The Lives of Tao [Paperback]

Goodreads Choice 2013 Nominee - Science Fiction

When out-of-shape IT technician Roen woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it.

He wasn’t.

He now has a passenger in his brain – an ancient alien life-form called Tao, whose race crash-landed on Earth before the first fish crawled out of the oceans. Now split into two opposing factions – the peace-loving, but under-represented Prophus, and the savage, powerful Genjix – the aliens have been in a state of civil war for centuries. Both sides are searching for a way off-planet, and the Genjix will sacrifice the entire human race, if that’s what it takes.

Meanwhile, Roen is having to train to be the ultimate secret agent. Like that’s going to end up well…

File Under: Science Fiction [ The Tug of War | I Was Genghis | Diary of a Slob | Spy vs Spy ]

“A totally original sci-fi thriller that will have you hooked from page one with both riveting action and a sly wit. This is a story of human history, the hidden powers that have shaped it, and one man’s transformation from complete nobody to a key fighter in the war for humanity’s future.”
– Ramez Naam, author of Nexus

Nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2013 Finals for Best Science Fiction

Winner of the Alex Award for the American Library Association’s 2014 Youth Media Awards

“Few books begin more engagingly than The Lives of Tao, a science fiction romp which wears its principal strength — the wit and humor of the narrative voice — on its sleeve.”
– Huffington Post

“Chu’s good-natured adroitness with character development is matched by his thriller-style plotting, a fine blend of gentle humor and sharp suspense.”
– Barnes & Nobl³Q