Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Alfred A. Knopf
Pages
599
Description
Fantasy. Romance. Science Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:For fans of Marie Lu comes the first book in an epic series that bends the sci-fi genre into a new dimension. �A truly beautiful novel that redefines the form." �Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of Red Queen This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she�d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that�s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra�who are barely even talking to each other�are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet�s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what�s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it�s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she�d never speak to again. Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents�including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more�Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. �Prepare yourselves for Illuminae.� �EW.com �[Y]ou�re not in for an ordinary novel experience. . . .� �Bustle.com �A truly interactive experience. . . . A fantastically fun ride.� �MTV.com ? �[O]ut-of-this-world awesome.� �Kirkus Reviews, starred ? ��stylistically mesmerizing.� �Publishers Weekly, starred ? �[A]n arresting visual experience.��Booklist, starred ? �[A] game-changer.� �Shelf Awareness, starred �Brace yourself. You're about to be immersed in a mindscape that you'll never want to leave.� �Marie Lu, bestselling author of the Legend trilogy "Genre: Undefinable. Novel: Unforgettable." �Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures & author of Unbreakable �An exuberant mix of space opera, romance, zombies, hackers, and political thrills.� �Scott Westerfeld, bestselling author of Zeroes and Uglies �Stunningly creative. Smart, funny, and romantic.� �Veronica Rossi, bestselling author of Under the Never Sky �This is one of those rare books that will truly keep your heart pounding.� �Beth Revis, bestselling author of Across the Universe �This book is xxxxing awesome.� �Laini Taylor, bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.… (more)
Description
This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra — who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents — including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more — Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra — who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents — including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more — Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-10-20
Physical description
599 p.; 9.25 inches
ISBN
0553499114 / 9780553499117
Similar in this library
Media reviews
No One Hears You Scream In Space....
Some of you may be too young to know that reference, but holy moly is it appropriate for this book! I recommend everyone go grab this book as soon as possible. It is Ender's Game, Aliens, War World Z, 2001 Space Odyssey, all together, rolled up into one
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fantastic, heart-stropping, scary as hell, novel.
When I first begun this book I was really afraid that my interest wan't going to be held because the formatting seemed a bit cheesy to me. It's presented like a case file for an investigation with supporting documentation, photos, emails, and correspondences. If you think about it, it's a brilliant way to present this story, but if you had less talented writers who focused more on the gimmick you would end up with a sub-par novel. However, you have Amie Kaufman and Jay Krisoff at the helm, and so we end up with a thought provoking, well crafted, and immensely intriguing story that is presented in a creative way.
The story starts off with the destruction of a planet. Then we have a ever so slow, but always present chance across space. All the while, you have mechanical breakdowns, glitchey computers, virus outbreaks, and the people in charge trying to manage this all during war-time scenarios occurring. Civilians are being conscripted for service, and people are starting to get scared. This brings us to our main characters, Kady is really good with computers, and Ezra landed a position as a flight pilot. Through their on going texts and emails the story is told.
All these components could go really wrong, but in this book created by these amazing writers, it all works. It works so much better than I could've imagined possible. I was scared, I was concerned, and the story continued...
This is the first book in what is set to be a series of three books, and I will be waiting for each new book. If someone approached me saying they never really read or enjoyed science fiction, this is the book I would direct them to for a chance to change their heart. I highly recommend this book. Show Less
Lexile
L
User reviews
LibraryThing member Tsana
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is a book I've had an unusual relationship with. The authors asked me to check their science/physics which meant I read an earlier version of the manuscript last year. I've now also read the final ARC with the proper typesetting. This is sort of a review,
One moment, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have nothing bigger to worry about than each other. Specifically, avoiding each other in the wake of their messy break-up. In the next second, their entire world falls apart.
The year is 2375 and one of the mega-corporations that control much of deep space has just fired the opening salvo in an intergalactic war, destroying Kady and Ezra's planet. Forced to flee on a small fleet of crippled rescue ships alongside thousands of other refugees, the fear of enemy warships chasing them down is at first all-consuming but soon becomes the least of their worries. A deadly plague is ravaging the refugees on the ships; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be an enemy; and High Command is refusing to acknowledge that there may be a serious problem. As Kady plunges into a tangled web of data in search of the truth, she realises that Ezra is possibly the only person who can help her save the refugees before it's too late.
Illuminae is an epistolary novel in the modern sense. Rather than containing any letters (well, there are some emails), it's composed of transcripts of interviews and security footage, chat messages, data dumps from the computer (which are much more readable than they sound like they should be), military reports, and a lot of creative topography. There's not a lot of traditional narrative — about half the forms I just listed might fall into that category — and the story is moved along through information being revealed in a judicious order. It's not a random order; obviously this is a book that was planned and intentionally written. But there are also plot reasons for the information appearing in the order that it does.
If you like spaceships, conspiracies, zombie-like plagues and explosions, this is possibly the book for you. If the idea of the the format tickles your fancy then also definitely pick this one up. On the other hand, if you hate text messages and non-linear typography, this might not quite be a book you'll enjoy. It's definitely different to a lot of YA I've read of late (in format, above all), and hey, I approve of the science. ;-p
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but not really a proper one. I can't be impartial since I've read and dissected an earlier version and even reading the final version in a more relaxed way, it's impossible to form the usual sort of opinion.One moment, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have nothing bigger to worry about than each other. Specifically, avoiding each other in the wake of their messy break-up. In the next second, their entire world falls apart.
The year is 2375 and one of the mega-corporations that control much of deep space has just fired the opening salvo in an intergalactic war, destroying Kady and Ezra's planet. Forced to flee on a small fleet of crippled rescue ships alongside thousands of other refugees, the fear of enemy warships chasing them down is at first all-consuming but soon becomes the least of their worries. A deadly plague is ravaging the refugees on the ships; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be an enemy; and High Command is refusing to acknowledge that there may be a serious problem. As Kady plunges into a tangled web of data in search of the truth, she realises that Ezra is possibly the only person who can help her save the refugees before it's too late.
Illuminae is an epistolary novel in the modern sense. Rather than containing any letters (well, there are some emails), it's composed of transcripts of interviews and security footage, chat messages, data dumps from the computer (which are much more readable than they sound like they should be), military reports, and a lot of creative topography. There's not a lot of traditional narrative — about half the forms I just listed might fall into that category — and the story is moved along through information being revealed in a judicious order. It's not a random order; obviously this is a book that was planned and intentionally written. But there are also plot reasons for the information appearing in the order that it does.
