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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-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
Set a few years after the events of the first book, the book doesn't suffer as much from the multiple perspectives as I thought it would. Can't wait to see how this series concludes.
I read this book because Wesley Chu was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (not a Hugo Award).
This is a better book than the first in the series, [b:The Lives of Tao|15981711|The Lives of Tao (Tao, #1)|Wesley Chu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361886088s/15981711.jpg|19932371]. It is essentially an action packed espionage thriller, more akin to James Bond than Star Trek. However, the conceit is that aliens with the ability to coexist inside human bodies, communicating directly with their hosts, have split into two factions, one trying to take over the world and the other trying to prevent them. Chu deftly uses three globe-trotting point-of-view characters to keep the action moving. It's not all mindless adventure, though. The novel examines the cost to the protagonist's family from his dedication to his work. This is a well written, fun book, and I look forward to reading more about Tao.
This is a better book than the first in the series, [b:The Lives of Tao|15981711|The Lives of Tao (Tao, #1)|Wesley Chu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361886088s/15981711.jpg|19932371]. It is essentially an action packed espionage thriller, more akin to James Bond than Star Trek. However, the conceit is that aliens with the ability to coexist inside human bodies, communicating directly with their hosts, have split into two factions, one trying to take over the world and the other trying to prevent them. Chu deftly uses three globe-trotting point-of-view characters to keep the action moving. It's not all mindless adventure, though. The novel examines the cost to the protagonist's family from his dedication to his work. This is a well written, fun book, and I look forward to reading more about Tao.
Kinda slow at parts. Overall, I liked the first one better.
I was pondering how to rate this. Did I want to go with a 4 or a 5? I really enjoyed it and especially the last half kept me very engaged. I finished reading last night and realized this morning, that I needed to read the third book right away. The library didn't have it, so I'm going to go ahead and buy it. That's worth a 5 I guess.
I enjoyed how the book skipped a few years and the Prophus are on hard times. Roen married Jill, but they are seperated with a son who is being raised by her parents currently. Roen has gone rogue following his own agenda against the Genjix and has become kind of a bad-ass.
The "bad guy" Enzo is one of the engineered humans the Genjix raise to use as a host. He's so easy to hate. Marco on the other hand was a very welcome new Prophus.
The ending (no spoilers) was a bit shocking and frankly, Tao was kind of an asshole for doing that. Which is why I can't wait to start reading book 3. I'm so glad it is out.
I enjoyed how the book skipped a few years and the Prophus are on hard times. Roen married Jill, but they are seperated with a son who is being raised by her parents currently. Roen has gone rogue following his own agenda against the Genjix and has become kind of a bad-ass.
The "bad guy" Enzo is one of the engineered humans the Genjix raise to use as a host. He's so easy to hate. Marco on the other hand was a very welcome new Prophus.
The ending (no spoilers) was a bit shocking and frankly, Tao was kind of an asshole for doing that. Which is why I can't wait to start reading book 3. I'm so glad it is out.
A fast paced fun book... With a few more POVs added, its quite engagingly entertaining.. While not as fresh as the 1st book, a rushed ending leaves the book lagging as compared to Lives of Tao....
I love Chu's work. Honestly, no one other than Jim Butcher and Wesley Chu can make me laugh, cry, and freak out in the span of a few chapters.
So good.
So good.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Started off a bit slow, but the second half of the book more than made up for it.