Illuminae
by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
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 an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. 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 enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.
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.
book 1 in the Illuminae Files series
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Miranda rated it ★★★★★ and said, “When you read a 600 pg book in 1 day, you know it was good. Written through IM, email, and classified reports, this book tells the story of Kady and her fight to save her ship (and maybe her very recently ex-boyfriend, if she can swing it). When her mining outpost is attacked by a competitor, only a few thousand people make it to the three ships fleeing for safety. Those ships head for the nearest location with a transport portal, more than six months away. They are stalked by the enemy, a well armed attack vessel. Throw in a twist with a rogue AI and a killer virus, and this makes for a great story. I loved These Broken Stars, and this has that same feel to it. The uniqueness comes in the style it was written in, including the wonderful pages with the ships flying through space. It also includes schematics of the ship and the distance the characters have to travel in order to make it out alive.”