• Brilliance

  • The Brilliance Trilogy, Book 1
  • By: Marcus Sakey
  • Narrated by: Luke Daniels
  • Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (6,712 ratings)

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Brilliance  By  cover art

Brilliance

By: Marcus Sakey
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
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Publisher's summary

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called "brilliants," and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in - and betray his own kind.

From Marcus Sakey, "a modern master of suspense" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "one of our best storytellers" (Michael Connelly), comes an adventure that’s at once breakneck thriller and shrewd social commentary; a gripping tale of a world fundamentally different and yet horrifyingly similar to our own, where being born gifted can be a terrible curse.

©2013 Marcus Sakey (P)2013 Brilliance Audio

What listeners say about Brilliance

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,191
  • 4 Stars
    2,413
  • 3 Stars
    830
  • 2 Stars
    169
  • 1 Stars
    109
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,549
  • 4 Stars
    1,708
  • 3 Stars
    551
  • 2 Stars
    115
  • 1 Stars
    77
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,845
  • 4 Stars
    2,068
  • 3 Stars
    809
  • 2 Stars
    176
  • 1 Stars
    104

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Brilliance not brilliant!

Well it was OK and I sort of enjoyed it, but in the end I guess the story did not just come together enough for me and there was not enough detailing of situations and characters to make the implausible, plausible. For me, I give a book a 3 star rating when it's good, 4 stars for very good, and 5 stars for really excellent.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent thriller

Not really a science fiction story as much as a thriller set in 2013 in a slightly altered world where 10 percent of the children are born with "abnormal" gifts. Great story with interesting characters, unexpected plot twists, and good plot movement. Well-read by Luke Daniels. I enjoyed this book and hope Sakey and Daniels team up for some more.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narration is terrible

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Narrator's voice is so difficult to get past. The primary voice is so brooding and deep, like someone impersonating a cliche tough guy voice. His voices for most of the other male characters are very nasal and weaselly. Those were the ones I really couldn't stand.

Would you recommend Brilliance to your friends? Why or why not?

No. Narration is awful and the story isn't even that interesting. Very predictable.

Would you be willing to try another one of Luke Daniels’s performances?

Nope.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

Refund please.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Entertaining

What did you love best about Brilliance?

Great story and really entertaining

What did you like best about this story?

Very cool take on humans gaining powers

Which scene was your favorite?

The end was very satisfying

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes Wish it was longer.

Any additional comments?

Hope there are more books coming in the series

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Wild Ride at Breakneck Speed

I seem to be developing a taste for alternate reality books. First it was "The Handmaid's Tale, " which portrayed the area which had formerly been the USA after the overthrow of the government by members of an extreme right wing religious group and the subsequent oppression of women and all others except the male members of the group. Then it was the "Small Change " trilogy, which takes place in a 1940's England after a truce with Hitler leaves Hitler completely in control of continental Europe and England under similar control by the English aristocrats who engineered the truce, with similar oppression of Jews and gays.

Now, I have fallen under the spell of "Brilliance, " showing a United States in contemporary time with a whole new group being oppressed. This is a world in which, since 1980, 1% of the babies born in the world have exceptional, almost superhuman skills in limited fields. Other reviewers have discussed the plot ; I will just say that the principal character is one of those exceptional people -- a "Brilliant, " a "Twist," an "Abnormal." After spending his entire working life defending the country and the government that he believes in as an agent hunting Abnorm terrorists, certain events cause him to question the system and to see things that don't fit with what he has always believed.

This story is truly a thriller, which grabs you in the first five minutes and doesn't let go until the end, 12 hours later. The plot twists and turns, keeping you guessing clear up to the end. The only reason I didn't listen to the entire book in one sitting was that I had to get some sleep!

In addition to the excellent writing of Marcus Sakey, the narration by Luke Daniels was superb. Characters were easily distinguished from each other, and female voices were very believable.

This was one of my best reading experiences in some time. It's good to know that this is the first book of a trilogy. Can't wait to read the next one!

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Can't anyone write without cursing?

Don't bother to listen to this book if you don't want to hear cursing. The story was interesting, but it lost my desire after hearing so much profanity.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Overly simplistic characters

What did you like best about Brilliance? What did you like least?

Slow starting but started to enjoy it after a while. Didn't like the main character much - why would he think his child should escape testing when no one else's does? Once I got past the pretty stereotypical characters, I enjoyed it more.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Reginald Hill

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was good. I don't think I would have finished it without the narrator

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I would get it out on DVD not pay to see it in a movie theatre

Any additional comments?

Social media and the internet aren't mentioned so probably don't exist but I couldn't see how the official versions of events weren't counter-acted anywhere. Surely any brilliant strategiest would use media outlets (even international ones) to release different versions of events and perhaps those media would interview witnesses whose stories conflict with official versions? Pretty big weakness in the story I reckon.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Just... Average

What would have made Brilliance better?

An original idea.

What was most disappointing about Marcus Sakey’s story?

It was just so formulaic and predictable. Narration was a bit too 'trailer voice-over guy' to give the story any impact, which didn't help, but the characters are just paper-thin. There's treachery, but you see it coming. All is not what it seems, but you see it coming. It's a story that's been done many times and usually better than it's done here.

Would you be willing to try another one of Luke Daniels’s performances?

He's a good narrator in that he's clear and his voices are fairly distinct from one another, but he just can't wind in the 'square jawed hero' voice. Like I said, often his narration sounds like an audition for trailer voice-over work; it was a time of warrrrr.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Brilliance?

Nothing, I just didn't click with the story. Some people probably will.

Any additional comments?

At least I listened to the entire story, so it couldn't have been that bad.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

X-men meets Genius Savants

Interesting premise turns into a disappointing ending. Strong start flawed by weak ending. Devolved into too many cliches, too bad.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Frightening Future

Would you consider the audio edition of Brilliance to be better than the print version?

Did not see the print

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nick, the main character, pulls all the other characters into the story with a fierce force.

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narrator! He handled each character with distinction and enthusiasm.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither, it worried me as to the possibility of this happening with government ever growing!!

Any additional comments?

Got this book on sale and one of the best in my 540 book library!!!! Want more of the author, narrator and sales!!!!!

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10 people found this helpful