It’s been over 10 years since the pivotal events of The Deaths of Tao. Now both factions of the alien Quasings, Genjinx and Prophus alike, are being hunted, and with them, their human hosts and partners.

“It pained her to see everything destroyed and blown apart, but mostly it pissed the hell out of her.”

The Tan family struggles to maintain some semblance of a normal life while assisting what remains of the Prophus in an effort to prevent the end of the world—— aided, of course, by the snarky wisdom of the alien Tao.

Why is this on our bookshelf?

Every time I identify a geek who I think would appreciate a James Bond spy novel with a b-movie alien twist and a healthy amount of Star Wars references, I do everything I can to make sure they read this series. This may involve minor threats and pressing said book into their hands.

Just.. start at the beginning, will you?

Rating (4 stars)

Once I realized how much time had passed between this book and The Deaths of Tao, my first thought was “Of course, all those major injuries and broken bones that need to heal.”

More importantly, the 10+ years are crucial because they add a new player in the Genjix versus Prophus war— the government. The Rebirths of Tao, although still producing comedic dialogue and lighthearted asides, seemed to have more gravity than the previous two books. You can definitely tell that the war has token its toll on all the characters.

I mean, someone is always going to get beaten up, but the inherent danger is taken much more seriously now.

Unlike the breakneck pace of the second book, Rebirths of Tao was almost a return to Lives, concentrating on the development of characters with a more gradual build-up to the climactic finale. Don’t think it was boring though— one of my favorite scenes was a quieter moment with Jill cooking blueberry pancakes in the kitchen before preparing to interrogate prisoners and refugees.

The best part is, I was completely satisfied by the ending. This is not one of those concluding books in a series that is going to tick you off. I was really happy with the way loose ends were wrapped up with just a hint of a possible future.