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Marcus Sakey

A Better World (The Brilliance Trilogy, 2) Paperback – June 17, 2014

by Marcus Sakey (Author)

2,287 ratings

Book 2 of 3: The Brilliance Saga

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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The brilliants changed everything. Since 1980, one percent of the world has been born with gifts we’d only dreamed of. The ability to sense a person’s most intimate secrets, or predict the stock market, or move virtually unseen. For thirty years the world has struggled with a growing divide between the exceptional…and the rest of us.

Now a terrorist network led by brilliants has crippled three cities. Supermarket shelves stand empty. 911 calls go unanswered. Fanatics are burning people alive.

Nick Cooper has always fought to make the world better for his children. As both a brilliant and an advisor to the president of the United States, he’s against everything the terrorists represent. But as America slides toward a devastating civil war, Cooper is forced to play a game he dares not lose―because his opponents have their own vision of a better world.

And to reach it, they’re willing to burn this one down.

From Marcus Sakey, “the master of the mindful page turner” (Gillian Flynn) and “one of our best storytellers” (Michael Connelly), Book Two of the Brilliance Saga is a relentless thrill ride that will change the way you look at your world―and the people around you.

“The kind of story you’ve never read before.” ―Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher Series

“Ridiculously good. I love this story so much.” ―Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

“Simply put, Marcus Sakey's Brilliance saga is awesome.” ―Kirkus

Print length

390 pages
Language

English
Publication date

June 17, 2014
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1477823948
ISBN-13

978-1477823941
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Holds the reader in thrall until the final crack of an unthinkable doom―then offers more. Cooper’s fight demonstrates the importance of decency, principle, and love in a world where politicians’ promises of ‘protection’ lead to the bitterest enslavement.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A decidedly adult, disturbingly feasible spin to the dystopian future trend overtaking literature.” ―Chicago Sun-Times

“An allegory of America devouring its own…A first-rate actioner forever pulsing forward, told in vivid, even poetic prose.” ―Booklist

“Triumphant…Reads like a more gut-punching X-Men story told from a different perspective…Full of moments that will leave you gasping.” ―Examiner.com

“Sakey is an absolute master of the suspense novel…The book moves with the speed of a cheetah on cocaine…One of the best books I have read this year.” ―CrimeSpree Magazine

“A Better World shines.” ―Toledo Blade

About the Author

Marcus Sakey’s novels have been nominated for more than fifteen awards, including the Edgar and two ITW Thriller Awards. His book Good People was adapted as a feature film starring James Franco and Kate Hudson. Three of his other novels have been optioned for film, including Brilliance.

To research his work, Marcus has shadowed gang cops, trained with snipers, toured the morgue, flown planes, rappelled with SWAT teams, hung out with spies, and learned to pick a deadbolt. He is the host and writer of the acclaimed television show Hidden City on Travel Channel, for which he is routinely pepper-sprayed and attacked by dogs.

Marcus lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.

His website is MarcusSakey.com, or follow him on Facebook (Facebook.com/MarcusSakey) or Twitter, where he posts under the clever handle @MarcusSakey.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (June 17, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 390 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1477823948
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1477823941
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #635,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,145 in Terrorism Thrillers (Books)
- #3,793 in Evolution (Books)
- #4,196 in Dystopian Fiction

Customer Reviews:
2,287 ratings

About the author

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Marcus Sakey

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Marcus Sakey’s books have sold more than a million copies and been translated into dozens of languages. He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter. For more information, visit MarcusSakey.com and follow him here, on Facebook (Facebook.com/MarcusSakey), and on Twitter (twitter.com/MarcusSakey).

Customer reviews

5 star		62%
4 star		28%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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J. Perez

An Almost Brilliant Book

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

What I would have liked to know before I bought this book. (minor spoilers)

1. What type of book is it: adventure, action, drama, etc? This is a superhero action/thriller.

2. What is the story about, in general? The story is about Nick Cooper, now an advisor to the United States, trying to stop the multilayered plans of those who want a war between the Brilliants and normals.

3. What/Who is the target audience? The target audience is male young adult and adults. Teenagers might enjoy the superpowers, but this book is not completely targeted at them.

4. How is the proofreading? Excellent. I couldn't detect a single error. Not saying there aren't any. Simply, the story was so engrossing I didn't see them.

5. Is there character development or exploration? Yes. Though Nick doesn't evolve, the depth of his commitment and character are explored. Shannon has a compelling role within the story, but the story doesn't evolve or explore her personality much. She's very much a secondary character in this book.

The antagonists have believable reasons for their actions. They are evil in the most dangerous way possible because they embrace the one constant that is used to excuse any sort of brutality in the world: a compelling pretext used to manufacture consent. It is frightening how similar it is to today's political and media machinations.

Though all of the characters have rigid roles to play, all the primary and secondary characters have flaws and merits that make them very real. They are ALIVE within the rigidity of their roles.

6. Are the characters likable? I loved all the characters. Each one meshed like part of a perfectly choreographed ballet. You will find personalities, from all spectrum, realistically depicted. Some minor roles are cliché. Some secondary characters act with a little too much predictability, but with well written motivations.

7. Do you have to suspend disbelief? Only once did my disbelief blossom. There is -1- coincidence in this story that felt both extreme and improbable, AT FACE VALUE. There are hints this `coincidence' wasn't a coincidence, thus I am not sure what to believe about it. That's excellent!

