Amie Kaufman - Illuminae

THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2015 by LaRoux Industries Pty Ltd. and Neverafter Pty Ltd.

Gemina Excerpt Copyright 2016 by LaRoux Industries Pty Ltd. and Neverafter Pty Ltd.

Ship insignia illustrations copyright 2015 by Stuart Wade

Ship blueprint and schematics copyright 2015 by Meinert Hansen

Movie poster illustration copyright 2015 by Kristen Gudsnuk

Cover photograph and interior art copyright 2015 by Shutterstock

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kaufman, Amie.

Illuminae / Amie Kaufman ; Jay Kristoff.First edition.

pages cm.

Summary: The planet Kerenza is attacked, and Kady and Ezra find themselves on a space fleet fleeing the enemy, while their ships artificial intelligence system and a deadly plague may be the end of them all. Provided by publisher

ISBN 978-0-553-49911-7 (trade) ISBN 978-0-553-49912-4 (lib. bdg.) ISBN 978-0-553-49913-1 (ebook) ISBN 978-0-553-49914-8 (pbk.)

[1. Science fiction. 2. Interplanetary voyagesFiction. 3. Artificial intelligenceFiction. 4. PlagueFiction.] I. Kristoff, Jay. II. Title.

PZ7.K1642Ill 2015

[Fic]dc23

2014017908

Book design by Heather Kelly and Jay Kristoff, adapted for ebook.

Random House Childrens Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

v4.1

a

r2

FOR NIC,

WHO ALWAYS TELLS THE BEST STORIES

AND STARTED THIS ONE

CONTENTS

To: Kady Grant/KGRANTHYPATIAONBOARD

From: Ezra Mason/EMASONALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 03/18/75

Timestamp: 21:32

Subject: Knock knock

Hey K,

Im not sure if youll get this. I mailed you last month, but maybe it didnt go through. If things aboard the Hypatia are anything like things over here, it probably didnt. Maybe youre busy. Or you dont want to talk to me. I get it.

It was my birthday yesterday. Eighteen years old, can you believe that? Good news is I can drink legally now. Bad news is theres nothing to drink. Even the waters in short supply. :P

Theyve got a whole bunch of us doing tests. VR sims and psych analysis and physicals. Theyve drafted a whole bunch of the Kerenza refugees into the UTA over here. Wartime conscription they called it. And now Im eighteen, theyre looking at me. Which I guess means were in deeper **** than anyone figured.

I had a dream about you last night. No, not like that, relax.

It was the day of the attack, and I see you in your truck in the parking lot. And I run up to the window and knock, but you dont let me in. You just stare like you dont know me. And I pound on the glass and yell your name, but you just shake your head. And then you drive off and leave me there. Weird thing is, theres someone who looks exactly like me sitting right next to you the whole time. And hes laughing.

And then the ships come.

You think it means something?

Anyway, I hope youre ok.

Love E

To: Kady Grant/KGRANTHYPATIAONBOARD

From: Ezra Mason/EMASONALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 07/03/75

Timestamp: 23:45

Subject: DO NOT SEND THIS

Kades

i am not sending this to you I am just writing it down and then i will delete it because of reasons. My friend jimmy says it is best to get these things off your chest and since u are not here to say this to im pretending because you know, think of my chest. it has things on it

so i am somewhatliquefied but never fear i do notspend my days drinking alone in my bunk, the hooch is to hard to get lol. IT IS A CELEBRATION as i am now officially cleared for flight status, me flying a cyclone holy *********** wtf has the universe come to.

anyway since i will never send this, I feel it fair to say i thought it wasrough not to mail me back I get mahybe you dont want to talk me and thats fine but a simple i do not wish to speak to you goodday sir would have been nice and this is shabby treatment madam, verily

since i will not send this, i also feel it is my duty to inform you that almost six months on I think I still love you and that makes me sad becaue love shouldnt feel this way. is like getting kicked in the stomach every time i think of you and it makes me want to roll my face across this keyboardbiu;///ubEWdcfhugiovbyhi;.//////-=-0i9juh8ygtfdcsaazs34defg7u8hi9o0p-[[09ju8hy7gtf6rdsasdrftg67yh8u9ji0o-p-o0i9juhy8gtfrdesazsxdcfr5gt6y7h8u9ji0ko-lp0i9uj8hy7gt6frdesazsxdfghu7ghbuio.;ucfrexdAQW3XDE45THYUJYI

Participants: ByteMe, CitB

Date: 07/21/75

Timestamp: 08:15

ByteMe: u seen the PIR? its bull ****

CitB: huge surprise, the brass r lying. KNEW this was coming