The Days of Tao is Wesley Chu’s new story in his Tao setting, and while only a novella it will be a welcome addition to any fans of the series. Set after the events of the final book, The Rebirths of Tao, and before the upcoming first novel in a sequel series, The Rise of Io, Chu returns us to Cameron and Tao in a short adventure that is over all too quickly…
From the publisher:
Cameron Tan wouldn’t have even been in Greece if he hadn’t gotten a ‘D’ in Art History.
Instead of spending the summer after college completing his training as a Prophus operative, he’s doing a study abroad program in Greece, enjoying a normal life – spending time with friends and getting teased about his crush on a classmate.
Then the emergency notification comes in: a Prophus agent with vital information needs immediate extraction, and Cameron is the only agent on the ground, responsible for getting the other agent and data out of the country. The Prophus are relying on him to uncomplicate things.
Easy.
Easy, except the rival Genjix have declared all-out war against the Prophus, which means Greece is about to be a very dangerous place. And the agent isn’t the only person relying on Cameron to get them safely out of the country – his friends from the study abroad program are, too. Cameron knows a good agent would leave them to fend for themselves. He also knows a good person wouldn’t. Suddenly, things aren’t easy at all.
With a short page count and a simple premise, Chu sets up The Days of Tao in the opening pages with a bang. When a Prophus agent finally gets his hands on information vital to their cause, he eliminates the Genjix at hand and calls up for extraction. With Cameron Tan the only Prophus asset in the region it falls on him to cut his study abroad programme short in order to take on such an important time-sensitive operation, but not before events take a turn for the worse as the Prophus and Genjix war finally moves to a worldwide stage.
Quickly paced and action packed, The Days of Tao is exactly the kind of story I’ve come to expect from Chu. As a long time fan of the Tao books I’m firmly in the target audience because – and let’s be honest here – this one is for fans, pure and simple. There is no background information laid out, there is no exposition beyond the immediate situation, and anyone not familiar with the world and characters will find themselves at a loss as the reader is thrown into the action at page one.
Of course, with such a small page count comes inevitable problems. There is little time to fully explore the situation while keeping events progressing apace, and the supporting cast, particularly Cameron’s study abroad friends, are left somewhat underdeveloped. Also, while Cameron’s motivations and decisions are sound, I expected more input from Tao, especially given the situation. A little more development would have gone a long way to raise this novella from good to great.
All-in-all The Days of Tao is enjoyable, action-packed, and a blast to read. For fans of the series this really is a must-read, though not one I would recommend to newcomers despite the easy way Chu plays out his narrative.
Publisher: http://subterraneanpress.com/
Author: http://wesleychu.com/
Summer 2016, 120 Pages
Hardcover, ISBN: 9781596067882
Review copy received from the publisher
© 2016 Mark Chitty
