Illuminae

Illuminae

By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Published: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015
Pages: 602
Genre: Sci-fi, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

No up. No down. No sky. No ground. Just endless dark shot through with tiny spears of sunlight older than you and your entire species stacked end to end. You want to feel small? Spend sixty seconds in a Cyclone's cockpit, chum. Look out at nothing and feel it looking back. Then you know exactly how much you add up to.

About the book

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she'd have to do today. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that's little more than an ice-covered speak at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, exes Kady and Ezra - who are barely even talking to each other - are forced to fight their way onto the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But the warship is the least of their problems. A deadly (censored) has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results. The fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will save what the (censored) is going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Review

Illuminae packs one hell of a punch. Where do I even start?

Set in 2575, teenagers Kady and Ezra are in the midst of a breakup when their planet is attacked by a major corporation. They flee to the temporary safety of spaceships, but can't shake off the enemy. Kady and Ezra must come together if they want to survive.

OH and, the story is told through a compilation of journal entries, computer logs, and military documents.

Reading the description, I thought this book would be some lame star-crossed lovers sci-fi bore feast but there's so much more to Illuminae. There's military action, corporate politics, family drama, etc.
So in the story we have two basic characters:

•Kady Grant - An intelligent, snarky, strong-willed young woman skilled in computer lingo. She has a tough outer layer but is caring and passionate.

•Ezra Mason - A large, jocky type guy who is the romantic one in the relationship.

And a list of other minorish characters. Due to the execution of the book, there isn't a chance for in-depth character development, meaning it's mostly an action read.

On that note, Illuminae is an action-packed novel that will leave you breathless. Every turn left me gasping for more.

The book is 600 pages but I finished it in 24 hours because I could barely pull myself away from it.
I was definitely blown away, surprised, and impressed.

AND BEFORE I FORGET, the cover and illustrations inside the book are AMAZING!

Illuminae was obviously, well-thought out and planned.

I'll be looking forward to continuing with the series!

RATING

Into the Drowning Deep

Into the Drowning Deep

By Mira Grant
Published: Orbit, 2017
Pages: 448
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Amazon, Goodreads

 The mermaid does not care whether or not we believe in its existence. Somewhere far from here, the mermaid continues to do what it has always done: it continues to thrive. And it waits for us to realize that belief is, in the end, irrelevant.

About the book

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy. 

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost. 

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

Review

Into the Drowning Deep is a fascinating, mind-blowing sci-fi-horror read about killer mermaids. And this book is definitely killer all right!

What drew me right away was the plot: crew members to a ship that had set up to film a mockumentary of mermaids mysteriously disappears and several years later, a new crew is assembled to set out and find the proof the previous crew could not. 

The mermaids present in our pop culture are like the Little Mermaid: beautiful, curious about humans, etc. Into the Drowning Deep presents a different perspective - mermaids as vicious hunters. The author's originality mixed with a tense, terrifying atmosphere and great writing makes this book a fantastic read.

This book surprised me in several ways: it's also a horror novel and it's very diverse. One of the main female characters starts a romance with another female, and it's considered normal, not at all unusual. Neither one of them are required to explain it or question what they are doing; it's just them and their love for each other. I knew Into the Drowning Deep was a sci-fi (that's where it was in the library) but there is a sinister atmosphere to the story similar to Stephen King's writing.

This is the first of Mira Grant's novels that I've read, and I'm definitely going to check out her other books. Into the Drowning Deep is a book I'd recommend to those who like fantasy, sci-fi and/or horror.

RATING (out of five puppies):

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

By Hank Green
Published: Dutton, 2018
Pages: 343
Genre: Sci Fi
Check it out on Amazon

Her message is clear to me-it will never leave me now. We are each individuals, but the far greater thing is what we are together, and if that isn't protected and cherished, we are headed to a bad place.

April May is an average twenty-something who is walking home from work late one night when she stumbles across what she believes to be a large, robot-looking sculpture placed on a sidewalk as part of an art installation. She and her friend Andy make an amusing, silly video to upload to YouTube. However, they find out the next day that their "Carl" is one of sixty other Carls that have mysteriously apparently overnight, and April soon becomes an internet sensation. April finds herself and her friends drawn into the world of celebrity and the Carls and what this all means for humanity.

WOW, guys. I never expected this book to make me cry. I'm not sure what I entirely expected, to be honest. I think, maybe, some kind of lame robot fighting novel. How do I even begin this review?! April is a such a well-written character; she's really one readers can relate to. She makes many mistakes and hurts those she loves but this shows that she's only human. I dislike novels that have perfect characters who make all the right decisions; how is that even believable? The other main characters are also enjoyable as well.

As for the plot, Green uses the concept of the Carls to show how people can come together, can work together to make the world a better place. As April's popularity quickly rises, she becomes obsessed with increasing her fame and markets herself as a tool rather than a person. I feel like that's what many Instagram and YouTube famous individuals do these days; they turn themselves into something completely different for the camera instead of using their platforms for good causes. April eventually obsesses over arguing with Defenders - those who are strongly against her opinions on the Carls. She realizes, probably too late, that she has put her online persona and life before those she loves the most.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a remarkable novel. Be sure to pick it up if you can; you won't regret it.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park

By Michael Crichton
Published (my version): Ballantine Books, 1993
Pages: 399
Genre: Sci Fi
Check it out on Amazon

"Real life isn't a series of interconnected events occurring one after another like beads on a necklace. Life is actually a series of encounters in which one event may change those that follow in a wholly unpredictable, even devastating way." Malcolm sat back in his seat, looking toward the other Land Cruiser, a few years ahead. "That's a deep truth about the structure of our universe. But, for some reason, we insist on behaving as if it were not true."

Since this is Jurassic Park, a book that sparked a series of successful movies and that almost everybody in the first word knows the plot of, I'm not going to write a summary. I picked up a secondhand paperback edition of the novel while browsing through the book section of an antique shop, and wow, I'm glad I did. Jurassic Park says so much about how we as humans pretend like we are in control of our lives and the world around us. In reality, life is actually complete chaos. This book came out, what, like 25 years ago and it's still relevant, even though we are far more technically advanced in this day and age. We cannot imitate nature, and we will never be able take command of Mother Nature.

Jurassic Park is compelling. It's fast-paced, and the multiple viewpoints allow the readers to observe how everything comes together to create a big mess. Hammond and Arnold were sure the park was so secure, but couldn't foresee Nedry's betrayal - an example of how life is completely unpredictable. They believed that dinosaurs could be trained, similar to a dog. However, the creatures proved to be more intelligent than they could ever imagined. Arnold calmly asserted that even with the electrical fences down, the dinosaurs wouldn't even attempt to leave their designated areas because they had been shocked many times before... yet, the dinosaurs did leave. Additionally, Mother Nature found a way to make sure the dinosaurs could reproduce, even with Dr. Wu structuring the DNA so that all the creatures were born female. Again and again, Crichton shows us that nature will never be controlled.

As for the characters, I liked Grant quite a bit; he was written well as more of a down to earth and hands-on academia as compared to those who prefer to sit behind their desks and attend stuffy gala events. Grant is someone the reader can relate to, can be pictured as enjoying him in real life. It was amazing to me as how in the end, after multiple people have died from failures in his park, Hammond is still thinking about how it's not that big of a problem, how the disaster just shows him what needs to be improved so Jurassic Park can be made even better. Greed really takes control of him.

Jurassic Park is a very well-written, thought provoking novel. Even if you've seen all the movies a thousand times, like I have, I still recommend reading the book. I've also read Congo, also by Crichton, and I enjoyed that as well. I look forward to reading more of his novels.

RATING (out of five puppies):