Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are the dynamic duo that brought us one of last’s year most unique books, Illuminae. The pair are announcing a brand new project, Andromeda Cycle, and it sounds awesome!
Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are working on a new series called the Andromeda Cycle and it sounds AMAZING! There’s outer space, misfits and so much more. It sounds like a pinch of Guardians of the Galaxy with a dash of Star Trek with a little Harry Potter vibe because let’s face it everything is better with a little Harry Potter.
Read the description and tell us what you think!
What can we expect to find in the Andromeda Cycle?
You’ll find an elite training facility in space, a ragtag bunch of misfits, a sweeping epic that spans galaxies, after-school detention, romance, aliens (some handsome), a lot of snark, a battle for the fate of the universe, and an interstellar love story two centuries in the making.
Basically, it’s a story about the golden boy of a space academy who gets stuck leading a squad of misfits and discipline cases . . . who end up with the fate of the universe in their hands. NOBODY PANIC.
You worked together on the Illuminae Files, and you’re together again for the Andromeda Cycle. How did that decision get made?
There was really never any question. We both had SO much fun working together on the Illuminae Files, and there’s nothing like the feeling of making your coauthor laugh, or tear up, or making their heart beat a little faster. It was obvious to both of us that we weren’t done having fun together yet.
We spent several months tossing ideas around — working up lists of things that always grab us, whether they’re in books, movies, TV shows, pictures, or songs. We wanted to find a playground that made both of us instantly excited. And in the end, the story itself coalesced very quickly. Luckily for us, our publisher loved the idea as much as we did. The Andromeda Cycle takes place in a verrrry big universe, and there’s a lot out there to explore!
The Illuminae Files sold into twenty-four foreign markets, and to Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and Warner Bros., who are making a film. What are you hoping for with the Andromeda Cycle?
We’ve certainly got our fingers crossed that publishers love it as much as we do! It’s already sold into nine markets, and though we’d love to say more, our lips are sealed right now. . . .
What’s changed since you first began working together?
A lot, and at the same time, nothing at all. Now we have an amazing fan base that has embraced our stories. They talk to us constantly on social media (and sometimes shout things like “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?”) and we love interacting with them.
But some things are exactly the same as they always were. When we are done touring and staying home to draft, it’s just the two of us again. One of us will work on a new scene and send it along to be read by the other, waiting to find out if it will make them laugh, or cry, or do whatever we’re trying to make them do. There’s still a time during the process when the story is just ours, and we love that time as much as we love taking it out later to share with readers.
You toured last November for Illuminae’s launch, and now you’re coming back again and heading to new cities. What can we expect?
Touring is soooooo much fun. Our awesome readers came out with cookies and artwork and interpretive dances and stories about that time they were surprised while reading Illuminae and threw it at someone’s head. (Some of the scenes put you a little on edge.) This time, with less than six months to go until Gemina, we’ll be talking about book two as well.
We describe Illuminae as Battlestar Galactica meets Ten Things I Hate About You, and we describe Gemina as Die Hard meets Alien. And we’re going to be giving away two advance copies of Gemina at every stop on our Spring U.S. Tour! So come down, say hello, get a book signed and be among the first in the world to read the next book in The Illuminae Files.