by Amie Kaufman
“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
“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
Reviews-
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Starred review from July 20, 2015
Star-crossed lovers fight for survival in this visually stunning adventure, the first in a trilogy and told through myriad documents and archived information, including instant messages, email, interview transcripts, memos, and security footage. Following a devastating attack on their home planet, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, having just broken up, end up on different ships, part of a refugee fleet fleeing a cosmic dreadnought. Additionally, a virus is turning the survivors into bloodthirsty monsters, while one ship’s murderous AI takes extreme measures to protect the fleet. Though separated, Kady and Ezra rekindle their relationship while everything collapses around them. What starts off as a spacefaring action-romance evolves into a nerve-wracking horror story as the true scope of the situation becomes clear. Kaufman (the Starbound trilogy) and Kristoff (the Lotus War series) offer a stylistically mesmerizing tale, where story and art are interchangeable, and words act as pictures. The more experimental sections may require extra effort on readers’ parts, but the result is worth it. Ages 14–up. Agent: (for Kaufman) John Adams and Tracey Adams, Adams Literary; (for Kristoff) Matt Bialer and Lindsay Ribar, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. -
A full cast, sound effects, strong pacing, and thorough characterizations expand as well as anchor this sci-fi adventure. When their planet is attacked, a military ship and a research vessel flee, carrying scientists, military personnel, and civilians, including Kady and Ezra, a recently broken-up couple whose skills become crucial to the survival of the fleet. The voyage is threatened by a pursuing warship, a dangerous virus, and AIDEN, the military ship's increasingly unstable AI. Told through documents, recorded communications, transcribed footage, and the narrative from AIDEN, this story is a behemoth of a space opera. The cast handles a bevy of moving parts with grace and masterful concentration, combining humor and terror with hope and determination. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
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Starred review from February 29, 2016
It is the year 2575 on the small planet of Kerenza, and teenager Kady Grant has just broken up with her boyfriend, Ezra. When a sudden attack leaves her world in ruins, Kady and Ezra each find themselves reunited aboard one of three escape vessels being pursued across the galaxy by a warship intent on eliminating any witnesses to the ruthless devastation of the young girl’s home. To make matters worse, a mutating virus is turning people into homicidal maniacs, and the ragtag fleet’s main AI seems to have a deadly agenda of its own. This mind-bending tale of survival is told through a dizzying combination of reconstructed ship-to-ship communiques, instant messages, ship’s log entries, interviews, other found footage, and more. It is brought to life in the audio edition by a talented ensemble of actors, but it is the exceptional production values and editing that make this audio such a pleasure. The sound design and vocal manipulation used to differentiate time, place, and character, along with other special effects enhance not only the actors’ performances, but the full listening experience, immersing the listener into this exciting, action-packed, and moving space adventure. Ages 14–up. A Knopf hardcover. -
Illuminae is the first book in ‘The Illuminae Files’, told in the format of a secret dossier of audio transcripts, message logs and other electronic documents. It tells the story of three refugee spaceships fleeing a secret intergalactic invasion conducted by a mega-corporation. Teenage hacker Kady and her ex-boyfriend Ezra made it to the ships, but there might be greater threats on board than the pursuing battleship attempting to silence them all. The fleet commanders insist everything is under control, but Kady is determined to uncover the truth for the sake of everybody’s survival. The format of Illuminae is interesting, but also tiresome to read at times, especially the large sections of white-on-black computer logs with text that sometimes spills in all directions and requires you to squint or tilt the book. There are a lot of classic sci-fi tropes that will be familiar to fans of the genre, including a dangerously unstable ship AI and the murderous zombie victims of a drug that was intended to pacify. The tropes are played straight, without much innovation beyond the format, but the story is well paced and the tension stays high throughout. Illuminae will appeal to middle to upper high-school fans of Battlestar Galactica-style chilling military sci-fi.
Jarrah Moore is a primary literacy editor at Cengage Learning Australia
