Review of Project Tau
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Danielle Briggs
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Review of Project Tau
[Following is a volunteer review of "Project Tau" by Jude Austin.]
Kalin Taylor just wants to fit in. Arriving at college on a full academic scholarship, he wants to join the fraternity on campus in hopes of becoming cool and popular, unlike during his high school experience. With the hopes of deterring him from trying, some boys at the fraternity put him up to an impossible stunt. They challenge him to sneak into GenTech’s research facility and capture a picture of Project Tau, a human clone created and trained entirely within the laboratory. Weighing the consequences, Kalin decides to go through with the stunt, thinking the absolute worst that could happen would be getting caught and not being able to obtain the picture. Kalin barely makes it into the GenTech facility when he is apprehended by their security. But instead of being thrown out as he anticipated, he was taken into custody. The head of the facility decides to keep Kalin prisoner, convincing everyone there that he is a Project, similar to Project Tau. In doing so, Kalin undergoes the training, modifications, and abuse provided to all Projects. With no one believing he is a real human as he says he is, and no foreseeable way out, Kalin has to survive all he is put through while keeping hope that he will eventually be able to escape his prison.
Is a human clone a human? Would they have individual rights, or are they owned by their creators? These are just a few of the questions that you will contemplate well after you finish reading Project Tau. For example, even though we can see how obviously wrong the treatment of Kalin is, both morally and ethically, it makes us consider whether it is also just as wrong to treat a real human clone, Project Tau, the same way. Jude Austin introduces so many moral and ethical questions for us to ponder while still providing an enthralling, suspenseful story I could not put down. Set over a thousand years in the future, this science fiction novel ponders how far a person, or corporation, would go to earn money and how far a scientist is really able to separate themselves from their research. Even though the book is science fiction, it still gives off a what-if feeling.
I truly enjoyed the thought-provoking nature of the story. The themes of human rights, cloning, and slavery all stay with you well after finishing the book. With much of the focus on Kalin, we experience his emotions alongside him, as well as feel empathy towards him. Even though the story is very dark in nature, there is some humor thrown in, mostly from Kalin, which lightens the mood every so often.
Since the book is very character focused, the setting is not as developed as I wished it could be. More details about the facility itself would have helped me imagine Kalin and Tau during their experiences. This is especially true during Kalin’s entry into the facility, as it was described as if he walked right into it, but the guards and the few that he met that first day were incredibly surprised he gained entry.
I would give this book a 4 out of 4. It is professionally edited, with no errors found. I would recommend this to anyone interested in realistic science fiction and/or thought-provoking fiction. There is a good amount of profanity and some violent scenes, so I would not recommend it to younger readers or those who would be bothered by this.
******
Project Tau
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Kalin Taylor just wants to fit in. Arriving at college on a full academic scholarship, he wants to join the fraternity on campus in hopes of becoming cool and popular, unlike during his high school experience. With the hopes of deterring him from trying, some boys at the fraternity put him up to an impossible stunt. They challenge him to sneak into GenTech’s research facility and capture a picture of Project Tau, a human clone created and trained entirely within the laboratory. Weighing the consequences, Kalin decides to go through with the stunt, thinking the absolute worst that could happen would be getting caught and not being able to obtain the picture. Kalin barely makes it into the GenTech facility when he is apprehended by their security. But instead of being thrown out as he anticipated, he was taken into custody. The head of the facility decides to keep Kalin prisoner, convincing everyone there that he is a Project, similar to Project Tau. In doing so, Kalin undergoes the training, modifications, and abuse provided to all Projects. With no one believing he is a real human as he says he is, and no foreseeable way out, Kalin has to survive all he is put through while keeping hope that he will eventually be able to escape his prison.
Is a human clone a human? Would they have individual rights, or are they owned by their creators? These are just a few of the questions that you will contemplate well after you finish reading Project Tau. For example, even though we can see how obviously wrong the treatment of Kalin is, both morally and ethically, it makes us consider whether it is also just as wrong to treat a real human clone, Project Tau, the same way. Jude Austin introduces so many moral and ethical questions for us to ponder while still providing an enthralling, suspenseful story I could not put down. Set over a thousand years in the future, this science fiction novel ponders how far a person, or corporation, would go to earn money and how far a scientist is really able to separate themselves from their research. Even though the book is science fiction, it still gives off a what-if feeling.
I truly enjoyed the thought-provoking nature of the story. The themes of human rights, cloning, and slavery all stay with you well after finishing the book. With much of the focus on Kalin, we experience his emotions alongside him, as well as feel empathy towards him. Even though the story is very dark in nature, there is some humor thrown in, mostly from Kalin, which lightens the mood every so often.
Since the book is very character focused, the setting is not as developed as I wished it could be. More details about the facility itself would have helped me imagine Kalin and Tau during their experiences. This is especially true during Kalin’s entry into the facility, as it was described as if he walked right into it, but the guards and the few that he met that first day were incredibly surprised he gained entry.
I would give this book a 4 out of 4. It is professionally edited, with no errors found. I would recommend this to anyone interested in realistic science fiction and/or thought-provoking fiction. There is a good amount of profanity and some violent scenes, so I would not recommend it to younger readers or those who would be bothered by this.
******
Project Tau
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlit Nights by Jacob Parr
