The Rise of Io

Wesley Chu does it again. Having previously devoured The Lives of Tao, this was another page-turner I literally could not put down. Now I'm on a mission to hunt down all of his other books.

The Lives of Tao had a fascinating premise. The Rise of Io completely sprang it in a different direction and had a compelling character in Ella. She rocks!

Executive Summary: After a bit of a slow start, this is another solid entry in Mr. Chu's Quasing series.Full ReviewI really enjoyed Mr. Chu's Tao series. I still think [b:The Rebirths of Tao 20765775 The Rebirths of Tao (Tao, #3) Wesley Chu https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425062273s/20765775.jpg 40099648] is his best book to date. This one is a good addition to the Quasing world and helps to build on the story established by the original trilogy.Ella is a very different protagonist from Roen in [b:The Lives of Tao 15981711 The Lives of Tao (Tao, #1) Wesley Chu https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361886088s/15981711.jpg 19932371]. And Io is very different from Tao. The relationship between the two is also very different. That said, I found some of the initial plotting very similar to that book. I was enjoying the story, but it was a bit on the slower side and I was concerned it was simply a remake with a female protagonist in a different setting.Thankfully that wasn't the case. I forget at what point in the book the story picked up, but once it did the fast paced action/thriller aspect of the original series was once again there, and instead of a reboot, the book felt like a natural progression of the original series.While this is book 1 of a new series, it picks after the event's in Mr. Chu's original series. The author and the publisher would likely say you can start here having never read the original series, and they aren't entirely wrong. You get enough background to not be lost, but there are details from the original series that are important here. Personally I'll always do publish order, even if the author suggests otherwise.If you're looking for a fun sci-fi thriller, I highly recommend checking out [b:The Lives of Tao 15981711 The Lives of Tao (Tao, #1) Wesley Chu https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361886088s/15981711.jpg 19932371] and the rest of that series before picking this one up. If you already read and enjoyed that series, I think you'll be happy with this new book.

This review is based on an ARC of the book, given to me for free by the publisher, Angry Robot Books. This does not in any way affect my review. It is slated for release on October 4, 2016.

... All of that aside, what truly tickles me about this book is that it scratches an itch I have had for a while, but feared would never be satisfied. As I have mentioned earlier, I would love nothing more than to see a summer blockbuster feature a truly diverse cast, while giving women opportunities to shine as well-rounded, interesting characters. Since that does not seem likely to happen on the silver screen, given the way Hollywood is currently run, I have to look for that kind of setup elsewhere, and it is precisely the kind of setup that The Rise of Io provides: two women ??? one of whom is a woman of colour ??? pitted against each other in an action-packed story. Sure, there is a little romance, and sure, there are other, male characters (both white and of colour), but neither of those things get in the way of a story that is, at its core, about two amazing women, each with her own, complicated backstory and end-goals, trying to achieve what she wants to achieve before her rival beats her to the finish line. ...

Full review here: http://wp.me/p21txV-wk

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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“Stick with me, kid ,” he said. “We'll introduce you to a bigger world with all sorts of new people who will want to kill you.”

The Rebirths

As the minutes ticked by, Io clarified some of the dreams of her glorious career inhabiting humans. If anything, it comforted Ella that the Quasing weren't all-knowing and powerful, that they were just as culpable and mistake-prone as any human.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Angry Robot via NetGalley in exchange for this post – thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work – I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.