If you like spaceships, conspiracies, zombie-like plagues and explosions, this is possibly the book for you. If the idea of the the format tickles your fancy then also definitely pick this one up. On the other hand, if you hate text messages and non-linear typography, this might not quite be a book you'll enjoy. It's definitely different to a lot of YA I've read of late (in format, above all), and hey, I approve of the science. ;-p
Show Less
LibraryThing member pennma05
Oh man! This book was fantastic!! Equal parts thriller, sci-fi, adventure, and a splash of romance thrown in.
LibraryThing member titania86
It's 2575 and Kady thought the worst thing to happen to her was breaking up with her infuriating boyfriend Ezra. Unfortunately, she was dead wrong. Just a few hours later, their planet is attacked by a rival megacorporation that wants the planet's resources. Kady and Ezra had to depend on each
Illuminae blew me away. The story is told not in a conventional narrative, but in a compilation of hacked files, interviews, reports, schematics, instant messages, and descriptions of security footage. I've seen a few books that use this style, like The Dead House, and I haven't seen it be truly effective until now. This style does a great job of immersing you in the story and the world with crazy amounts of details. The variety of narrative plays with how the story is conveyed: different points of view, and comments in the margins. I like the different word density of each chapter and how the author plays with the tempo of the story. Some pages, mostly near the end, are so incredibly artistic and unique that it brings to mind the amazing post-modern work of Mark Z. Danielewski. The typography captures the mood of the scene and it's just plain beautiful.
I liked the characters right from the beginning. Kady and Ezra's testimonies about the disaster that changed their lives, killed their friends and family, and destroyed the only home they ever knew were full of snark and defiance towards those questioning them and each other. Their romance is sweet and organic, but doesn't overpower the story. It figures largely in the beginning, but when the greater conflicts start rearing their ugly heads, it takes a backseat while still affecting the relevant characters. I liked that they were two distinctly different people and had a lot of disagreements, fights, and resentment. However, both of them had similar angst and pain over the horrific events that destroyed everything.
Initially the plot sounded like way too many things all together, but each story line fits together like a well crafted puzzle. There are three main conflicts: the rival megacorporation out to kill them, the rogue killer AI called AIDAN, and the airborne, mutated bioweapon that causes extreme rage and violence in the afflicted. Once I started the story, it felt that everything fit together organically and nothing seemed out of place or overpowering. The rival megacorporation takes a bit of a back seat near the middle simply due to proximity, but comes back with a vengeance at the very end. AIDAN and the rage filled infected people are more immediate threats. AIDAN is malfunctioning and has become more than he is supposed to be. I don't consider him evil, much like HAL 9000, and he learned things like humor and sarcasm by the end of the book. The infected people are super creepy and the disease is airborne. They start out with a fever and then end delusional and murderous with the intelligence of the person they once were. Not only do they have loved ones faces, but they can strategize and lure prey. All of them hate being looked at and that one common thread just turns the creep factor up to eleven.
Illuminae is an epic science fiction adventure with a healthy dose of horror that has made it into my favorite books of the year. I didn't find anything lacking or annoying. The writing flows well and had me at the edge of my seat for most of the story. The different styles of narrative and type lend a freshness and provide a unique vehicle for the story. This concept has always interested me, but I've never seen it executed as well as this. I am so incredibly excited for the rest of the series that I can't stand it!
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other (and a little bit of luck) to escape with their lives onto evacuating spaceships with the rival company's warship in constant pursuit. It later becomes apparent that their enemies attacked them with a biological weapon that has infected some of their people and created an epidemic of catastrophic proportions. If that wasn't enough, their ship's AI who is supposed to be protecting them may be their biggest enemy, but none of the higher-ups are telling anyone anything. Kady hacks into the ship's computer, determined to figure out what's really happening. She realizes the only person who can help her is the only person she never wants to speak to again: Ezra.Illuminae blew me away. The story is told not in a conventional narrative, but in a compilation of hacked files, interviews, reports, schematics, instant messages, and descriptions of security footage. I've seen a few books that use this style, like The Dead House, and I haven't seen it be truly effective until now. This style does a great job of immersing you in the story and the world with crazy amounts of details. The variety of narrative plays with how the story is conveyed: different points of view, and comments in the margins. I like the different word density of each chapter and how the author plays with the tempo of the story. Some pages, mostly near the end, are so incredibly artistic and unique that it brings to mind the amazing post-modern work of Mark Z. Danielewski. The typography captures the mood of the scene and it's just plain beautiful.
I liked the characters right from the beginning. Kady and Ezra's testimonies about the disaster that changed their lives, killed their friends and family, and destroyed the only home they ever knew were full of snark and defiance towards those questioning them and each other. Their romance is sweet and organic, but doesn't overpower the story. It figures largely in the beginning, but when the greater conflicts start rearing their ugly heads, it takes a backseat while still affecting the relevant characters. I liked that they were two distinctly different people and had a lot of disagreements, fights, and resentment. However, both of them had similar angst and pain over the horrific events that destroyed everything.
Initially the plot sounded like way too many things all together, but each story line fits together like a well crafted puzzle. There are three main conflicts: the rival megacorporation out to kill them, the rogue killer AI called AIDAN, and the airborne, mutated bioweapon that causes extreme rage and violence in the afflicted. Once I started the story, it felt that everything fit together organically and nothing seemed out of place or overpowering. The rival megacorporation takes a bit of a back seat near the middle simply due to proximity, but comes back with a vengeance at the very end. AIDAN and the rage filled infected people are more immediate threats. AIDAN is malfunctioning and has become more than he is supposed to be. I don't consider him evil, much like HAL 9000, and he learned things like humor and sarcasm by the end of the book. The infected people are super creepy and the disease is airborne. They start out with a fever and then end delusional and murderous with the intelligence of the person they once were. Not only do they have loved ones faces, but they can strategize and lure prey. All of them hate being looked at and that one common thread just turns the creep factor up to eleven.
Illuminae is an epic science fiction adventure with a healthy dose of horror that has made it into my favorite books of the year. I didn't find anything lacking or annoying. The writing flows well and had me at the edge of my seat for most of the story. The different styles of narrative and type lend a freshness and provide a unique vehicle for the story. This concept has always interested me, but I've never seen it executed as well as this. I am so incredibly excited for the rest of the series that I can't stand it!
Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
This scifi/YA story is told in the form of a dossier prepared by “The Illuminae Group” for an Executive Director Frobisher regarding the Kerenza disaster which began one year previously. As the compilers note: “All visual and audio data are included in original form, along with written
The story then unfolds in the promised mixed media format, replete with water marks, fingerprint smudges, I.M. transcripts, memos photocopies and more. The two main protagonists are 17-year-old Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, who had just broken up from their relationship before their interstellar mining colony was destroyed by a corporate competitor.
A couple of ships manage to make it off the colony before its total annihilation, with Kady on one of the ships and Ezra on another. Soon, they are communicating by IM, trying to figure out together what happened to the colony, and more importantly, what was happening on the ships. Because something was definitely not right, and all of their lives were still very much hanging in the balance.
