in particular, was such a wonderful blend of just about every emotion. As per usual, Chu does kill a character that I wanted so badly to live. However, true to form, he makes it a good death that leaves you feeling like they were truly the hero you knew them to be. I'm not gonna lie, I was almost in tears. At the same time, there were so many points in the book where I was moved to tears because I was laughing so hard. Seriously, Marco and Roen's spats were the stuff of legends and I LOVED it! Heck, I'm not usually one for teenage hormone driven over-dramatics, but Chu made it so much more tolerable to read.
Of course, no story is truly great without a truly great villain. This entire trilogy has had villains that are more than just top notch chess players. They are almost impossibly intelligent and ruthless. They are the kind of villains that you love to hate, but recognize how much better, stronger, faster they are than the good guys. The Genjix do a wonderful job of making the Prophus struggle feel so much greater.
This book was a wonderful end to a truly engaging trilogy. I cannot praise it enough. If you are at all interested in books that are a combination of real life, military, and sci-fi, you won't regret picking up these books.
This book, in particular, was such a wonderful blend of just about every emotion. As per usual, Chu does kill a character that I wanted so badly to live. However, true to form, he makes it a good death that leaves you feeling like they were truly the hero you knew them to be. I'm not gonna lie, I was almost in tears. At the same time, there were so many points in the book where I was moved to tears because I was laughing so hard. Seriously, Marco and Roen's spats were the stuff of legends and I LOVED it! Heck, I'm not usually one for teenage hormone driven over-dramatics, but Chu made it so much more tolerable to read.
Of course, no story is truly great without a truly great villain. This entire trilogy has had villains that are more than just top notch chess players. They are almost impossibly intelligent and ruthless. They are the kind of villains that you love to hate, but recognize how much better, stronger, faster they are than the good guys. The Genjix do a wonderful job of making the Prophus struggle feel so much greater.
This book was a wonderful end to a truly engaging trilogy. I cannot praise it enough. If you are at all interested in books that are a combination of real life, military, and sci-fi, you won't regret picking up these books.
daneekasghost's review against another edition
3.0
This felt like the same story as the previous one in the series. Same villians making the same mistakes that lead to the same kind of climax. The payoff of the big finish to book 2 was ... not there? Did I miss it?
I don't know, like the rest of the series it was still good, fast-paced sci-fi with humor. But this one in particular was nothing to rave about.
I don't know, like the rest of the series it was still good, fast-paced sci-fi with humor. But this one in particular was nothing to rave about.
conalo's review against another edition
4.0
A decent finale to an entertaining series. Still some open plot lines so guessing that we will see more in this universe...
4 Stars for a fun read.
4 Stars for a fun read.
vinayvasan's review against another edition
4.0
I had mentioned that book 2 in the series was not as fresh as book 1 and I quite was not sure if book 3 would live up to it but I am happy to be proven wrong. Book 3 is quite as fresh, as witty, as funny and as action packed as the best of book 1 and 2. Jumping a few years down from the incidents of book 2, the government is introduced as a deadly new player, deadly to both the parties in action and that brings about a new dynamic. But the fun new dynamic obviously is with Tao and his new host. Roen is still bumbles about despite his best intention while striving to be the protector for this family.
The humor is top notch and Rayban Ghost is simply the best description for a character. Emotions, betrayal and action. The book has it all and more
The only reason I docked a star here was, I thought this was going to the end of the trilogy. While Wesley Chu caps off the series well, there is still a sense of incompleteness wrt the bigger conflict. Maybe there is another series on the way
Overall, a superfun series and a highly recommended to all of us desk warriors :)
The humor is top notch and Rayban Ghost is simply the best description for a character. Emotions, betrayal and action. The book has it all and more
The only reason I docked a star here was, I thought this was going to the end of the trilogy. While Wesley Chu caps off the series well, there is still a sense of incompleteness wrt the bigger conflict. Maybe there is another series on the way
Overall, a superfun series and a highly recommended to all of us desk warriors :)