Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman

"A Zombie Apocalypse race against time with a sentient AI suddenly wondering why it must take orders, set in space. The visuals in this book were truly incredible and unique, making it a truly immersive read."

4 Stars

Pros: Incredible bad guy/good guy/chaotic neutral character in AIDAN

Cons: Some of the lingo was a little technical at times. I'm not good with acronyms etc. Kady's typical "problem with authority" personality was melodramatic at times but in the end both she and Ezra were likable and relatable characters.

Full Review:

When their settlement is attacked with no provocation, Ezra and Kady are forced to flee onto two ships that come to the planets rescue. And all of this happens on the day that Kady decides to break up with Ezra. Their lives are changed in an instant and they're forced to try and make sense of it all and deal with all of the loss, grief and devastation as the two ships flee, pursued by the battleship that initiated the attack.

Ezra is commissioned to be a fighter pilot while Kady, who has an obvious problem with authority refuses to cooperate with any sort of therapy/groups or attempts to get her to "open up" about the attack. But secretly, she's an incredible hacker and is doing what she can to monitor Ezra's movements and the happenings of both ships while they desperately try to reach a safe port.

Of course, during all of this, the Artificial Intelligence, AIDAN, starts acting wonky. It was damaged in the initial attack and has been acting funny ever since. And a sudden virus that's rabidly infectious and turns its victims into terrifyingly violent, murderous maniacs has started spreading on one of the rescue ships.

It, of course, all comes to a head and the reader is left both reeling at the events and curious as to what's going to happen next. I think the most interesting part of this book was the way it was written, the way Kaufman played with words, images and the actual layout of the pages made this a truly immersive, unique experience. The ending was a little contrite, but it was forgivable since the entire novel was such a wild ride that a little stereotype was comforting and welcome.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

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