Discussion: While the mixed media format approach is not new, this book is done in an exceptionally clever way. (I especially liked the Casualties report, the “Unipedia” excerpt, and the hidden image of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”) At first it seemed like the “cuteness” of the meta concept might overwhelm the story, but as one becomes more invested in the story, the media recedes and the message takes over.
The opening interview was a little silly, but the story quickly picked up both gravitas and believability. Also in the beginning, I thought the book might just be some updated version of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But Aidan, the main ship’s AI computer, was not Hal, after all. In fact, his character was developed in a quite interesting way.
There are some nice twists and surprises to the plot, including an unexpected romantic entanglement.
Kady is an exceptional character, and will make a great role model for female readers.
Evaluation: I think this book will greatly appeal to teens. I look forward to the next installment.
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transcripts,” with “typographical and graphical anomalies” unchanged from the original files.The story then unfolds in the promised mixed media format, replete with water marks, fingerprint smudges, I.M. transcripts, memos photocopies and more. The two main protagonists are 17-year-old Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, who had just broken up from their relationship before their interstellar mining colony was destroyed by a corporate competitor.
A couple of ships manage to make it off the colony before its total annihilation, with Kady on one of the ships and Ezra on another. Soon, they are communicating by IM, trying to figure out together what happened to the colony, and more importantly, what was happening on the ships. Because something was definitely not right, and all of their lives were still very much hanging in the balance.
Discussion: While the mixed media format approach is not new, this book is done in an exceptionally clever way. (I especially liked the Casualties report, the “Unipedia” excerpt, and the hidden image of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”) At first it seemed like the “cuteness” of the meta concept might overwhelm the story, but as one becomes more invested in the story, the media recedes and the message takes over.
The opening interview was a little silly, but the story quickly picked up both gravitas and believability. Also in the beginning, I thought the book might just be some updated version of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But Aidan, the main ship’s AI computer, was not Hal, after all. In fact, his character was developed in a quite interesting way.
There are some nice twists and surprises to the plot, including an unexpected romantic entanglement.
Kady is an exceptional character, and will make a great role model for female readers.
Evaluation: I think this book will greatly appeal to teens. I look forward to the next installment.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DaffiMere
I'm well aware that this is book one and book two is due out next year (rumoured). But damn I want book two now!!
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Illuminae is one seriously dramatic and terrifying young adult sci-fi novel. This novel isn’t for the squeamish.
Opening Sentence: So here’s the file that almost killed me, Director.
The Review:
Holy moly! Illuminae is one seriously dramatic and
Illuminae starts off crazy and doesn’t stop. It begins with an interview of Kady Grant and Ezra Mason (separately) about what happened on their home mining camp of Karenza. Kady’s day starts off with her breaking up with her boyfriend, Ezra. It ends on a spaceship racing away from the world she knows after it was attacked and destroyed by the BeiTech Corporation.
Things do not slow down from there. Kady knows some shady stuff is going down. She uses her hacking skills to uncover documents and footage that lays out the story of what is happening on the spaceships. She also uses her considerable skills to find out who survived and didn’t survive the attack on Karenza. A catastrophic event occurs in space and Kady makes sure she can find out the truth of the event.
Kady wants nothing to do with Ezra. She made sure he escaped the planet but that was all she wanted to do with him. After the second tragedy, Kady has to initiate contact with Ezra again. She needs his help to further uncover the truth. Ezra and Kady are on different spaceships so she needs to manual help with hacking. After Ezra’s help, Kady uncovers a terrible truth, that the people on her colony were exposed to a terrible and deadly virus. This virus is crazy and so very terrifying. I felt this was way worse than the zombie virus. The infected are blood thirsty, insane crazies who still have their mental faculties of problem solving intact. They use that towards killing more people and infecting them.
If the virus wasn’t enough to deal with then the insane AI, AIDEN, just takes the cake. AIDEN’s directive is to protect life at all costs but somewhere along the way its directive got skewed. AIDEN does some really f’ed up stuff to those aboard all three spaceships with survivors of the Karenza attack.
I’m going to straight up say that I loved Kady. She did everything she could to uncover the grisly details of the entire book. She even pretended being stupid with computers just to throw people off her trail. She was pretty badass throughout the book. When push came to shove, she was prepared to throw her life away in order to save her fellow survivors. She was terrified but she never completely broke down.
My copy of Illuminae was off of NetGalley. I couldn’t read some of the more detailed pages so I did miss some information. The small print just wouldn’t show up on my computer screen. I would wholeheartedly recommend getting a hard copy of Illuminae. The electronic copies are going to be hard to read. I know I will be picking up a copy. I want to see what I missed.
There were times during the writing, that I was surprised by the language and some other details. I do not want to spoil anything except to say that everything comes around and there is a satisfying answer to everything!
**Side note: I may not be the only crazy one to catch this Easter egg. But I’m a huge fan of heavy music and I laughed my butt off at the use of the band members’ names from Lamb of God. Although the memo itself was quite sad and tragic. So I laughed at that but felt bad because it was a bad scene.**
Overall this novel is not for the squeamish. There are LOTS of deaths, some might be graphic. There is a lot of cussing, of course it is covered with black squares that I can’t recreate here. Plus, I’m a weenie and just terrified of space and space movies. I definitely recommend this book to for those who are not faint of heart. If you are not a fan of the document type books, I think you should still give this one a try.
Notable Scene:
Hey K,
I’m not sure if you’ll get this. I mailed you last month, but maybe it didn’t go through. If things aboard the Hypatia are anything like things over here, it probably didn’t. Maybe you’re busy. Or you don’t want to talk to me. I get it.
It was my birthday yesterday. Eighteen years old, can you believe that? Good news is I can drink legally, now. Bad news is there’s nothing to drink. Even the water’s in short supply. :P
They’ve got me doing tests. Not just me – there’s a whole bunch of us. VR sims and psych analysis and physicals. They’ve drafted a whole bunch of the Kerenza refugees into the UTA over here. Not sure if they’re doing the same on the Hypatia. Wartime conscription they called it. And now I’m eighteen, they’re looking at me. Which I guess means we’re in deeper **** than anyone figured.
I had a dream about you last night. No, not like that, relax.
It was the day of the attack, and I see you in your truck in the parking lot. And I run up to the window and knock, but you don’t let me in. You just stare, like you don’t know me. And I pound on the glass and yell your name, but you just shake your head. And then you drive off and leave me there. Weird thing is, there’s someone who looks exactly like me sitting right next to you the whole time. And he’s laughing.
And then the ships come.
You think it means something?
Anyway, I hope you’re ok. Write back and let me know. Even if it’s just to say you got this.
Love E
FTC Advisory: Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House provided me with a copy of Illuminae. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Illuminae is one seriously dramatic and terrifying young adult sci-fi novel. This novel isn’t for the squeamish.
Opening Sentence: So here’s the file that almost killed me, Director.
The Review:
Holy moly! Illuminae is one seriously dramatic and
Show More
terrifying young adult sci-fi novel. It is set in the distant future of 2575. My heart was pounding reading the documents of Kady Grant’s harrowing adventure. I definitely recommend Illuminae to anyone who enjoys a good science fiction story and for those who like the found footage/documentation type reads. I felt Illuminae was an all-round fantastic book! Its’ synopsis is one that I feel truly encapsulates this book!Illuminae starts off crazy and doesn’t stop. It begins with an interview of Kady Grant and Ezra Mason (separately) about what happened on their home mining camp of Karenza. Kady’s day starts off with her breaking up with her boyfriend, Ezra. It ends on a spaceship racing away from the world she knows after it was attacked and destroyed by the BeiTech Corporation.
Things do not slow down from there. Kady knows some shady stuff is going down. She uses her hacking skills to uncover documents and footage that lays out the story of what is happening on the spaceships. She also uses her considerable skills to find out who survived and didn’t survive the attack on Karenza. A catastrophic event occurs in space and Kady makes sure she can find out the truth of the event.
Kady wants nothing to do with Ezra. She made sure he escaped the planet but that was all she wanted to do with him. After the second tragedy, Kady has to initiate contact with Ezra again. She needs his help to further uncover the truth. Ezra and Kady are on different spaceships so she needs to manual help with hacking. After Ezra’s help, Kady uncovers a terrible truth, that the people on her colony were exposed to a terrible and deadly virus. This virus is crazy and so very terrifying. I felt this was way worse than the zombie virus. The infected are blood thirsty, insane crazies who still have their mental faculties of problem solving intact. They use that towards killing more people and infecting them.
If the virus wasn’t enough to deal with then the insane AI, AIDEN, just takes the cake. AIDEN’s directive is to protect life at all costs but somewhere along the way its directive got skewed. AIDEN does some really f’ed up stuff to those aboard all three spaceships with survivors of the Karenza attack.
I’m going to straight up say that I loved Kady. She did everything she could to uncover the grisly details of the entire book. She even pretended being stupid with computers just to throw people off her trail. She was pretty badass throughout the book. When push came to shove, she was prepared to throw her life away in order to save her fellow survivors. She was terrified but she never completely broke down.
My copy of Illuminae was off of NetGalley. I couldn’t read some of the more detailed pages so I did miss some information. The small print just wouldn’t show up on my computer screen. I would wholeheartedly recommend getting a hard copy of Illuminae. The electronic copies are going to be hard to read. I know I will be picking up a copy. I want to see what I missed.
There were times during the writing, that I was surprised by the language and some other details. I do not want to spoil anything except to say that everything comes around and there is a satisfying answer to everything!
**Side note: I may not be the only crazy one to catch this Easter egg. But I’m a huge fan of heavy music and I laughed my butt off at the use of the band members’ names from Lamb of God. Although the memo itself was quite sad and tragic. So I laughed at that but felt bad because it was a bad scene.**
Overall this novel is not for the squeamish. There are LOTS of deaths, some might be graphic. There is a lot of cussing, of course it is covered with black squares that I can’t recreate here. Plus, I’m a weenie and just terrified of space and space movies. I definitely recommend this book to for those who are not faint of heart. If you are not a fan of the document type books, I think you should still give this one a try.
Notable Scene:
Hey K,
I’m not sure if you’ll get this. I mailed you last month, but maybe it didn’t go through. If things aboard the Hypatia are anything like things over here, it probably didn’t. Maybe you’re busy. Or you don’t want to talk to me. I get it.
It was my birthday yesterday. Eighteen years old, can you believe that? Good news is I can drink legally, now. Bad news is there’s nothing to drink. Even the water’s in short supply. :P
They’ve got me doing tests. Not just me – there’s a whole bunch of us. VR sims and psych analysis and physicals. They’ve drafted a whole bunch of the Kerenza refugees into the UTA over here. Not sure if they’re doing the same on the Hypatia. Wartime conscription they called it. And now I’m eighteen, they’re looking at me. Which I guess means we’re in deeper **** than anyone figured.
I had a dream about you last night. No, not like that, relax.
It was the day of the attack, and I see you in your truck in the parking lot. And I run up to the window and knock, but you don’t let me in. You just stare, like you don’t know me. And I pound on the glass and yell your name, but you just shake your head. And then you drive off and leave me there. Weird thing is, there’s someone who looks exactly like me sitting right next to you the whole time. And he’s laughing.
And then the ships come.
You think it means something?
Anyway, I hope you’re ok. Write back and let me know. Even if it’s just to say you got this.
Love E
FTC Advisory: Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House provided me with a copy of Illuminae. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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LibraryThing member samseabornesq
Interstellar bio-war meets left behind communique ala Dracula. It's a rad, fast-past thriller.
LibraryThing member StefanieGeeks
Written in classified memos, emails, messaging, this story is fast-paced and exciting. On the morning of their break-up a pair of teens are thrown together on an espace for their lives as their mining planet is torn apart by a company vying for their natural resources. There is so much I want to
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say about this story but can't because half the joy of reading it is in the mysteries revealed and discovered. What I can say is that if you love the TV series Firefly or books by Jack McDevitt and don't mind a little bit of Teen romance you will not be disappointed by this new futuristic science fiction series. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Every once in a while, a book comes along that reaffirms the reason why we love to read. Illuminae is just such a novel. It is not that it is a profound or life-affirming story; it is just a damn good book that demands to be read quickly and often.
While there are several novels out there that have
While the story is obviously science fiction, set in the future with an unknown backstory, the story does not rest solely on the setting. There is not much in the way of history to the story, in that readers do not know what happened in the great swath of time that allowed mankind to harness the power of wormholes and build colonies on other planets. However, this is okay. In fact, it is more than okay. Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff manage to create a foreign and yet totally familiar world that has an anytime/anyplace vibe to it. Similarly, because it is a science fiction novel, there is science interspersed throughout the story. Yet, just as with the great leap into the future, Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff make it fun science. There is nothing so highly advanced that most readers would not be able to understand, and if they do not, the story unfolds in such a way that understanding the details behind the action is totally unnecessary to a reader’s enjoyment.
In many ways, Illuminae is a game-changer for the world of young adult science fiction. It bridges the gap between hard-core science fiction fans and those looking for a good story. This one just happens to take place in outer space. In that regard, it does have a Star Wars vibe to it, but that is all the comparison to Star Wars one can make. The AI portion of the story does lend itself to comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey as well, but other than the fact that both stories have AI that interferes with human’s plans the two are nothing alike. All this means is that while the story might sound familiar in some aspects, it is a totally new reading experience that anyone can enjoy.
