Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff previously collaborated on the Illuminae Files — a trilogy that used unconventional formats (chat logs, surveillance footage, classified documents) to tell a space opera that was also a horror story and a love story. Aurora Rising begins a new collaboration and a new world, and the approach is more conventional in form and more directly fun: six misfit crew members, a girl out of time, and a galaxy-threatening mystery they are absolutely not equipped to handle.

Tyler Jones, top of his class at the Aurora Legion academy, misses the squad draft because he rescues a girl from a cryo-pod in deep space. He gets the leftover cadets nobody else wanted. His squad includes his twin sister, a disgraced ace pilot, an alien empath, a gearhead with anger management issues, and a by-the-book medic whose world is about to be dismantled. Aurora, the girl he rescued, has been in cryo-sleep for two hundred years and has no idea why she was out there.

The Squad

Each of the six squad members is distinct and gets a viewpoint chapter, which means the book rotates through six different voices and maintains all of them with personality and consistency. This is impressive craft — Kaufman and Kristoff differentiate their characters completely, and the ensemble dynamic is the book’s greatest pleasure.

The Humour

Aurora Rising is genuinely funny in the banter-among-people-who-have-no-business-working-together way, and the comedy is not undermined when the stakes become serious. The two modes coexist because the characters are real enough to hold both.

The Darkness

Underneath the humour, the implications of what Aurora carries and what the Ra’haam represents build toward something considerably darker than the first half suggests. Kaufman and Kristoff are good at this tonal shift — it happened in the Illuminae Files too — and they manage it here with control.

Why YA Readers Will Love This

For readers who loved Guardians of the Galaxy-style ensemble dynamics — where the pleasure is in watching a group of incompatible people become a unit — the Aurora squad delivers that with six distinct voices and a genuinely affectionate group dynamic.

For readers who enjoy YA science fiction that takes its world-building seriously: the Aurora Legion, the political structure of the galaxy, the alien races — all of it is built with more care than the comedy suggests.

For readers who want a space opera they can read quickly and feel invested in: the pacing is relentless in the best way, and the cliffhanger ending earns the next book.

Aurora Burning and Aurora’s End follow.

Published: May 2019 · Genre: YA science fiction · Series: The Aurora Cycle, Book 1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Aurora Rising about? Aurora Rising follows Tyler Jones, top of his class at the Aurora Legion academy, who misses the squad draft because he rescues a girl from a cryo-pod in deep space and ends up with leftover cadets nobody wanted. His misfit squad — including his twin sister, a disgraced pilot, an alien empath, a gearhead, and a medic — must deal with Aurora, the rescued girl who has been in cryo-sleep for two hundred years and doesn’t know why she was out there.

How do Kaufman and Kristoff handle the six-character ensemble in Aurora Rising? Each of the six squad members gets viewpoint chapters, rotating through six different voices that the review describes as maintained ‘with personality and consistency.’ The review calls this ‘impressive craft’ — Kaufman and Kristoff differentiate each character completely, and the ensemble dynamic is described as the book’s greatest pleasure.

Is Aurora Rising funny, and does the humour survive when the stakes become serious? The review describes the book as ‘genuinely funny in the banter-among-people-who-have-no-business-working-together way,’ and notes that the comedy is not undermined when stakes become serious. The two modes coexist because the characters are real enough to hold both — a tonal balance the authors also managed in the Illuminae Files.

How does Aurora Rising compare to the authors’ previous Illuminae Files series? The Illuminae Files used unconventional formats (chat logs, surveillance footage, classified documents) to tell a space opera that was also horror and romance. Aurora Rising is described as more conventional in form and ‘more directly fun,’ though it shares the Illuminae Files’ tendency to shift from comedy toward something considerably darker as the story progresses.

Is Aurora Rising a complete story or does it end on a cliffhanger? The book ends on a cliffhanger that the review describes as earning the next book. Aurora Burning and Aurora’s End follow to complete The Aurora Cycle trilogy. The review recommends it for readers who want ‘a space opera they can read quickly and feel invested in,’ noting the pacing is relentless in the best way.

Further Reading from Authoritative Sources

  • Amie Kaufman — Wikipedia’s Amie Kaufman article provides biographical and bibliographical context for the author, including her collaboration history with Jay Kristoff and the Illuminae Files series referenced in the review’s comparison.
  • space opera genre — Wikipedia’s space opera article contextualises the subgenre Aurora Rising belongs to, helping readers understand the tradition the Aurora Cycle is working within and what distinguishes it from other entries in the genre.