Illuminae

The Illuminae Files, Book 1

By: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Narrated by: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, Johnathan McClain, Kimberly Farr, Donnabella Mortel, Matthew Frow, Ryan Gesell, Sile Bermingham, Beata Pozniak, Jolene Kim, Emma Bering

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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, best-selling 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 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 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 audiobook 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)

“...stylistically mesmerizing.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[A]n arresting visual experience.” (Booklist)

“[A] game-changer.” (Shelf Awareness)

"Genre: Undefinable. Novel: Unforgettable." (Kami Garcia, best-selling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures and author of Unbreakable)

“An exuberant mix of space opera, romance, zombies, hackers, and political thrills.” (Scott Westerfeld, best-selling author of Zeroes and Uglies)

“Stunningly creative. Smart, funny, and romantic.” (Veronica Rossi, best-selling author of Under the Never Sky)

“This is one of those rare books that will truly keep your heart pounding.” (Beth Revis, best-selling author of Across the Universe)

“This book is xxxxing awesome.” (Laini Taylor, best-selling author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone)

©2015 Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (P)2015 Listening Libary

Critic reviews

"Brace yourself. You're about to be immersed in a mindscape that you'll never want to leave." (Marie Lu, New York Times best-selling author of the Legend trilogy)

"Ambitious, heartbreaking, and out-of-this-world awesome." (Kirkus Reviews)

Best book of the year for me

I actually read this book before I listened to it. The story is fantastic I both formats. The production value on the audio is amazing. So many talented voice actors really bring the book to life!

So epic!!

It has it all. Really great story with twists and turns. Stunning performance by cast. Well-formed characters. It crosses genres between sci-fo, horror, thriller, action, and a good love story that doesn't make you cringe. Super interesting and engaging. Waited to listen to the last hour of it until I could really savor it. Can't wait for more from this series!

Holyyyyyyyy ohhhh myyy

There are not enough good things I can say about this. This was absolutely the best audiobook I've listened to this year!

Incredible

This is a must read for fans of science fiction! Just incredible! Three more words

HAL 9000 and space zombies!

This was a very interesting and somewhat unconventional sci-fi thriller. It's told entirely through narration of ship logs and recorded conversations. Surprisingly, this method of story-telling is quite effective.

The main plot is a group of "space miners" are attacked by ships of a large intergalactic corporation. They flee in their own spaceships only to be pursued by the warships of the corporation. As they retreat across space in hopes of reaching a safe jump point, the artificial intelligence on one of the ships goes haywire and starts wreaking havoc. At the same time, passengers on the ships become infected and turn into crazed, murderous zombies.

At the start of this novel, I was having a hard time caring about the main protagonists as they seemed a bit too cliche. As the novel progressed, the main characters became far more interesting and I ended up really enjoying the conclusion of the novel. Except of course, it's only Book 1. Obviously there always needs to be sequel.

For any sci-fi lover, this book will certainly please.

Fantastic YA Sci-Fi

I loved this book so much and the audio blew my mind! It has a little bit of everything: action, adventure, romance, a contagion, space travel, and a badass girl getting stuff done. All of those things combined with well rounded characters and a unique format made this a near perfect book in my mind. The use of a full cast for this audiobook reminds me of an old-school radio drama and I love that. It's the perfect way to tell this story!

Great audio book

This was so well performed! Even if you have read the book do yourself a favor and get this audiobook. I loved the narrators and how they used computerized voices in some parts. Loved the point of view and how the story was told.

Stunningly good!!!

Full cast narration was fantastic, great story that kept me guessing to the end. Character driven sci-fi like you've never read. Just awesome, can't say enough good things about it!

Well crafted storytelling, incredible performances

This book is different. It works. It builds and builds.
So original and well constructed...surprises that goose you. I laughed, I cringed, I cried.
Excellent journey.

WOW!

SO theatrical! Amazing. Keeps you reading until the very end! My daughter and I really enjoyed this book. We plan to continue with the next one.