Every slob needs to be inhabited by an alien if it will get them into shape! 
 The Lives of Tao brings a whole new perspective to the history of the world. We know only what the history books tell us, but its all crap! We are really a species guided and manipulated by a race of aliens who crash landed on our planet millennia ago and they are bent on using us and the Earth's to get the hell off this rock. One alien race, two factions but both vying for the upper hand and using us to further their own ends. Hey it could happen, and Wesley Chu does a really awesome job of sucking you in and giving you the goods in a laugh out loud kinda way. 
 Every nerd probably has some sort of visions grandeur. Seeing themselves (ourselves haha) as the characters read about or watched in action flicks. Sitting back reading a comic or playing an online role playing video games thinking yeah I'm just that bad ass. But Roen Tan really is just a fat, lazy slob of a loser, being a nerd isn't bad but Roen hasn't ever taken pride in himself and that is how Tao finds him...in a sad sorry state. They are quite the crazy pair these two. If Tao had his own body I imagine together they would look like Jasper and Horace from 101 Dalmations. My favorite scene in The Lives of Tao is when Roen is first encouraged by Tao to defend himself. It was intense and hilarious. 
 Nearly a minute into their standoff, after a lot of bravado on both sides, something in Roen snapped. With a burst of momentary courage and the high pitched roar of a raging mouse, he swung the broken bottles above his head and charged. - pg 52 
 But not only was it funny it really made me think. Take a real good look at your life and I think so many people just live through each day rather than living their lives. This smacks you in the face with that knowledge and forces you to wonder if there is a little bit of Roen Tan in yourself. It's great how Chu does this a few times with stark reality that I'm sure many of us can relate to but even more frequently with comedy. 
 This is all I'll amount to. This is my stapler. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My stapler is my best..." It is not even really yours. If you quit your job, they keep the stapler. - pg 125 
 Roen goes from an overweight loser with no self esteem to an international man of mystery. Of course he had a lot of help along the way but I think that is also what made his character so great. 
 How is that for James Bond-like? This message will self-destruct in ten... "Shut up, Tao. And that's Inspector Gadget anyway. - pg 108 
 Did I want to smack the shit out of him quite a few times? Hell Yes! - that was the point though. You feel his character development and growth in an intimate way due to the way the story is narrated by both Roen and Tao. 
 Though the beginning was a little slow because of the part that I like to call "let's get this fatty in shape" portion - it read quite a bit slower than the remainder of the book. Luckily the comedic content helped blister it along such that I didn't mind the pace at all. It was a great showing for a debut book and one that I will definitely recommend to my nerd cohorts.