Brilliance

The Brilliance Trilogy, Book 1

By: Marcus Sakey

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

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

Excellently story, wonderfully narrated

This is an excellent listen. A plausible and engaging plot, excellent character development, and fantastic narration. I’ve already downloaded the sequel and am looking forward to it as well.

A realistic X-Men story

The narrator was easy to understand. The story was great and the characters fun. Definitely feels like a more realistic version of mutation powers and how society would react.

Don't outsmart yourself!

Where does Brilliance rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 15 easily. ( I listen to a book every couple of weeks, and have done so for years, so getting a top 10 slot is difficult.)

This is a powerful book and is well worth the credits ( and the stellar reviews ).

Be warned however, that this book clearly is the beginning of a series ( not surprisingly I suppose ) bu that was not evident until far into it.

What other book might you compare Brilliance to and why?

Odds against tomorrow. Similar story of "different " people being trapped in society.

Which scene was your favorite?

The resolution was fast moving and pretty action packed.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Being gifted isn't all good.

Any additional comments?

The consensus reviews on this book are compelling,and it does live up to those high standards. I recommend this book highly, with the provisio that the resolution is not neat or pretty, but it's still worth the credit.

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.

i liked it!

If you could sum up Brilliance in three words, what would they be?

good story

What did you like best about this story?

easy to follow, suspenseful

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

no

Any additional comments?

listened to it only while walking - I was always glad to hit the pavement to
get back to the story!

An excellent & thrilling story!

This book...what can I say? It blew my mind! The story is so rich and detailed. I loved the idea of a world where more and more humans were born with special talents which made them brilliants, and how a whole web of terrorism and conspiracies was built around it. This book definitely kept me on an edge. But my absolute favourite thing was the talents themselves. They were so cool, and not at all ordinary. I mean, they weren’t superhero type of powers, but rather normal abilities enhanced, and I treasured how the world improved because of them.

Another great feature of this book where its characters. They all had their own unique personalities and it was cool to see them blend together. Some of them are really unexpected, in a way you couldn’t predict.

I adored the relationship Cooper had with his ex wife and kids, and his ability to work as a team. I loved his team mate Bobby, and the easy way Nick and Shannon's conversation flowed.

Every piece of information would come back later on as a relevant clue to the puzzle. Sometimes it seemed that too much unnecessary information was given, but in the end every piece fits perfectly and you realize why they were put there to begin with.

It did appear to me that maybe too many details were added and as an Audiobook sometimes they were hard to follow. They contributed to the sense of what Cooper was seeing, which added some effect of what his power would feel like, but I did get lost in the details. Maybe it’s because I listened to it when commuting, so I could only listen to like 10 minutes at a time, but once you reach part 2 you are already too invested in this story to care.

In sum, this book is thrilling, enticing and will definitely want you leaving more.

Regarding the narration, it’s safe to say that Luke Daniels is THE BEST narrator I’ve heard so far. He definitely added something extra to the already great story; he gave it a black & white old detective movie kind of vibe, even if the book is not much of a mystery; which made it much easier to get into this book and get enthralled by it. I’m definitely going to get the second book in the series as an Audiobook just for the pleasure of hearing him. His voice is so versatile and masculine; but the best part is not even that.

They were so many characters and he managed to give each one of them a distinct voice you could recognize the character in a second when they spoke. He even had a different voice for the narrator. Of course, about the 15th character appearance, voices started to sound alike, but that is kind of inevitable. I’m always so sceptic on male narrators doing female voices, because they tend to make them sound like drag queens, no disrespect intended. But Luke totally nailed Shannon. She felt like a whole woman to me, at least. Overall, Luke’s technique is impeccable! You should definitely watch out for more of his work.

Unexpected Twists Create Excitement!!

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

I enjoyed the audio edition because of the emotion and characters created by Luke Daniels. He is an amazing reader/actor/narrator. Choosing a book that he narrates will not disappoint.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot twists and turns made you want to keep listening to get to the next part of the action. The author was also very effective at buiding up to the climax, while showing you all of the changes going on in Nick's mindset.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to pick a favorite - the action and dialog were great throughout.

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

I would have loved to listen to this in one sitting, but my family would have disowned me

Great book, riveting!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Luke Daniels did a fine job narrating, but the writing was my favorite. Story was interesting and original, with profundities riddled throughout. I found myself tearing up at times, while other time nodding and writing down the wisdom in the text. Well done, this was my first read by Marcus Sakey, and it won't be my last!

Loved it!!!

I loved this story. Can't wait to listen to the rest. I habe to know what happens with Nick and Shannon.

What a “twist”!

Very original ideas and fresh perspective. Like a true science fiction novel, this has both possible science in it and political issues. It is a wonderful commentary, and great call backs for people who remember the 80s. If you want hard hitting action packed, with socioeconomic issues as a true sci-Fi, this book is for you.