What makes Illuminae so much fun is not just its unique approach to storytelling. It is not just its fresh take on the science fiction action-adventure. It is all of these things and more. Because of each of these elements, readers come to truly care about Kady and Ezra and will appreciate their viewpoints of the ongoing crisis. The banter is absolutely hilarious; Ezra and Kady have so much personality and zest. They are instantly familiar too, in that reading about their experiences is like reading about long-time friends. Plus, the action is heart-pounding, take-no-prisoners intense. With a last line will leave a reader with chills, Illuminae is a book well worth reading and sharing with others. It really is one of the best books of 2015.
While there are several novels out there that have
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mixed up the epistolary format for story-telling, these tend to be a bit stilted in nature. It is as if the extras, emails, letters, texts, etc., are just to enhance the story. Illuminae is the first one where these extraneous documents ARE the story. These hacked documents are the only bits of information readers receive regarding Kady and Ezra’s adventures on board their respective ships. The key to the success of this format is the fact that they are hacked. That lends the entire proceedings an air of informality that would be missing were the documents all obtained through official channels. In turn, this informality allows readers to truly get to know Kady and Ezra and become vested in their relationship and their future survival. They are also a testament to mankind’s, or at least Kady’s, creativity and refusal to take no for an answer.While the story is obviously science fiction, set in the future with an unknown backstory, the story does not rest solely on the setting. There is not much in the way of history to the story, in that readers do not know what happened in the great swath of time that allowed mankind to harness the power of wormholes and build colonies on other planets. However, this is okay. In fact, it is more than okay. Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff manage to create a foreign and yet totally familiar world that has an anytime/anyplace vibe to it. Similarly, because it is a science fiction novel, there is science interspersed throughout the story. Yet, just as with the great leap into the future, Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff make it fun science. There is nothing so highly advanced that most readers would not be able to understand, and if they do not, the story unfolds in such a way that understanding the details behind the action is totally unnecessary to a reader’s enjoyment.
In many ways, Illuminae is a game-changer for the world of young adult science fiction. It bridges the gap between hard-core science fiction fans and those looking for a good story. This one just happens to take place in outer space. In that regard, it does have a Star Wars vibe to it, but that is all the comparison to Star Wars one can make. The AI portion of the story does lend itself to comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey as well, but other than the fact that both stories have AI that interferes with human’s plans the two are nothing alike. All this means is that while the story might sound familiar in some aspects, it is a totally new reading experience that anyone can enjoy.
What makes Illuminae so much fun is not just its unique approach to storytelling. It is not just its fresh take on the science fiction action-adventure. It is all of these things and more. Because of each of these elements, readers come to truly care about Kady and Ezra and will appreciate their viewpoints of the ongoing crisis. The banter is absolutely hilarious; Ezra and Kady have so much personality and zest. They are instantly familiar too, in that reading about their experiences is like reading about long-time friends. Plus, the action is heart-pounding, take-no-prisoners intense. With a last line will leave a reader with chills, Illuminae is a book well worth reading and sharing with others. It really is one of the best books of 2015.
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LibraryThing member Beammey
Holy freaking gosh this book was amazing. I don't know if it was the word building so much, as just the book and pages were a work of art. I absolutely loved it. It was something new and made it so hard to put the book down because I wanted to know what the next page said or looked like. I'm so
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happy to hear there's going to be more of these books. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Everyone needs to read this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member amandacb
“you deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair. You deserve someone who’ll run with you as far and as fast as you want to. Holding your hand, not holding you back.” (232)
Told entirely through a compilation of interview transcripts, hacked
As the remaining residents try to outrun incoming BeiTech warships in the hopes of reaching Heimdall, a hyperport, Kady and Ezra each battle others and themselves to save the Kerenza citizens from BeiTech, AIDAN, and Phobos. Kady is an exceptionally talented technology hacker, and when she “meets” AIDAN, she begins to realize the enormous sacrifice she must make to save the others.
It is difficult to fully realize characters through piecemeal chapters and snippets of correspondence, but Kaufman and Kristoff manage it beautifully. Oddly enough, my favorite character is probably AIDAN, just for “his” mostly calm rationales and glimpses of humanity mixed with an interesting mashup of villain and hero.
There is a lot going on in this book, and it takes a few “chapters” to become accustomed to all the names and ships and planets. The narrative devices are also jarring at first, but then after the first 50 or so pages, it becomes utterly intriguing. What this book lacks in a constant, in-depth point of view it triumphs with well-placed narrative and unceasing action. Can’t wait for the second book of this intended trilogy!
On an entirely superficial note, the book itself is gorgeous; while I purchased a copy for the library, I loved it so much I went ahead and bought one for my own collection.
If you love These Broken Stars, also by Amie Kaufman, and Beth Revis’s Across the Universe trilogy, then you will love Illuminae.
Told entirely through a compilation of interview transcripts, hacked
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emails and instant messages, journal entries, medical reports, and other documents, Illuminae tells the dramatic story of Kady and Ezra. They are residents of a small planet called Kerenza that is being illegally mined for precious hermium when BeiTech Industries initiates a war. It just so happens that this war begins right when Kady and Ezra break up. Three ships are nearby: the battle carrier Alexander, a research vessel called Hypatia, and a freighter named Copernicus. Artificial intelligence AIDAN is to blame when one of the ships is destroyed—yes, the residents of the ship were infected with Phobos, a mutagenic, manufactured bioweapon, but did AIDAN go rogue or is “he” trying to protect Kady?As the remaining residents try to outrun incoming BeiTech warships in the hopes of reaching Heimdall, a hyperport, Kady and Ezra each battle others and themselves to save the Kerenza citizens from BeiTech, AIDAN, and Phobos. Kady is an exceptionally talented technology hacker, and when she “meets” AIDAN, she begins to realize the enormous sacrifice she must make to save the others.
It is difficult to fully realize characters through piecemeal chapters and snippets of correspondence, but Kaufman and Kristoff manage it beautifully. Oddly enough, my favorite character is probably AIDAN, just for “his” mostly calm rationales and glimpses of humanity mixed with an interesting mashup of villain and hero.
There is a lot going on in this book, and it takes a few “chapters” to become accustomed to all the names and ships and planets. The narrative devices are also jarring at first, but then after the first 50 or so pages, it becomes utterly intriguing. What this book lacks in a constant, in-depth point of view it triumphs with well-placed narrative and unceasing action. Can’t wait for the second book of this intended trilogy!
On an entirely superficial note, the book itself is gorgeous; while I purchased a copy for the library, I loved it so much I went ahead and bought one for my own collection.
