Review of Project Tau

[relyksserro]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Project Tau" by Jude Austin.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Project Tau by Jude Austin is a satisfying read for SciFi lovers, although many of the themes may be familiar to those entrenched in the genre.  Kalin's beginning may be a familiar scenario to many: break into a location to fulfill a frat initiation and gain acceptance. In this instance, the location is a highly classified area, and through his act, Kalin finds himself in an predicament that begins his life-changing journey.

The SciFi aspects and way of life are great and presented well.  Shocking and eyebrow-raising technologies are integrated seamlessly within the narrative, lending to their ordinary and common place in the world Austin has built. There are multiple themes that have been previously explored in popular works, such as a controlling and higher power, perpetrated atrocities en masse, what makes a human being, and the struggle of the individual against unjust oppression.  Eventually, enough becomes enough, and the oppressed start to break through, leading to reflection and discovery.  Kalin's struggle and journey is a devastating and effective base for philosophical themes.

My biggest issue was the text. As an editor and writer, reading a story like this is a test of patience.  It reads as if it hasn't had a line edit, which would otherwise raise the work to a higher level of greatness.  There are also little distractions that detract from the story's impact.  For example, it's hard to believe that a character would be quoting Silence of the Lambs 1300 years into the future.  There is not a lot of exposition, leaving a lot of elements and Kalin's background up for interpretation.  To an ordinary reader, it might be fine, but to a professional, there might be too many things interrupting the narrative.  There are also some developmental issues within the text.  For instance, although the general audience may understand why Kalin wants to break into a classified area, I couldn't help but question the ease at which Kalin willingly perpetrates a law that sends him on a devastating and irrevocable path for a frat initiation.

Project Tau is still a diamond in the rough--a great story embedded within a suboptimal text.  I enjoyed the themes, characters, and technologies, but there were too many issues holding me back from enjoying the narrative.  For that reason, my rating for this work is 3 out of 4 stars. 

I recommend this work for lovers of SciFi who are able to overlook the mechanical and developmental issues of the text.

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Project Tau
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