Illuminae

Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01 by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is very unique. It is compiled of chat logs between ship personnel, including two teens who had just broken up, with records of the thought processes of the AI running the ship, and so much more. BeiTech, a corporation bent on stealing an illegal mining operation for themselves, killed thousands of people from the planet, Kerenza. A nearby ship, the Alexander, heard the distress call from Kerenza and was able to rescue people, but the BeiTech ship is hunting them down to destroy all witnesses.

This book is not in a traditional form, but it kept me engaged the entire time. The intensity of the ships chasing each other and the unexpected twist in the actions of the AI gave this book the perfect amount of intensity and action. The chat logs between the two teens, Kady and Ezra, added humor and innocence to their intense situation. It is a tale of how love can keep you going when nothing else can. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy, Gemina: The Illuminae Files_02.

Thesis Note: The format of this book has opened my eyes in a lot of ways. The chat logs had minimal dialogue, but they still said so much about the characters. You could read between the lines and pick up on more than they were saying. The voice of the analyst from the surveillance footage reports was comical and relieved tension in the situation. He was a witness, but his reports were powerful. This story could have been written in a regular format, but by writing it this way, Kaufman and Kristoff made this story come alive on the page. It felt like I was reading a real report.