If you love These Broken Stars, also by Amie Kaufman, and Beth Revis’s Across the Universe trilogy, then you will love Illuminae.
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LibraryThing member EmpressReece
"The Illuminae Files_01" -Survivor Review That was amazing-such a beautiful story and ending! Really one of the best books I've read in a while. If this isn't already under contract for a movie production, it definitely will be.
The gist of the story is, two of the main characters, Kady and Ezra,
The story really is just fantastic in its own right but the real brilliance of it comes from the format it's told in, through the AI transmissions, pictures, interviews, emails, surveillance footage summaries etc. Annie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff are seriously my new two favorite authors! I can't wait until the second part of the trilogy is released. It can't happen soon enough.
The gist of the story is, two of the main characters, Kady and Ezra,
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have just broken up and aren't even speaking to each other when their planet is attacked and invaded by a rival corporation. They end up fleeing onto evacuating warships and are separated in the chaos. Ezra is called on to flight duty and Kady spends her time hacking the systems in order to find out more about what's going on. A number of other things happen but in essence, the survivors end up in the fight of their lives trying to save the ship and themselves.The story really is just fantastic in its own right but the real brilliance of it comes from the format it's told in, through the AI transmissions, pictures, interviews, emails, surveillance footage summaries etc. Annie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff are seriously my new two favorite authors! I can't wait until the second part of the trilogy is released. It can't happen soon enough.
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
Okay, so, I enjoyed reading this and everything, but the young adult tropes were just egregious. The heroine, Kady (notice she's too unique to spell her name with a t), is so amazing that not only does every man who meet her fall in love with her—as is only to be expected in a dystopian young neither of these two crazy kids flipping die! At the end I wasn't happy and breathing a sigh of relief, I was scoffing and rolling my eyes.
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adult novel—but so do all-knowing shipboard AIs. And it's just incredibly laughable that Show Less
LibraryThing member tina_thebookworm
Illuminae is one of those books I was sure I’d never read. I saw a copy at Wal-Mart flipped through it and thought this doesn’t look like my cup of tea so I passed on it. But I saw that the audiobook was available through the library so I thought why not?
Let me begin by telling that the
Illuminae is written in intercepted IM’s, emails, surveillance reports, interviews, journal entries etc. That sounds crazy right? How can one tell a story through all that? Will it work? This is one of the reasons I wasn’t planning on reading the book it just looked weird. But it works, the story is carefully woven through each IM, email, surveillance report, it took a while for me to get use to the way the story was written but after about 10 pages I was hooked and you couldn’t catch me without my headphones listening to it.
I can’t even explain to you what this book is about because I can’t find the words. I was lost, confused, worried, heartbroken, scared for even the minor characters. I had a few minor heart attacks. I was intrigued definitely intrigued.
I also fell in love, deeply in love with Ezra. He stole my heart after this line:
“You deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair. You deserve someone who’ll run with you as far and as fast as you want to. Holding your hand not holding you back. You deserve more than I could ever give you, Kady. But I’ll give you everything I can if you still want me to.”
If you haven’t read this yet, what are you waiting for? You need to pick this up. The hype is real. The hype is actually right this time! Pick it up and pick up the audiobook as well and be prepared to be mind blown.
Let me begin by telling that the
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audiobook is beyond amazing. AMAZING. If you have the possibility to read and listen to the audiobook at the same time, I highly recommend it. The narrators are absolutely amazing. It is a full cast of narrators so every character mentioned has a different narrator and the sound effects really enhance the audiobook and it’s like a movie going on in your head. Illuminae is written in intercepted IM’s, emails, surveillance reports, interviews, journal entries etc. That sounds crazy right? How can one tell a story through all that? Will it work? This is one of the reasons I wasn’t planning on reading the book it just looked weird. But it works, the story is carefully woven through each IM, email, surveillance report, it took a while for me to get use to the way the story was written but after about 10 pages I was hooked and you couldn’t catch me without my headphones listening to it.
I can’t even explain to you what this book is about because I can’t find the words. I was lost, confused, worried, heartbroken, scared for even the minor characters. I had a few minor heart attacks. I was intrigued definitely intrigued.
I also fell in love, deeply in love with Ezra. He stole my heart after this line:
“You deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair. You deserve someone who’ll run with you as far and as fast as you want to. Holding your hand not holding you back. You deserve more than I could ever give you, Kady. But I’ll give you everything I can if you still want me to.”
If you haven’t read this yet, what are you waiting for? You need to pick this up. The hype is real. The hype is actually right this time! Pick it up and pick up the audiobook as well and be prepared to be mind blown.
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LibraryThing member stefferoo
I went into this with no small amount of skepticism, as I do with most books that get this much hype before release. In spite of myself though, I found myself hooked. Basically I chewed through this book like its pages were made of sweet, sweet candy.
And in a way, Illuminae IS like candy – visual
That said, you should know this is not a convention novel. It is presented in an epistolary format (which is looking like a growing trend in Young Adult fiction these days) written as a series of documents. Think works like Dracula or World War Z. However, when it comes to the variety of document types, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that takes it as far as Illuminae, which makes use of everything from emails, interviews, journal entries, instant messaging logs and video transcripts to more unconventional media like starship schematics, medical reports, and even “Unipedia” webpages and more besides. It’s a futuristic sci-fi novel, which lets the authors go to town and draw from so many different ideas. In many ways, it’s this variety which made this book such an addictive read, because there’s always something different on the next page and the story never lets you fall into a rut.
Still, interesting format and fantastic art direction aside, right now you might be wondering: Yeah, but is the story worth it? Here’s the rundown: Illuminae follows a pair of high school students, Kady and Ezra, who break up the morning their planet was invaded. Talk about poor timing. It is the year 2575 and whole galactic empires are ruled by megacorps, and the two teenagers just happen to reside on Kerenza, a small ice planet on the edge of the universe involved in a secret and illegal mining operation by one of these corporations. Rival corp BeiTech descends upon them, destroying the Kerenza settlement, leaving thousands dead and on the run. Kady and Ezra are among the lucky (unlucky?) survivors who end up on the Alexander fleet, made up of the three ships that came to Kerenza’s rescue.
Damaged and crippled, the fleet limps away towards the closest jump gate more than half a year away, while an enemy dreadnaught follows in hot pursuit, determined to leave no witnesses. But when it comes to the refugees’ problems, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Exposed to some of the biological weapons BeiTech used in their attack, many of the survivors come down with a highly contagious plague which turns its victims into mindless, savage husks. To make things worse, several systems on the Alexander were also damaged beyond repair, resulting in a crazed AI running the ship. Through it all, Kady and Ezra are starting to realize just how tiny and insignificant their problems were back in their simple, sheltered lives on Kerenza. After all this death and destruction, all they have left is each other.
