Illuminae

Starred review from July 20, 2015
Star-crossed lovers fight for survival in this visually stunning adventure, the first in a trilogy and told through myriad documents and archived information, including instant messages, email, interview transcripts, memos, and security footage. Following a devastating attack on their home planet, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, having just broken up, end up on different ships, part of a refugee fleet fleeing a cosmic dreadnought. Additionally, a virus is turning the survivors into bloodthirsty monsters, while one ship’s murderous AI takes extreme measures to protect the fleet. Though separated, Kady and Ezra rekindle their relationship while everything collapses around them. What starts off as a spacefaring action-romance evolves into a nerve-wracking horror story as the true scope of the situation becomes clear. Kaufman (the Starbound trilogy) and Kristoff (the Lotus War series) offer a stylistically mesmerizing tale, where story and art are interchangeable, and words act as pictures. The more experimental sections may require extra effort on readers’ parts, but the result is worth it. Ages 14–up. Agent: (for Kaufman) John Adams and Tracey Adams, Adams Literary; (for Kristoff) Matt Bialer and Lindsay Ribar, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

A full cast, sound effects, strong pacing, and thorough characterizations expand as well as anchor this sci-fi adventure. When their planet is attacked, a military ship and a research vessel flee, carrying scientists, military personnel, and civilians, including Kady and Ezra, a recently broken-up couple whose skills become crucial to the survival of the fleet. The voyage is threatened by a pursuing warship, a dangerous virus, and AIDEN, the military ship's increasingly unstable AI. Told through documents, recorded communications, transcribed footage, and the narrative from AIDEN, this story is a behemoth of a space opera. The cast handles a bevy of moving parts with grace and masterful concentration, combining humor and terror with hope and determination. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine