Wesley Chu

Wesley Chu (2017)

Wesley Chu (born September 23, 1976, in Taipei) is a speculative fiction author.

Quotes

The Lives of Tao (2013)

All page numbers are from the mass market paperback first edition published by Angry Robot Books, ISBN 978-0-85766-329-0, 12th printing

All italics are spoken sotto voce by the protagonist's alien comrade

• When someone asked Roen what he did, he explained that he typed incoherent commands that performed virtual tasks to create intangible objects. At the end of the day, Roen wasn’t sure what he did or why he did it—just that every two weeks, he received a paycheck for the hours of his life wasted, building these imaginary things on some server located somewhere.
  • Chapter 5, “Day After” (p. 57)

• You’re not being paid to like your work.
  • Chapter 5, “Day After” (p. 58)

• “God, he’s trying to kill me!”
  Doubtful, he is most likely aiming for a non-vital area.
  “Every part of me is vital!”
  • Chapter 7, “Genjix” (p. 86)

• She is so far out of your league that you are not even playing the same sport.
  • Chapter 11, “Joining the Network” (p. 124)

• “The world spins despite me, not because of me,” he muttered.
  • Chapter 13, “Training Wheels” (p. 146)

• Enlightenment and peace can never be achieved by force.
  • Chapter 18, “Discovery” (p. 202)

• Everyone laid a hand on him and closed their eyes. It reminded Roen of one of those healing prayer circles he attended in college church. No one ever got healed, but it was a good way for him to get close to some girls.
  • Chapter 29, “Safe House” (p. 304)

• Conflict does breed innovation, but so does diversity and cultural development. Bringing people together to share ideas is just as powerful a catalyst.
  • Chapter 30, “Back Home” (p. 325)

• I am not one to fall for religious psychobabble, but then I’ve always had a problem with a rabbit that lays painted eggs.
  • Chapter 33, “Monaco Decennial” (p. 356)

• “Always comes down to money, huh?”
  Makes the damn world go round.
  • Chapter 34, “Day One” (p. 362)

• Every time I think you guys can’t get any more ridiculous, you prove me wrong.
  • Chapter 34, “Day One” (p. 364)

The Deaths of Tao (2013)

All page numbers are from the mass market paperback first edition published by Angry Robot Books, ISBN 978-0-85766-332-0, 7th printing

All italics are spoken sotto voce by the protagonist's alien comrade

• The biggest mistake of the twentieth century. Go.
  “I’m going to have to say that art school rejecting Hitler’s application, leading him toward the career choice of becoming a mass murderer. That or New Coke. You?”
  • Chapter 2, “Buck’s” (p. 18)

• Symmetry, of course, was the scientific formula of beauty.
  • Chapter 4, “Transition” (p. 40)

• Roen was speechless. “You… were spying on me!”
  Stephen laughed. “Let’s say we used you as an unpaid intelligence consultant.”
  • Chapter 5, “Reunion” (p. 55)

• Do not separate authority from responsibility.
  • Chapter 14, “Genjix Council” (p. 147)

• Jill blanched. Shooting a RPG was not part of her training.
  It is easy. Point and pull the trigger, like operating a vacuum cleaner.
  “I don’t know what sorts of house cleaning you’re used to, but the ones I have—”
  • Chapter 42, “Coming of Age” (pp. 426-427)

The Rebirths of Tao (2015)

All page numbers are from the mass market paperback first edition published by Angry Robot Books, ISBN 978-0-85766-430-3, 3rd printing

All italics are spoken sotto voce by the protagonist's alien comrade

• The level of dumb you humans can achieve is quite mind-boggling.
  • Chapter 4, “School Day” (p. 49)

• “Well, old boy, the world is in a bit of a jam. Seems aliens as a whole are just a step below taxes on the world popularity scale.”
  Roen grunted. “At least the Quasing are still above politicians then.”
  “I would put them about even,” said Marco.
  • Chapter 8, “Clandestine Op” (pp. 96-97)

• “Tao, I don’t understand why I need to know this.”
  Advanced mathematics opens doors to many fields of study. More importantly, it expands the way you think.
  • Chapter 10, “Alex” (p. 112)

• When there is no one else left to fight, then there will be nothing left but peace.
  • Chapter 12, “Federal Assembly” (p. 136)

• Conquering a kingdom is always the easy part. It is keeping it that is difficult.
  • Chapter 18, “Takeover” (p. 192)

• “I don’t know how many ways I can say no before it sinks into his concrete head.”
  The rich rarely accept “no” as an answer.
  • Chapter 19, “Night Watch” (p. 201)

• Fate is created, not ordained.
  • Chapter 20, “Non-Parental Guidance” (p. 222)

• She was at the same time extraordinarily sweet and completely vapid. She spent half of her time at school staring at her cell phone and the other half staring at herself.
  • Chapter 28, “School Day” (p. 310)

• You, somehow, have the greatest potential of all my hosts, and are one of the dumbest, at the same time.
  “Gee, thanks for the confidence booster.”
  On the contrary, it is brave stupid people who change the world. The smart ones are usually too smart to even try.
  • Chapter 30, “The Way South” (p. 325)

• He was also designated the tactical lead during this operation, simply because everyone else had an accent, which would give them away in a heartbeat. Well, everyone except for Chase, who was from Dallas, but that guy couldn’t lead children to an ice cream truck, let alone a last-minute multi-faceted ambush.
  • Chapter 33, “Free Prie” (p. 357)

• He ducked when he could, blocked when he had to, and gave up ground faster than the French in World War II.
  • Chapter 39, “Father and Son” (p. 419)

• I tried to warn you about her.
  “You’re not helping.”
  But nope, teenage humans. The worst, most ill-conceived creatures in the universe.
  “Other than turkeys, right?”
  Yes, nothing beats those morons.
  • Chapter 40, “Insertion Point” (p. 424)

• He took his time strapping on his customized armor and loading his weapon magazines, rifle, pistol, and assorted knives. For him, preparing for battle was a divine ritual, a blessing and sacrifice to the Holy Ones. He intended to show his devotion by expunging as many of the enemy as he could.
  • Chapter 41, “The Attack” (p. 436)

The Days of Tao (2016)

All page numbers are from the hardcover first edition published by Subterranean Press, ISBN 978-1-59606-788-2, 1st printing

All italics are spoken sotto voce by the protagonist's alien comrade

• Once you spend three thousand years in the same place, you are pretty much done with it forever.
  • Chapter 2, “Cameron” (p. 20)

• He was an awful liar. Tao often lamented how bad he was at it, citing it as an Achilles heel in his future career as a secret agent.
  It’s true. Lying, charm, and a well-fitting suit are the traits that distinguish James Bond from every other asshole with a gun.
  “I don’t think I even own a suit.”
  You do not own the other two either.
  • Chapter 4, “The Plan” (p. 44)

• Then someone said the magic words. “The Internet is down!”
  • Chapter 5, “None Left Behind” (p. 47)

• “What’s the trick?”
  It is easy. The trick is I am much smarter than you.
  • Chapter 7, “Escape” (p. 69)

• “Son, you hungry?” Roen said, coming up behind him. “I found this pizza joint a few blocks away. It’s French pizza—” he made a face “—but French pizza’s better than no pizza. Interested?”
  • Chapter 12, “Consequences” (p. 119)