Illuminae

Romantic Space Opera

This book is so unique that it is almost impossible to explain it. Told through interviews, emails, instant messages, translated video footage and an AI (Artificial Intelligence) named AIDAN it felt more like a congressional investigation than a YA novel. But don’t be turned off by that explanation. It’s so much more – there is romance, mystery, action, government conspiracies, sci-fi fantasy, etc. It was a unique and wonderful space opera and I loved every minute of this listen. It’s one of the most original books out there today. I bought the print version as well for all the diagrams and pictures that can’t be experienced through audio. This is the rare book that both print and audio come together so perfectly.

77 of 81 people found this review helpful

AWESOME!

What made the experience of listening to Illuminae the most enjoyable?

The four readers really added to the realization of the story

What other book might you compare Illuminae to and why?

The Pentagon Papers because the book is written like declassified government documents. I've never read a book written like this. It's a pretty cool format!

Any additional comments?

In other reviews, people are commenting that the audio version has been edited and the profanity beeped out. This is not the case. I read the book in ARC. It's is written like a released confidential government report. The swear words are blacked out in the text which is why they are beeped out in the audio. In my opinion, this doesn't ruin the story at all. If a story requires swearing to keep the reader's attention, it's probably not a very good story to begin with. Just saying....😎

84 of 91 people found this review helpful

Might be a good story but not through audio

They tried, they really tried. Adding a cast of voice actors to bring the characters to life was a great idea, and their performances were good. I wish the audio versions of the Game of Thrones books did this. But, the constant date stamps and, name, stamps? Was constantly distracting.

I stopped listening to this book three times because of the interruptions then returning to try an fish it. I couldn’t do it, I gave up on chapter 44 (out of 100+ chapters). Maybe I’ll pick up a print copy.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Duped by good reviews!!

First of all, the audio is NOT censored by Audible or anyone else, it was written that way. Anyone who thinks so obviously wasn't paying attention because only 2 minutes into the book, the creepy muffled/distorted voice tells us that all the files that make up the story were instructed to have the profanity censored by the UTA (I think that's the government in the book). So you can blame the authors for that one because even the book blacks out the profanity.

I feel very deceived because when I read the reviews the first 25 or so reviews that are displayed are 5 star absolutely rave reviews! Then when you get past all those, the real truth comes out (which I didn't see before I bought the book).

The format was hard to follow and confusing. At least if you were reading the book, rather than listening to it, you would have been able to skim past all of the unnecessary info that is repeated constantly, such as timestamps, dates, and locations, etc.

The writing was very juvenile at best and the characters were irritating. I only made it through 17 chapters (out of 173) and I decided to return it to get my credit back because it was so awful. I saw that other reviewers said that it gets better by the last quarter of the book, but I couldn't even stand one chapter more so I don't know how I could make it through that much more before it actually got interesting, if it even ever did.

The full cast was neat and it did feel like a radio show, but it was just very hard to follow the way it was written.

47 of 54 people found this review helpful

Best book of the year has the best audio as well

This is by far the best book I have read in 2015 and the audio production is incredible as well.

The full cast adds so much to it and the sound effects build the tension.

The writing in this book is incredible as are the characterizations and the plot. It is smart, funny, and absolutely thrilling.

This is a great choice for anyone who likes adventure, space, love, or humor. It has it all.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Mind + Illuminae = Blown

If you could sum up Illuminae in three words, what would they be?

Cataclysmic
Imaginitive
Awesomeness

Who was your favorite character and why?

I honestly felt the most for AIDAN. I was equally scared of what he might do and remorsing his life playing out

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when AIDAN and Grant were sharing a moment at the end after the Lincoln arrived and the Infected were trying still to desperately get at her.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Survive the black to show the light

Any additional comments?

This is a re-read for sure. Normally I buy audio books because I think I might take too long to read, but in this case, I'll be looking for a physical copy.

19 of 24 people found this review helpful

Illuminae

Really enjoyed this book. This production is beautifully executed and very immersive. The many voices make the characters come alive - almost like watching a good movie!

13 of 17 people found this review helpful

This book + audiobook is just mind blowing!

I bought the book and the audiobook. Oh, my god, I don't regret sending for both. It was such an amazingly immersive experience. The book is marvelous. Beautiful! Amazing performance, the audio book is too! Illuminae is beyond galaxy, space and time!

11 of 15 people found this review helpful

Couldn’t finish it, had to return

The number one reason to write a book is to entertain. This author is unaware of that premise

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

good story but

good storyline but the format was cumbersome and hard to follow
I would have enjoyed it more if it was more dialog

6 of 8 people found this review helpful