It’s an average day in the year 2575. Well, it’s slightly different because Kady has chosen today to break up with her boyfriend, Ezra. Actually, it’s a terrible day as mining corporation BeiTech has chosen today to attack the planet Kady and Ezra live on. Kady and Ezra are forced to work together if they want to survive, an awkward endeavor as they broke up just a few hours ago.
Kady and Ezra escape, but their breakup quickly turns out to be the least of their worries. A BeiTech battleship, the Lincoln, is chasing after survivors. The three escaping ships are unable to create a warp to a safe point, and it will be weeks before they are able to reach one. Not only that, but some kind of virus has found its way into one of the three escaping ships. The ship is enclosed with about 2,000 people on it, 1,500 more than it was built for, making it the perfect breeding ground for the virus.
Illuminae tells Kady and Ezra’s story of survival as the two try to survive against grim odds. The book is formatted to be like a classified file. Documents such as instant messages, e-mails, surveillance footage summaries, and Internet articles make up the file. The documents reveal a cast of characters who are all fighting for their lives.
One character is AIDAN. AIDAN is the artificial intelligence system on the Alexander, one of the escaping ships. AIDAN is programmed to protect the refugees, but his definition of “protect” doesn’t always match expectations. The problem? AIDAN is also the Alexander’s defense system, so he is needed if the Lincoln catches up to the escaping ships.
Illuminae is a science fiction, thriller, young adult hybrid. It is co-written by Amie Kaufman, co-author of the Starbound series, and Jay Kristoff, author of the Lotus War series. The book was released on October 20th, 2015. The sequel, Gemina, was released on October 18th, almost exactly a year after Illuminae’s release.
Gemina picks up the story with Nik and Hanna, two people living on Heimdall. Heimdall is the destination of the three escaping ships in Illuminae. Nik belongs to a crime family and Hana is the daughter of Heimdall’s captain. Gemina, like Illuminae, is narrated through documents that belong to a classified file.
Despite their size (Illuminae is 599 pages and Gemina is 608 pages), these two books are quick reads. The classified file format will encourage you to read 100 pages in one sitting. These are two books that will have you reading until 3 in the morning (maybe later), promising yourself that you’ll stop after the next section. I have just started reading Gemina, but I can tell you that Illumine has plenty of plot twists and drama. One particular plot twist will leave you screaming (or trying not if you’re reading late into the night). Illuminae also leaves you with plenty of suspense and unanswered questions. Once you finish it, you’ll be desperate to start Gemina right away.
