Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* High-school students Kady and Ezra have just broken up with each other when Kerenza IV, their mining outpost planetary home, is suddenly attacked by a rival company using both traditional and biological weapons. In the scramble to get off the planet, they are separated, ending up with a waning number of Kerenza survivors on two different space vessels that are trying to outrun one remaining BeiTech dreadnought; however, Kady and Ezra remain united in their desire to escape destruction, exact revenge, and maybe give each other a second chance. Tightly woven and suspenseful, this is one long briefing report about the mining colony attack and its aftermath that makes innovative use of mission reports, e-mails, texts, ship schematics, dialogue, and other forms of communication with profanity cunningly redacted. Kaufman and Kristoff have created a fast-paced, quasi-political sci-fi thriller that is completely unique. Hints of romance and references to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey interweave with the text, itself an arresting visual experience that weds form with expression and content: for example, a thin pinwheel of print reflects the chaos of a newbie pilot's first deadly space battle. The ending, two simple words, sets the stage for the next entry in the Illuminae Files, a planned trilogy. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Kaufman (Starbound series) and Kristoff (Lotus War series) are no strangers to the sf-fantasy world. Their combined expertise and fan bases, plus a huge marketing campaign by the publisher, will make this a hot title.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
It is the year 2575 on the small planet of Kerenza, and teenager Kady Grant has just broken up with her boyfriend, Ezra. When a sudden attack leaves her world in ruins, Kady and Ezra each find themselves reunited aboard one of three escape vessels being pursued across the galaxy by a warship intent on eliminating any witnesses to the ruthless devastation of the young girl's home. To make matters worse, a mutating virus is turning people into homicidal maniacs, and the ragtag fleet's main AI seems to have a deadly agenda of its own. This mind-bending tale of survival is told through a dizzying combination of reconstructed ship-to-ship communiques, instant messages, ship's log entries, interviews, other found footage, and more. It is brought to life in the audio edition by a talented ensemble of actors, but it is the exceptional production values and editing that make this audio such a pleasure. The sound design and vocal manipulation used to differentiate time, place, and character, along with other special effects enhance not only the actors' performances, but the full listening experience, immersing the listener into this exciting, action-packed, and moving space adventure. Ages 14-up. A Knopf hardcover. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Kady Grant is already having a bad day when Kerenza IV, her icy home, is attacked by BeiTech, a rival corporation to Kerenza's founders. Kady and Ezra Mason, the boyfriend she dumped that morning, manage to escape with a few thousand others on board three vessels that flee into space pursued by the one remaining Beitech dreadnought, the Lincoln, with the nuclear capability to destroy them. However, relief is short-lived when the Phobos virus, a biological weapon unleashed by BeiTech, begins taking over one ship and the Lincoln gets closer. When the artificial intelligence on the warship accompanying the two vessels goes haywire and destroys one vessel, it will be up to Kady, a prodigy hacker, to save the other ship and the boy she has never stopped loving. Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, and Jonathan McClain perfectly portray the emotions and personalities of each character. With its mix of romance, space travel, dark humor, and action, this will appeal to a wide range of teens. -VERDICT The narrative's mix of audio recordings, audio messaging, emails, and the internal dialogue by the AI itself works flawlessly in this format. ["A great recommendation for middle and high school science-fiction fans": SLJ 6/15 review of the Knopf book.]-Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Breaking up immediately before their planet's invasion, Kady and Ezra find themselves on separate spaceships fleeing an enemy warship. However, a damaged ally A.I. and strange disease may be the real dangers. This sci-fi romance novel's minimalist, dynamic format--the story is told entirely through instant messages, transcripts, letters, reports, etc.--increases the sense of tension and adds the reading experience. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In the wake of an interstellar incident, a post-mortem dossier comprising interview transcripts, memos, instant-messaging transcripts, diary entries, and more is assembled in this mammoth series opener. Teenage colonists and exes Kady's and Ezra's lives are rocked by the 2575 assault on the Wallace/Ulyanov Consortium's illegal mining colony by their corporate rival, BeiTech Industries. They are among the lucky ones who manage to evacuateKady to the science vessel Hypatia and Ezra to the United Terran Authority's battlecarrier Alexander. The latter escorts both Hypatia and the freighter Copernicus in a monthslong race to safety while pursued by a BeiTech dreadnought, one likely to win should the ships engage again. Ezra's recruited as a fighter pilot. Kady avoids conscription by flunking tests and highlighting her defiant personality, which allows her freedom to hack the ships. What she discovers disturbs her and leads her to communicate with Ezra againboth for more information and because of their unfinished business. The two teenagersa focus of the dossier due to their sleuthingshare and uncover disturbing information about an incident with Copernicus, the damage sustained by Alexander's artificial intelligence system, and a terrifying virus. The design's creative visuals take advantage of the nontraditional format, which gracefully juggles document types, foreshadowing, clues, voices, and characters. As the characters' time runs out, the story ambushes readers with surprises. The account completes the incident's history but not its fallout. Ambitious, heartbreaking, and out-of-this-world awesome. (Science fiction. 13 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
