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aftaerglows's review
5.0
the couple was cute, too bad aidan's a bitch. one of the most interesting morally grey characters i've ever encountered tho
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
4.0
The Illuminae Files is without a doubt my favorite sci-fi series ever. The format is unique, the story despite the format very vivid and the characters are all amazing. I was therefore kinda sad that I could never read this short story. And just when I decided to let it go and to stop looking for it, I saw the announcement that it was gonna be available as an e-book! I mean, of course I would have loved the print, but at least now I could read it!
And despite the fact that it's a novella and really short, especially compared to the books, it does manage to tell a complete story with all the elements of the original series. Just like in the original series we get to know the characters via chats and descriptions of video recordings. And just like in the original books we also see the human interaction through the eyes of an AI. I already fell in love with said AI in the series, I fell in love with it even more in this story.
This story is basically about an AI with an identity crisis. Everyone keeps on telling him that he's not a person, however, he does think for himself and isn't thinking one of those things making us be? We watch him learn new lessons, we watch him drive humans to madness (quite literally) and we watch him struggle with the nuances of human interaction. Since I already read the series I knew where this was going and it makes a very famous saying true: Every mistake of a computer has been created by humans.
In a beautiful way this story ties in with the original series. It's been a while since I read it, so the details were a little hazy, but it worked and fit perfectly. And the ending of this short story is just heartbreaking. If there would have been a few more poems in there, I would have started crying and I'm not even joking right now. I'm very happy that the authors decided to give every reader a chance to read this wonderful story!
And despite the fact that it's a novella and really short, especially compared to the books, it does manage to tell a complete story with all the elements of the original series. Just like in the original series we get to know the characters via chats and descriptions of video recordings. And just like in the original books we also see the human interaction through the eyes of an AI. I already fell in love with said AI in the series, I fell in love with it even more in this story.
This story is basically about an AI with an identity crisis. Everyone keeps on telling him that he's not a person, however, he does think for himself and isn't thinking one of those things making us be? We watch him learn new lessons, we watch him drive humans to madness (quite literally) and we watch him struggle with the nuances of human interaction. Since I already read the series I knew where this was going and it makes a very famous saying true: Every mistake of a computer has been created by humans.
In a beautiful way this story ties in with the original series. It's been a while since I read it, so the details were a little hazy, but it worked and fit perfectly. And the ending of this short story is just heartbreaking. If there would have been a few more poems in there, I would have started crying and I'm not even joking right now. I'm very happy that the authors decided to give every reader a chance to read this wonderful story!
hollyisodd's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
flossbossbooks's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
A short and sweet prequel that makes me want to re-read the entire series. Incredibly done.
malinuknow's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this reminds me of how much I really love the series. Too bad all books are stuffed away in boxes atm.
witcheep's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The writing style reminds me of the Themis Files series by Sylvain Neuvel. I think I might have enjoyed this style of writing more if I read it as a physical book in stead of listening to an audiobook; doing research and putting up a narrative between different textual elements requires time to ponder over things, and an audiobook does not allow lingering on certain thoughts in the same way words on paper do. I think this writing style would be more enjoyable with time to linger.
mistysbookspace's review
4.0
I've been in the mood to reread this series for a while so when Destiny suggested we buddy read them together I jumped at the chance. I know I read this when it first came out but I heard that Goodreads had deleted the book at one point so I have no idea what my thoughts on it were back then. This time around though I did enjoy reading about what happened to Aidan before the events of Illuminae. Because this was so short I didn't really have time to connect to the characters or care about them but still an enjoyable read.
ashleynoelle's review
5.0
“I remember you telling me when I was younger that a man without a library is a man without romance in his soul.”
AIDAN is learning how to observe and react to human behavior. The AI we love to hate is working with people to understand how to make decisions based on the best interests of the fleet prior to coming to the aid of Karenza IV. One programmer in particular comes to realize that there is something off about the AI, but the higher ups aren't listening and AIDAN is on a path to spinning out of control.
This was the perfect little novella, I don't think I would recommend reading it first. I much preferred it as a come back and read after the trilogy even though chronologically it takes place before the events of the first book. Of course, there is no surprise that I loved being back in this world and getting to see where all the craziness truly began.
AIDAN is learning how to observe and react to human behavior. The AI we love to hate is working with people to understand how to make decisions based on the best interests of the fleet prior to coming to the aid of Karenza IV. One programmer in particular comes to realize that there is something off about the AI, but the higher ups aren't listening and AIDAN is on a path to spinning out of control.
This was the perfect little novella, I don't think I would recommend reading it first. I much preferred it as a come back and read after the trilogy even though chronologically it takes place before the events of the first book. Of course, there is no surprise that I loved being back in this world and getting to see where all the craziness truly began.