Review of Tau 4 by V.J. Waks

Tau 4 on Amazon


I received a review copy of this SF novel from the author.

The opening chapters immediately drew me in - strong use of imagery, disturbing concepts, dark science and a Frankenstein-like theme of creation turning out to be rather dangerous. The central character, Gerda Tau, a morph who can transform into a powerful feline beast is strongly sketched. She's a complex character with very human emotions and an ever-present sense of menace, even to those closest to her. Tau is the hinge the tale hangs upon - not only her bid for freedom, the challenges of her nature, but also the multi-dimensional relationship she has with her creator.

Tau 4 follows in the tradition of the best of space opera, taking us to stunning worlds with wonderful alien vistas. Waks populates her universe with a host of interesting characters against the backdrop of big ethical questions that never impede the plot.

It's a great story with some really compelling moments. None are stronger than the scenes in which Tau is transforming and tension is building to the point that the reader grows really concerned for the humans close by.

Style: My engagement with the characters was at times hampered by eliding point of view. The style is heavily omniscient, but dips into the heads of characters like a camera closing in. However, the shifts are somewhat arbitrary and sometimes left me confused as to whose head I was in. There were times when POV was working beautifully (often scenes involving Tau and her heightened senses) only to be deflated by giving us the perspective of another character. If these changes in POV had been reduced, and clearly delineated with a line break, it would have been less jarring.

There is some unorthodox use of capitalization, some unusual syntax, a few typos, but nothing that gets in the way of the reading experience. At times the language was a little verbose - literary in the way that impedes immediacy and identification. In such cases, the words used throw up a barrier, presenting the characters almost through a filter. At times, the sentence structure became unwieldy - too many clauses, too many redundant words. There were also some confusing pronoun uses where the writer seemed determined not to use “her”, “his”, or even the character’s name. Sometimes we were presented with a title or descriptor that further destroyed the illusion of POV.

The stylistic points aside (some of which stem from personal choice and genre expectation in any case), this is a very entertaining and engaging book; some of the scenes are still strong in my consciousness, and that is always a good sign that the writer has succeeded.

Tau 4 on Amazon UK

Rating: 4 stars.