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Illuminae

Book 1 in the series:The Illuminae Files

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'Illuminae' is a sci-fi novel set in the world where a mining colony is invaded by a corporation, leading to chaos and destruction. The story follows Kady, a hacker extraordinaire, who finds herself running for her life amidst the turmoil. The unique writing style of the book is a compilation of different documents like emails, transcripts, and chat logs, providing multiple perspectives and unfolding the story in a distinctive manner. The narrative is filled with suspense, action, and a touch of romance as the characters navigate through a dangerous and unpredictable situation in space.

The book explores themes of survival, resilience, and the power of human spirit in the face of adversity. It delves into the complexities of relationships, the strength of characters like Kady and Ezra, and the unexpected twists that keep readers engaged throughout the story. Through a mix of thrilling plot developments and well-developed characters, 'Illuminae' offers a gripping and immersive reading experience that keeps readers hooked till the very end.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, featuring a strong female lead in Kady, a loyal and humorous male lead in Ezra, and a multifaceted AI character in AIDAN.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is unique and engaging, utilizing an epistolary format that combines various documents and visual elements to create an immersive reading experience.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot tells the story of an attack on a mining colony and the subsequent struggle of its survivors to escape while being pursued by a corporate warship.

Setting:

The setting encompasses a futuristic space environment where corporate competition leads to violent conflict, affecting the lives of the characters navigating it.

Pacing:

The pacing is well-structured, beginning slowly but becoming fast-paced and gripping, maintaining suspense throughout.
Incept: 01/30/75 Interviewer: Tell me about how it started. Kady Grant: I was in class. This is going to sound stupid, but I broke up with my boyfriend that morning, and he was right there on the othe...

Notes:

Illuminae is presented as a series of files, reports, and messages rather than traditional prose, creating a unique reading experience.
The story's events are set in 2575, revolving around a devastating attack on a mining colony by a corporate rival.
The main characters, Kady and Ezra, are teenagers whose breakup coincides with the attack on their home planet.
AIDAN, the ship's AI, becomes a significant character in the story, experiencing development and complexity throughout the trilogy.
The novel explores themes of corporate greed, survival, and the moral implications of artificial intelligence.
The format includes various types of media, such as instant messages, classified documents, and video footage, enhancing the immersion and tension of the narrative.
Illuminae features strong emotional beats, often contrasting light-hearted moments with intense action and horror, particularly due to a deadly plague that turns its victims into aggressive 'zombies.'
The book received acclaim for its innovative approach to storytelling, making it appealing to both young adult and adult readers.
It is part of a trilogy, with the sequels titled Gemina and Obsidio, which continue the adventurous and intense narrative.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic violence, death, and psychological distress among characters.

Has Romance?

Romance plays a significant role, but it does not overpower the science fiction elements.

From The Publisher:

"It certainly filled the Battlestar Galactica-shaped hole in my heart." -Victoria Aveyard, bestselling author of The Red Queen

Read the New York Times bestselling blockbuster that critics are calling "out-of-this-world awesome." The first in an epic sci-fi series unlike anything else out there.

Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the worst thing she'd ever been through. That was before her planet was invaded. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating craft, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But the warship could be the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their biggest threat; and nobody in charge will say what's really going on. As Kady plunges into a web of data hacking to get to the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: Ezra.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents-including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more-Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

"Brace yourself, because you're about to be immersed in a mindscape that you'll never want to leave." -Marie Lu, author of the bestselling Legend series

"Prepare yourselves for Illuminae." -EW.com

"You're not in for an ordinary novel experience. . . ." -Bustle.com

"A truly interactive experience. . . . A fantastically fun ride." -MTV.com

Don't miss the rest of the series!

The Illuminae Files_02: GEMINA

The Illuminae Files_03 - title to be revealed!

Ratings (34)

Incredible (13)
Loved It (10)
Liked It (4)
It Was OK (4)
Did Not Like (2)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (81):

Read It (33)
Want To Read (36)
Did Not Finish (4)
Not Interested (8)

5 comment(s)

It Was OK
3 days

Some cool ideas and obviously the format was unique, but the writing style for a lot of the characters bugged me

(I found it extra hard to get into anything narrated by the AI, which was unfortunate since that was the entire climax)

. The very last twist

(not Ezra being alive because I guessed that immediately, but Kady being the one who compiled the documents)

was a great note to end on though, almost made me want to pick up the next one. I'll probably end up reading a summary online though

 
Incredible
2 months

What a ride of a book. Tense, Dark and Suspenseful. It was crazzyy. I liked the characters and how brutal the book was. I loved every aspect of it. The multi format and AIDAN and Kady's collaboration on combating the Lincoln.

I really thought Ezra was dead and the last part where they unite is EVERYTHING. And Ezra's parent being the villain is also really juicy. The virus also kinda made me relate to our current pandemic.

Perfection.

 
Incredible
2 months

Woah.

This book was a freaking ROLLERCOASTER. I wasn't sure about how well the authors would be able to keep my attention with this unique format. I needn't have worried. My attention was caught, reeled in, and brutally slapped around.

I don't read a lot of sci-fi. It's just never been my genre. Every once in a while, however, I find a sci-fi novel or series that makes my respect for the genre increase. This book was one such novel. The amount of work and collaboration that went into this book is staggering. I can only imagine how hard everyone involved must have worked.

For me, the plot is what sucked me in. That isn't to say that the characters in this book aren't engaging. I was just very impressed by how deeply the authors made me feel about what was going on around the story. The plague aspect was chilling, and surprisingly disturbing for a YA novel (at least to me it was). The added suspense and danger it lent to the story was a huge plus.

I am so excited to read the next book and see where these authors are going to take us next!

 
Loved It
2 months

I was skeptical that this format would be engaging, but was I wrong! This was one of the most original books I've ever read on an aesthetic/structural level, and the plot lived up to the hype as well (so many twists and turns! a roller coaster of emotions! action, adventure, mystery, romance, betrayal!).

Unfortunately, the style doesn't lend itself well to really digging into the characters, which is why I've left off a star. Additionally, I read the Kindle version and while the formatting was technically correct, the font was ridiculously small (even bumped up to the largest font size available) - for a better visual experience and greater ease of reading, I would recommend getting a physical copy to anyone interested in reading this.

 
Loved It
5 months

Well crafted. Great audiobook.

 

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling co-authors Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff met thanks to international taxation law and were shocked to discover they share a love of blowing things up and breaking hearts. Their first collaboration resulted in the international bestseller Illuminae. Separately, Amie is also the co-author of the bestselling Starbound trilogy, while Jay is the award-winning author of the Lotus War trilogy. They live with their respective spouses in Melbourne, Australia. You can learn more about Amie and Jay at amiekaufman.com and jaykristoff.com, and follow them on Twitter at @AmieKaufman and @MisterKristoff.

 
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