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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
I'm surprised at myself for being able to keep up. With sci-fi there's just so much information being thrown at you at all times, but I was able to understand all the names and who people where and what ships were what, so I give myself a pat on the back. But that means I give props to the author for being able to make the book understandable. And it was cool reading this story in a non-traditional way, through transcripts and reports and whatnot.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Colonisation
A train-wreck of impossible coincidences. That’s my takeaway from Illuminae.
[Summary: two teenagers lacking in personality work together without adult supervision to save a space-fleet-on-the-run from an evil corporation intent on destroying them.]
I will note immediately that I listened to this on audio; I realize the actual book is replete with illustrations and chat-speak and pseudo-Wikipedia entries. Seems like some people liked those aspects, while others didn’t. The audio book was performed brilliantly, however, with multiple voice actors and sound effects. The chat-speak didn’t always work well being read out loud, but they did a decent job. That being said, the story is what matters, not the presentation or gimmicks.
When I was nearing the climax, I was actually ready to give this book 3 stars. The sappy teenage romance was really cringeworthy, and the characters are uninspiring and one-dimensional, but the action, fast pace, and high stakes kept me interested. (I also thought, mistakenly, that my gripes with the romance were well resolved--how wrong I was...) But then the end came, and everything turned to rancid baby puke.
I’ve long felt that coincidences in a plot only work when they generate new obstacles, and only when they are halfway plausible. It’s difficult to list all the coincidences in Illuminae without giving spoilers, so I’ll keep this vague.
First things first, we begin with the silliness that these two lovesick teenagers, out of thousands of people, happen to be the best hacker/programmer AND best fighter pilot in the fleet. But okay, whatever. Next, add a hundred improbable “just in the nick of time” saves, maybe even surviving multiple nuclear strikes, and you have characters who don’t think and make choices to advance the plot, but simply luck out over and over again. Finally, make the identity of the super-villain insanely stupid. “It’s a small world” doesn’t work nearly as well when revised to “it’s a small universe.” And for a cherry on the craptastic cake: bring characters back from the dead at the end, just so they can appear in the next book. WT-actual-F.
Character motivations. Ugh. I don’t even know where to begin. The command of the fleet makes no sense. Their decisions are so over-the-top stupid, I had concluded early on that the conspiracy was much more complicated than it first seemed. It’s not. The two main threats aren’t even connected. Add the command’s ridiculous decision-making to the mix, and you’ve now got three unconnected threats. [Also, the final solution was beyond predictable.]
Race to the space gate—there is concern raised that the space gate may be destroyed, or guarded by more bad guys. This is never resolved. Also, the civilian ships could have raced ahead starting somewhere in Act 1. It makes zero sense that they needed to stay close to the warship that is slow and broken, just because it has some guns on board. The civies could have had a substantial lead, and none of the ensuing conflict needed to happen.
OMG one more thing. The entire story is told in this funky format, as mentioned, with diagrams and transcripts and Wikipedia-style articles piecing everything together. It turns out (unsurprisingly) that the AI has complied all of this to create the narrative, as proof of what this evil corporation is responsible for. And then… once the AI has made the report and sent it off, there are still more scenes, told in the same formats. Where the hell did these extra scenes come from?? The AI’s impetus for compiling the narrative has come and gone, and all that follows is sappy garbage to tie up loose ends and undo the one interesting plot twist that took place. Creative format: broken.
I don’t know. If you love an oversimplified teen romance and don’t want to think too much about plot holes and consistency, then probably read this book. It’s exciting, at least.
[Summary: two teenagers lacking in personality work together without adult supervision to save a space-fleet-on-the-run from an evil corporation intent on destroying them.]
I will note immediately that I listened to this on audio; I realize the actual book is replete with illustrations and chat-speak and pseudo-Wikipedia entries. Seems like some people liked those aspects, while others didn’t. The audio book was performed brilliantly, however, with multiple voice actors and sound effects. The chat-speak didn’t always work well being read out loud, but they did a decent job. That being said, the story is what matters, not the presentation or gimmicks.
