I started with the movie, i really like it, maybe not "the best of all" sci fi but it has his ways, i personally see something from Solaris (the book) inside of it, and i love Lem Stanislaw.
A couple of years later i discover that there where three books of the series, some time later i started to read them.
The first book was in some ways predictable, not for the plot per se, but because i watched the movie and i was specting something similar. I liked the book and i wanted to get more.
The second book is some kind of "outside" of the first one, other story, other ways, but the same feeling and one step up in the general trama. First i was confused but when i started to advance in the reading i liked more and more.
The third book is the book that work as the closure and unite the previous two, is good and has a good ending (in my opinion) that concuerds with the overall trama. Is more like the first book and more lightweight that the second.
Finally, i liked all the books, also they make the movie more interesting in good ways. Nice sci fi from a good author.
I love it, is one of the first books that i read in 2 days non stop. I love the space opera and i think that Tau Zero is a good history with a good selling point.