Brilliance

The Brilliance Trilogy, Book 1

By: Marcus Sakey

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

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

Slogged through....

I struggled with this one. Interesting concept, but this book could have been edited down to half the time and it would have been tighter. Sometimes it seemed that not much was happening and I was waiting to get to the next "good part". Well, the dirty deed is done. I finished it.

The first half is boring...

but then Brilliance becomes interesting. Overall the book is quite good. This is not your usual thriller; indeed, it is different concept from any other book I have read.

The narration is excellent.

Recommended with reservations due to the slow start and the excessive wordiness of the author in the first half of the book. I came very close to giving up, but am happy I did not.

X-Men Diet

It's like an X-Men history where the powers people have are very less impressive than the ones in the comics and movies.

One thing that bothered me is that is not clear what separates the "brilliants" (people with talents in the book universe) from normal but intelligent people or intuitive people. Since the superpowers in question are very underwhelming, it is not clear to me how the brilliants are spotted. The only explanation given is that there is a test. People that score too high are mutants, sorry brilliants, and committed to government institutions until adulthood.

The other point that bothered me in the book is that the reaction from USA government from the terrorist that marks the rupture between normal humans and brilliants is way over the top.

Imagine that on the follow-up of 11/9 the government sent all Islamic Children to be educated as Christians and receive Western names. Is more or less what happened in the book in response to a much less dramatic terrorist strike.

Besides that, the book is not as surprising as the cover suggests. If you have some knowledge of the X-Men or similar stories, it is very predictable.

Loved it!

What did you love best about Brilliance?

The author and narrator did a great job of sucking me into the universe and I didn't want it to end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Brilliance?

I can't really think of one memorable moment, I loved the whole thing.

Which character – as performed by Luke Daniels – was your favorite?

Luke Daniels is one of my favorite narrators.

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

If I could have I would have sat on the couch and listened to this book all at once.

Any additional comments?

Everyone should give this book a try.

5 stats all around

This is an amazing book, it grabs you immediately and doesn't let go! Can't wait to listen to the sequel.