When I was nearing the climax, I was actually ready to give this book 3 stars. The sappy teenage romance was really cringeworthy, and the characters are uninspiring and one-dimensional, but the action, fast pace, and high stakes kept me interested. (I also thought, mistakenly, that my gripes with the romance were well resolved--how wrong I was...) But then the end came, and everything turned to rancid baby puke.
I’ve long felt that coincidences in a plot only work when they generate new obstacles, and only when they are halfway plausible. It’s difficult to list all the coincidences in Illuminae without giving spoilers, so I’ll keep this vague.
First things first, we begin with the silliness that these two lovesick teenagers, out of thousands of people, happen to be the best hacker/programmer AND best fighter pilot in the fleet. But okay, whatever. Next, add a hundred improbable “just in the nick of time” saves, maybe even surviving multiple nuclear strikes, and you have characters who don’t think and make choices to advance the plot, but simply luck out over and over again. Finally, make the identity of the super-villain insanely stupid. “It’s a small world” doesn’t work nearly as well when revised to “it’s a small universe.” And for a cherry on the craptastic cake: bring characters back from the dead at the end, just so they can appear in the next book. WT-actual-F.
Character motivations. Ugh. I don’t even know where to begin. The command of the fleet makes no sense. Their decisions are so over-the-top stupid, I had concluded early on that the conspiracy was much more complicated than it first seemed. It’s not. The two main threats aren’t even connected. Add the command’s ridiculous decision-making to the mix, and you’ve now got three unconnected threats. [Also, the final solution was beyond predictable.]
Race to the space gate—there is concern raised that the space gate may be destroyed, or guarded by more bad guys. This is never resolved. Also, the civilian ships could have raced ahead starting somewhere in Act 1. It makes zero sense that they needed to stay close to the warship that is slow and broken, just because it has some guns on board. The civies could have had a substantial lead, and none of the ensuing conflict needed to happen.
OMG one more thing. The entire story is told in this funky format, as mentioned, with diagrams and transcripts and Wikipedia-style articles piecing everything together. It turns out (unsurprisingly) that the AI has complied all of this to create the narrative, as proof of what this evil corporation is responsible for. And then… once the AI has made the report and sent it off, there are still more scenes, told in the same formats. Where the hell did these extra scenes come from?? The AI’s impetus for compiling the narrative has come and gone, and all that follows is sappy garbage to tie up loose ends and undo the one interesting plot twist that took place. Creative format: broken.
I don’t know. If you love an oversimplified teen romance and don’t want to think too much about plot holes and consistency, then probably read this book. It’s exciting, at least.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
oh my god. oh my GOD. this was so immersive that every time i had to pause, it was like getting whacked over the head by reality. literally the book i have been WAITING for thank you so much kaufman and kristoff
I will ignore the fact that I kind of hate the ending because the rest was the most amazing, suspenseful and creative thing I have read this year.
Am I not merciful?
Am I not merciful?
Disclaimer:
It's 2021 when I wrote the review and I read the book in 2017 so I might forgot some things about it.
[Review]
This book series's format is everything I didn't know I need.
I remember how much I enjoyed reading this book, even though I was a little bit confused with some aspects in it since I'm not really a science fiction reader (And spaceship? Lmao don't ask me).
But, I didn't like the romance. It was full of dramas that I couldn't resist. And also, such a flowery romance.
N.b. Before you attack me, don't worry, I continue the series.
It's 2021 when I wrote the review and I read the book in 2017 so I might forgot some things about it.
[Review]
This
I remember how much I enjoyed reading this book, even though I was a little bit confused with some aspects in it since I'm not really a science fiction reader (And spaceship? Lmao don't ask me).
But, I didn't like the romance. It was full of dramas that I couldn't resist. And also, such a flowery romance.
N.b. Before you attack me, don't worry, I continue the series.