No doubt if you’re a regular reader of sci-fi, a lot of plot elements will feel familiar to you. In a way, the format of the book carried a lot of the story for me, the clever layout and the visuals keeping me going especially at the beginning when the premise was still being established. A lot of the conflicts, from the pursuing enemy ship to the deadly plague, are pretty standard for the genre, and in fact I had myself an eye-rolling “REALLY?” moment when the Phobos virus and its zombie horde-like symptoms were introduced.
Once again though, what blew me away me was not so much the ideas themselves but the way they were presented. I’m also incredibly impressed at the sense of urgency the story conveyed, quite an achievement considering the intimacy and personal touch you lose with the characters when you utilize the epistolary format, because so often you are not actually “in their heads”. Many times while I was reading this, I was brought to mind the scenes from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series where surviving Colonial citizens and military members in the fleet were counted down on a stark whiteboard as the episodes progressed, lending a certain gravitas and desperation to the Alexander fleet’s dire situation.
Oh, and that climax. Even barring spoilers, there’s really nothing I can say about it that will even come close to its expressing its sheer awesomeness. Really, it’s something you just have to read for yourself. Oh wait, I mean…experience for yourself.
That said, there were some minor complaints. First of all, in all my years of consuming sci-fi stories featuring an Artificial Intelligence, I have never come across one that spoke in such gratingly purple, flowery prose. I guess it was supposed to make the AI creepy, but for me it just felt like nails on a chalkboard. The story also has more holes than a sponge (and a lot of times feels as fluffy as one), the space combat dialogue felt like it was lifted straight out of Independence Day or Star Wars, and the ending was also infuriatingly abrupt. However, this last point was before I realized Illuminae was the first of a trilogy, so knowing that there is more to come makes me feel a little better.
Small quibbles really, considering how much fun I had with this book. I was able to overlook many problems that would otherwise ruin a story for me. How much of that was due to the writing and how much of that was due to the format and pretty visuals, I can’t say for sure, but I would guess they contributed to my enjoyment in equal parts. If more traditional styles of storytelling is what you prefer, I probably would not recommend this. On the other hand, if this sounds good to you, I recommend forsaking digital or audio versions of this book and go all-out for the hardcopy, the way it’s meant to be read. I had a great time with the full experience.
And in a way, Illuminae IS like candy – visual
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candy, that is, a feast for the eyes. I originally started out with a digital galley of this book, and then later, through the generosity of a couple bloggers, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a physical copy of the hardcover ARC. And seriously, it’s gorgeous. All the pictures I’ve seen of this bad boy from conventions and on social media don’t do it an ounce of justice. Quite simply, Illuminae is as much a book as it is a work of art. That’s what I really want to say about its presentation. You don’t so much as read it as experience it.That said, you should know this is not a convention novel. It is presented in an epistolary format (which is looking like a growing trend in Young Adult fiction these days) written as a series of documents. Think works like Dracula or World War Z. However, when it comes to the variety of document types, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that takes it as far as Illuminae, which makes use of everything from emails, interviews, journal entries, instant messaging logs and video transcripts to more unconventional media like starship schematics, medical reports, and even “Unipedia” webpages and more besides. It’s a futuristic sci-fi novel, which lets the authors go to town and draw from so many different ideas. In many ways, it’s this variety which made this book such an addictive read, because there’s always something different on the next page and the story never lets you fall into a rut.
Still, interesting format and fantastic art direction aside, right now you might be wondering: Yeah, but is the story worth it? Here’s the rundown: Illuminae follows a pair of high school students, Kady and Ezra, who break up the morning their planet was invaded. Talk about poor timing. It is the year 2575 and whole galactic empires are ruled by megacorps, and the two teenagers just happen to reside on Kerenza, a small ice planet on the edge of the universe involved in a secret and illegal mining operation by one of these corporations. Rival corp BeiTech descends upon them, destroying the Kerenza settlement, leaving thousands dead and on the run. Kady and Ezra are among the lucky (unlucky?) survivors who end up on the Alexander fleet, made up of the three ships that came to Kerenza’s rescue.
Damaged and crippled, the fleet limps away towards the closest jump gate more than half a year away, while an enemy dreadnaught follows in hot pursuit, determined to leave no witnesses. But when it comes to the refugees’ problems, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Exposed to some of the biological weapons BeiTech used in their attack, many of the survivors come down with a highly contagious plague which turns its victims into mindless, savage husks. To make things worse, several systems on the Alexander were also damaged beyond repair, resulting in a crazed AI running the ship. Through it all, Kady and Ezra are starting to realize just how tiny and insignificant their problems were back in their simple, sheltered lives on Kerenza. After all this death and destruction, all they have left is each other.
No doubt if you’re a regular reader of sci-fi, a lot of plot elements will feel familiar to you. In a way, the format of the book carried a lot of the story for me, the clever layout and the visuals keeping me going especially at the beginning when the premise was still being established. A lot of the conflicts, from the pursuing enemy ship to the deadly plague, are pretty standard for the genre, and in fact I had myself an eye-rolling “REALLY?” moment when the Phobos virus and its zombie horde-like symptoms were introduced.
Once again though, what blew me away me was not so much the ideas themselves but the way they were presented. I’m also incredibly impressed at the sense of urgency the story conveyed, quite an achievement considering the intimacy and personal touch you lose with the characters when you utilize the epistolary format, because so often you are not actually “in their heads”. Many times while I was reading this, I was brought to mind the scenes from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series where surviving Colonial citizens and military members in the fleet were counted down on a stark whiteboard as the episodes progressed, lending a certain gravitas and desperation to the Alexander fleet’s dire situation.
Oh, and that climax. Even barring spoilers, there’s really nothing I can say about it that will even come close to its expressing its sheer awesomeness. Really, it’s something you just have to read for yourself. Oh wait, I mean…experience for yourself.
That said, there were some minor complaints. First of all, in all my years of consuming sci-fi stories featuring an Artificial Intelligence, I have never come across one that spoke in such gratingly purple, flowery prose. I guess it was supposed to make the AI creepy, but for me it just felt like nails on a chalkboard. The story also has more holes than a sponge (and a lot of times feels as fluffy as one), the space combat dialogue felt like it was lifted straight out of Independence Day or Star Wars, and the ending was also infuriatingly abrupt. However, this last point was before I realized Illuminae was the first of a trilogy, so knowing that there is more to come makes me feel a little better.
Small quibbles really, considering how much fun I had with this book. I was able to overlook many problems that would otherwise ruin a story for me. How much of that was due to the writing and how much of that was due to the format and pretty visuals, I can’t say for sure, but I would guess they contributed to my enjoyment in equal parts. If more traditional styles of storytelling is what you prefer, I probably would not recommend this. On the other hand, if this sounds good to you, I recommend forsaking digital or audio versions of this book and go all-out for the hardcopy, the way it’s meant to be read. I had a great time with the full experience.
