Review - "Illuminae"

Illuminae, Illuminae Files #1
by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
published: 20th October, 2015
spoilers? YES. Don't read this unless you've read the book.

Goodreads

You have me. Until every last star in the galaxy dies. You have me.

Illuminae follows the events after a mining corporation (BeiTech) attacks one of the mining planets (Kerenza) of another big corporation. It’s written as a series of documents collated by “Illuminae” and sent to a Director Frobisher (the head of BeiTech). It isn't written as you would expect a conventional novel to be, instead it is designed to look like the documents it is made up of, containing blue prints and even at one point, blood splatters.

Illuminae opens with the two main characters, Kady and Ezra, recounting the events of BeiTech’s attack on Kerenza and continues with their escape from the planet, pursued by one of the BeiTech dreadnoughts the Lincoln. The population of Kerenza is split into three ships: the Alexander - which is controlled by an AI called AIDAN, the Hypatia, and the Copernicus. Ezra and Kady are split onto the Alexander and Hypatia.

Further disaster strikes when it’s discovered that those aboard the Copernicus have been infected with a bioweapon called ‘Phobos’ causing them to become dangerously ill and start attacking one another. Also, the AI that controls the Alexander is revealed to have become severely damaged during the flight from Kerenza, resulting in its making decisions such as the destruction of the Copernicus when the outbreak of Phobos is discovered.

All the while, Kady is trying to find out what’s going on (with Ezra’s help) because the commanders of the Alexander are keeping the information from the civilians aboard their own ship and the Hypatia.

Illuminae has to be one of the most unique books I've ever read. Partly because of its design (which is gorgeous. If you're going to read this book, it has to be in physical form. An ebook won't give you the same feel), but also partly because of the story itself. This book would be the perfect film.

The characters are also amazing. Most of what you get from the characters comes through the emails and messages they send each other (which I guess is kind of like that saying "show, don't tell" but it really works) and these are interspersed with descriptions of camera feeds (which give you an outsider's view of the characters) and narration from the AI, AIDAN.

To begin with, Ezra irritated me a little, what with his constant calling everyone 'chum'. Like, I've never heard a 17-18 year old say that word at all. But he grew on me and when AIDAN said he was dead and that it'd been posing as him to lure Kady to the Alexander, I was an absolute mess. Kady was also amazing. I loved how she decided to take matters into her own hands and find out what was going on. And that she did it through hacking the systems. She is an absolute blessing.

So much of the second half of the book made me cry, to be honest. When Syra hit purge on those who'd fled the Alexander, including Chatter, I had to put the book down. Actually, I had to put the book down pretty regularly in that half. Especially when it was revealed that Ezra was in fact alive. I had to get up and walk around the room while screaming silently at that point.

Anyway, there's not much more I can say about this book without spoiling the whole thing, but: if you like having your heart ripped out and your soul destroyed, read Illuminae.