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A review by songwind
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
4.0
This is a very solid, entertaining book.
The elements of the premise are familiar. A secret war between non-human factions, with human allies. Ancient astronauts. Symbiotic/parasitic aliens. But the way that Chu puts them together is unusual enough to keep everything feeling fresh.
Roen, Tao's new host, will be very familiar to a lot of people. Overweight, stuck in a dead end job, pining for something more but unable to say what. The difficulties he has with accepting his new reality, and in turning himself into the sort of partner his new alien friend needs, seem realistic. The time frames are reasonable, and Roen doesn't end up as the Chosen One, excellent at everything.
The ending of the book is well executed, exciting, and bittersweet.
I definitely recommend this one.
The elements of the premise are familiar. A secret war between non-human factions, with human allies. Ancient astronauts. Symbiotic/parasitic aliens. But the way that Chu puts them together is unusual enough to keep everything feeling fresh.
Roen, Tao's new host, will be very familiar to a lot of people. Overweight, stuck in a dead end job, pining for something more but unable to say what. The difficulties he has with accepting his new reality, and in turning himself into the sort of partner his new alien friend needs, seem realistic. The time frames are reasonable, and Roen doesn't end up as the Chosen One, excellent at everything.
The ending of the book is well executed, exciting, and bittersweet.
I definitely recommend this one.