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LibraryThing member VPbookseller
Illuminae is an exciting new science fiction novel that is written in a truly unique format. The book is written as report on a series of events. The report is compiled from messaging on net servers, voice recordings and video graphics. This sounds rather dry and static but it is actually relays
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the excitement of events in a unique way. The action begins with an aerial attack on Kady's planet of Kerenza by a group that should be part of their alliance. The people that escape soon fine that some have been infected with a biological weapon that is spreading fast. The main ship they've escaped on has an AI for battle and navigation that has been injured. Many fascinating plots and sub plots. I can't wait for the next book to come out in October 2016! Show Less
LibraryThing member Erika.D
Loved it! Could not put it down! So intense and exciting! Science fiction, outer space, futuristic, action, brief romance, shocking twists, creative, funny and a great ending!!! Just when I lost all hope so close to the end of the book just wanting to believe things would be ok for the characters
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and it looked so bleak, the authors stayed true to the story and did not fail at the end. So good!! Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
The Illuminae Files takes the form of an intelligence report: a collection of documents put together to tell the story of Kady, a teenage girl who is a refugee on a spaceship fleeing an attack on her home planet. Kady is certain that there is some conspiracy behind the attack, so she uses her
It's an interesting and engaging story. I listened to the audiobook, but "audiobook" is not an appropriate description of it at all: it is actually a radio play, with a good cast and unobtrusive sound effects. I was skeptical about listening to an audiobook version of a collection of documents, but the producers of the audiobook did an amazing job of making even tedious documents like a casualties list interesting to listen to.
I confess that I am having trouble separating my opinion of The Illuminae Files as a book from my opinion of the audiobook production: the production quality is so good that it made the book impossible to dislike. Not that I think I would have disliked it in another format, but maybe I wouldn't have been quite so charmed.
In any case, I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
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considerable hacking skills to learn more about what is happening, eventually coming head to head with AIDAN, the damaged AI of a spaceship.It's an interesting and engaging story. I listened to the audiobook, but "audiobook" is not an appropriate description of it at all: it is actually a radio play, with a good cast and unobtrusive sound effects. I was skeptical about listening to an audiobook version of a collection of documents, but the producers of the audiobook did an amazing job of making even tedious documents like a casualties list interesting to listen to.
I confess that I am having trouble separating my opinion of The Illuminae Files as a book from my opinion of the audiobook production: the production quality is so good that it made the book impossible to dislike. Not that I think I would have disliked it in another format, but maybe I wouldn't have been quite so charmed.
In any case, I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Space opera with, of course, some teen age romance, but the girl's a hero making impossible choices, so I'll recommend it if you want a little diversion.
LibraryThing member speljamr
Wow. Just Wow.
This book was more spectacular than I had expected. The format is unique and interesting. With it being created like a set of investigation files, with emails, inter-ship communication logs, AI logs, and diagrams, it presents a completely different way to tell a story. Yet not once
This is also a beautiful piece of art, and I highly recommend getting a copy of the hard cover book. This format can't possibly translate as well to the e-book realm, unless they did a highly interactive version of it; now that I'd buy.
This book was more spectacular than I had expected. The format is unique and interesting. With it being created like a set of investigation files, with emails, inter-ship communication logs, AI logs, and diagrams, it presents a completely different way to tell a story. Yet not once
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did I feel like the story lost it's flow. It's a little slow in the beginning, and the teenage love story is a bit sappy, but by the time you get into the real action you start to forget about the cheesy/sappy parts.This is also a beautiful piece of art, and I highly recommend getting a copy of the hard cover book. This format can't possibly translate as well to the e-book realm, unless they did a highly interactive version of it; now that I'd buy.
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LibraryThing member mtlkch
Amazing. I don't even know how to describe it.
LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
Illuminae is an intense, cinematic science fiction novel that's got a little bit of everything: spaceships! Explosions! Corporate intrigue! Romance! Plague zombies! I love a good epistolary novel, and this one is killer. The variety of document types allows for great character-building dialogue and
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action sequences both, and also builds in some great opportunities for unreliable narrators (of which there are plenty). I loved the relationship between Kady and Ezra; it's not often in a YA novel that the love interests already have an established relationship, and it was a nice change from the more common will-they-won't-they romance. If you like this, you'll also enjoy the Expanse series (both the novels and TV show) by James S.A. Corey, another science fiction series that subscribes to the Rule of Awesome. Show Less
LibraryThing member LittleBookishInkblot
Holy Smokes this book was good!!!
I don't know who suggested to read the hardback together with the audiobook, but I did and it was awesome!
I don't know who suggested to read the hardback together with the audiobook, but I did and it was awesome!
LibraryThing member srsharms
FINALLY FINISHED!! This rollicking adventure was a blast from start to end. The most intriguing part, of course, was the unique formatting that heightens both the emotions and the stakes of the plot without seeming trite. The highlights for me, though, were the dynamic teen characters leading this
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thrilling story with humor & aplomb, as well as the unexpected dash of romance, philosophy & poetry woven beautifully within the climax. Show Less
LibraryThing member Brian55
wow........wOw.........WOW!!
That was fun. I can't recall having read anything like this. One reviewer said this was an "epistolary format", I wasn't even sure what that meant. (Wikipedia-An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary
That was fun. I can't recall having read anything like this. One reviewer said this was an "epistolary format", I wasn't even sure what that meant. (Wikipedia-An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary
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entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used.) I'm glad there's a term for this format. That was one of the gripping features of this book. The story would change scenes by changing the story telling format; from interview transcripts, Memorandums, email communications, IM messages, transcripts of radio and video logs, to the transcribed “thoughts” of AIDAN (the on-board computer of space ship Alexander). Several times it felt like I was reading a graphic novel, with the use of printed text to develop pictures and action scenes. There were many well developed suspenseful mini-climaxes that added to building the story and finishing with a thrilling ending. I hadn't heard of this book before picking it up at the local department store. I found the cover intriguing and I was not disappointed with the pages in between. I understand there are sequels coming, and I hope they are as enjoyable. Show Less
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2016)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2018)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2019)
Aurealis Award (Shortlist — 2015)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2019)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2018)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Teen — 2019)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2017)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (High School — 2019)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers (Nominee — 2018)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Prime Minister's Literary Award (Shortlist — Young Adult Fiction — 2016)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2016)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Teen — 2015)
Idaho Battle of the Books (High School — 2024)
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (Fiction)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2015)
Just One More Page Recommendation List (Young Adult — 2017)
Call number
YA B Kau