Character progression of both Kalin and Tau

[raindropreader]

To me, the best part of this book were the character arcs of both Kalin and Tau.

For Kalin, he had a base character of who he was prior to becoming a project vs who he ended up as after the events of the book. For Tau, he was a fresh slate and we first met him after he had only been influenced by the researchers. So we see his progression of influence from researchers vs after influence of Kalin.

Specifically:

1. Who do you believe progressed more between the two?

2. What was the point in this novel that you saw the progression begin full force?

[jdraper16]

I agree. I believe Kalin progressed more. Tau was basically nothing when he was created, and thus had no prior biases or ideas of his own. Kalin had lived an entire childhood and was embarking on his adulthood when he was kidnapped. He had ideas and plans. Those were violently ripped from him and he had to create a whole new identity and still preserve some of his originality. I saw him struggle to mesh these two together when he finally started giving in to his training. He began to seriously doubt himself and had to reconcile that all of his memories may have been false, even though he knew them to be true. He progressed into a hybrid of Kalin and Kata.

[arigray9]

In my review, I definitely mentioned that the character development was one of many highlights of this book. I loved how the author gave us a little insight to Kata in the prologue and when I finally connected that Kata was Kalin, my jaw literally dropped. The transition from a shy boy desperate to fit in to a killing machine was very well written and completely believable. I would definitely say that Kalin progressed more as he pulled a complete 180 from how he was at the beginning of the book but I also don't want Tau to go unnoticed. Kata helped him develop a personality and understanding of the world outside of GenTech, which was also super interesting to see. When Kalin began to undergo more training, it became clear that he was progressing and becoming more angry and spiteful than he was before. He embraced the training in hopes that he could use it against his captors. Tau's progression was less intense, but as he began to understand common slang and think for himself the reader really began to see him grow as a character. Both Kalin and Tau were changed by the end of the book, and the way that Austin created detailed arcs for them as individuals and as a team is beyond impressive.

[Leah M]

Kalin struggles with his identity, and this is progressive throughout the book. The beginning of the book portrays him as a coward, but by the end of the book, he ends up a hero.

[Erin Painter Baker]

I would say Kalin regressed throughout the book, while at the same time kind of achieving his goal from the beginning. As Kalin became Kata, he became more like the bullies who had tormented him all his life, including the ones at college. In some real sense, he actually lost his humanity as the book went on.

Tau, on the other hand, learned what it was like to be a human. Humans are, by nature, social creatures that survive best in social constructs (even introverts). Tau has never had any kind of community before Kata was put in with him. By learning how to live alongside another person and learning to care about what happened to that person, he got to a point where he was much more like Kalin was at the start of the book than Kata was.

[Paige Alvarado]

I think Tau grew the most as a character. After that last pain acclimation session when he asked Kata about his escape plan, I could tell he was finally realizing that what GenTech was doing was wrong. I always felt for Tau because he was sort of like a gentle giant. He could do major damage, but he chose not to. In the end, I am glad he got his revenge on Dennison.

[Tonika632]

In my review, I definitely mentioned that the character development was one of many highlights of this book. I loved how the author gave us a little insight to Kata in the prologue and when I finally connected that Kata was Kalin, my jaw literally dropped. The transition from a shy boy desperate to fit in to a killing machine was very well written and completely believable. I would definitely say that Kalin progressed more as he pulled a complete 180 from how he was at the beginning of the book but I also don't want Tau to go unnoticed. Kata helped him develop a personality and understanding of the world outside of GenTech, which was also super interesting to see. When Kalin began to undergo more training, it became clear that he was progressing and becoming more angry and spiteful than he was before. He embraced the training in hopes that he could use it against his captors. Tau's progression was less intense, but as he began to understand common slang and think for himself the reader really began to see him grow as a character. Both Kalin and Tau were changed by the end of the book, and the way that Austin created detailed arcs for them as individuals and as a team is beyond impressive.

Indeed. I could never imagine that someone would describe the transition of a boy into a killing machine better than Austin. I was impressed. And also character development that gave us opportunity to see grow from someone little to someone big... I simply love it when you cannot put a book down!

[Free-man]

The book ends by portraiting Kalin as a hero. He struggled in his childhood. Project Tau is a psychological science fiction thriller. The book has a lot of suspense and a little bit of action. The book is well structured and educating. The life of Kalin Taylor is a lesson for students. This story connects to our present-day life and experiences.

[Pstodumeje]

Tau is a character that I like. I like the way the author developed his roles and scenes. He was innocent and looks like a kid. He has a good friendship with Kata. Tau is intelligent and he didn’t rush to take actions. Unlike Kalin. Kalin happens to be my favorite character. I enjoyed his development from getting a scholarship to entering science department in college to trying to join a fraternity where he was given a hard task. I believe Kalin progressed well in Project Tau.

[Kemmy11]

I think Kalin progressed more in this book because he was a coward whose childhood was a bit rough with struggles but he eventually gave in to training and became a different version of whom he was and he ended up being a hero at the end of the book.

[ZettieOby]

Kata progressed to Kalin who became more and spiteful. Turning into those he was running from as human. Tau progressed with the help of Kalin in developing social abilities with humans.

[Zaddy_007]

The development of Tau was impressive. Tau was looking innocent and frequently looks like a kid. He was a friend of Kata. Tau never rushed to take action because he was intelligent. Kalin is my favorite character. I like his intention to join the fraternity. It was like he was trying to prove a point. The author did a good job of the character's development in every scene.

[leareiler]

I think that Tau progressed more, simply because he went from thinking that he was nothing and thought he accepted the punishment and abuse the scientists were giving him, to realizing he didn't deserve that. Also, he learned how to read, which is a truly a big deal because literacy is very, very important. He also decided that he was ready to break out and kill the scientists. So for me, seeing Tau go from following every order given to him by the scientists to him ready to kill them all was a bigger progression than it was for Kalin, in my opinion.

[Mrunalpatki]

Project Kata's progression was definitely more noteworthy. He was a student looking no further than his college term starting the next day. And more worried about getting into a frat, than anything else. What he accomplished in the end was the impossible. No one would have believed it, had it been told to them before the story began.

[SunVixen]

I would say Kalin regressed throughout the book, while at the same time kind of achieving his goal from the beginning. As Kalin became Kata, he became more like the bullies who had tormented him all his life, including the ones at college. In some real sense, he actually lost his humanity as the book went on.

Tau, on the other hand, learned what it was like to be a human. Humans are, by nature, social creatures that survive best in social constructs (even introverts). Tau has never had any kind of community before Kata was put in with him. By learning how to live alongside another person and learning to care about what happened to that person, he got to a point where he was much more like Kalin was at the start of the book than Kata was.

Tau was in in a more difficult situation than Kata. He didn't have a normal human past, like Kata, and he started from with a blank state. Therefore, he has progressed more.