Chu was born in Taipei in 1976[1] and originally raised by his grandparents in Taiwan while his parents were studying in the United States. In 1982, he joined his parents in Lincoln, Nebraska, later settling in Chicago in 1990.[2][3] He received a degree in management information systems from the University of Illinois, worked consulting jobs, then spent ten years in the banking industry. Chu has acted in film and television, and has also worked as a stuntman.[4][3] Chu has appeared in several commercials alongside numerous celebrities, such as Michael Jordan.[citation needed]
Writing career
Chu's first novel, The Lives of Tao, was submitted in 2011 to Angry Robot Books as part of their "Open Door" process,[5][6] and published in 2013. It was selected as one of the 2014 Alex Awards winners.[7] Chu became a full-time writer in 2014.[4] He was nominated for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer in 2014 and 2015, winning the second time.[8]
Chu signed a contract with Angry Robot Books early in 2015 for the Io series, new novels set in the same universe as the Tao series.[9] His novel Time Salvager was optioned to Paramount in 2015, with Michael Bay attached to direct.[10][needs update]
In 2019, Chu and Cassandra Clare debuted #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list with their novel The Red Scrolls of Magic, the first of The Eldest Curses series, part of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.[11]Robert Kirkman tapped Chu to write the first The Walking Dead novel set in Asia, titled The Walking Dead: Typhoon, which was released on October 1, 2019.[12]
In 2021, it was announced that Original Film and Sony Pictures Television had acquired the rights for Chu's The War Arts Saga, with plans to adapt the novels for television.[13] Chu was listed as an executive producer on the project.[13] In 2022, Kirkus Reviews named The Art of Prophecy one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of the year.[14]
Bibliography
Tao series
The Lives of Tao (Angry Robot Books, 2013)
The Deaths of Tao (Angry Robot Books, 2014)
The Rebirths of Tao (Angry Robot Books, 2015)
The Days of Tao (Angry Robot Books, 2016)
Time Salvager series
Time Salvager (Tor, 2015)
Time Siege (Tor, 2016)
Io series
The Io series (a three-book synopsis exists) is a continuation of the Tao series, centered on new characters, Ella and her alien Io.[15]