8. Does the story keep its pacing? Yes, as long as you can appreciate the intrigue. You won't find exploding action from beginning to end, like some royal rumble. You'll find the contention of the 'chess player'. The vileness of certainty. The righteousness of elitism. The cunning of fear.

The book doesn't specifically focus on Nick but embraces important perspectives from different secondary characters that boldly enhance the reader experience.

Some readers will find the subject matter too abrasive, or similar to criticism of the state, for their socio-political sensibilities and won't be comfortable with the read. This will occur regardless of the fact this is a book in an alternate unreal Earth. I am not one of them. This book takes some solid risks and pulls them off.

The only aspect that I am truly critical about is the ending. It reads as a cliffhanger, even though the story does conclude a reasonable chapter within the Brilliance Saga.

9. Is the book worth the asking price? This book is very good and its only a $2 read.

In conclusion: This is one of the smartest, most well written, bits of superhuman sci-fi I have ever read. All the characters have believable merits and flaws. Even the most static secondary character had moments of humanity. All the antagonists have stratified reasons for their actions: both good and bad. Even the mentally unsound were written BELIEVABLY mentally unsound. There were NO major coincidences and I did not feel the `hand of the author' pressing down on the story to force my attention down unbelievable paths. The only sloppy part I can see was the badly written ending, because it portrays a strong feeling of being a cliffhanger. It isn't. The author did complete what he wanted to, but the ending was very abrupt and lacked the subtle brilliance of the rest of the read. The price is super cheap at $2. The proofreading is excellent. I am not sure it's everyone's cup of tea, but I strongly recommend this book.

4.5 Stars

24 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ken T

An Excellent Sequel

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

The novel is an excellent 2nd installment to the Brilliance trilogy. I would recommend reading the novels in order. The 1st sets up a very good basis for what is to come. The plot revolves around the U.S., at a point, having newborns both with normal and abnormal (Higher) intelligence. They’re referred to as the norms and abnorms. Naturally special interest groups, men of great wealth and power and the Federal government get involved. Typically, nothing good comes from this, except warring factions.
Who can be trusted? Are we to be a nation united or divided? Who is looking out for the greater good of the citizenry as opposed to special interests?
Mr. Sakey writes the novels beautifully. His many characters are well developed and the books have more than their share of twists to make them page turners.

The ending is wrapped up very nicely with a well written epilogue. It leaves the reader wanting to move onto the last book and the final outcome

2 people found this helpful

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Annette Mills

A Better World takes Brilliance to a New Level

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015

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I enjoyed A Better World, but it has a much different tone than the first book, Brilliance.

It may help to read my review of Brilliance, and I'm going to include the explanatory paragraph from that review here:

About 30 years ago a phenomenon began. A much larger percent of the population started to be born with savant-like abilities. The abilities are very specialized and the people are normal in all other ways. No one has been able to figure out why this is happening, but it has changed the complexion of society. Children are tested at age 8 to see if they are an "abnorm." Some of them are sent to special academies.

Nick Cooper is back, still trying to save the world. This time, he's serving as an adviser to the new president of the United States. An "abnorm" terrorist group has literally taken siege of three U. S. cities, cutting off their supplies by killing truck drivers and eventually cutting the power. Things are chaotic. Everything deteriorates from that point as Nick tries to figure out what the terrorists want, and how to negotiate with them.

Ethan has been working with another doctor on what makes these people special. They've made a breakthrough, but no one knows. Ethan lives in Cleveland, one of the cities that has been cut off. He and his wife and baby try to escape and run into a lot of difficulties, not the least of which is that someone is looking for Ethan because the other doctor has been kidnapped and they know Ethan worked with him. But Ethan doesn't trust anyone, so he keeps running.

A Better World ramps up the action to a frenetic pace, and the ending is stunning. And it's also a giant cliffhanger! Let's just say, there may be a happy ending in the third book, but life will never be the same for these characters. A Better World is much more apocalyptic than Brilliance. We're not just talking about lives lost in an isolated terrorist attack. This time it's serious and the consequences are much more weighty.

I still like the way the slight paranormal aspect is woven into the story. It reads like a straight-up thriller, but it all happened because of this weird genetic defect in some people. A fascinating premise, once again. And of course, it's all pretty far-fetched. But I can't resist the pacing and exciting plot of these books.

If you haven't read Brilliance yet, you should. (It's also been optioned for a movie.) But just be warned, if you read Brilliance, you will most definitely want to read A Better World and the third novel (which I can find no information about) when it comes out.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Qsilver7850

Eh

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is the first step towards mediocrity for the series. The first books was great, but this one seems like it's filler for the third book, which in turn is not a great finale. I really wish this had been written as a true sequel, not as a weird setup for the third book. Let's have each book as an independent story that builds for dedicated readers, right? Not a book that sets up a less interesting book.

I'd have to say stopping at book one will not have you missing out on much. But if you're curious, then you might as well see what happens next, just manage your expectations.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

elephvant

Potential Blockbuster Movies

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2014

Verified Purchase

First things first: as a writer, Markus Sakey definitely has balls.

It never ceases to amaze me in this series how far Sakey is able to escalate the situations he creates. Every time a crisis reaches breaking point (and at exactly the point where most writers would back off and have someone save the day) Sakey somehow pushes things even further. This lends the Brilliance books a level of tension so few novels manage since you really never know what's going to happen next. Every time you think, okay, this is the breaking point, this is the limit...Sakey snaps right through it and takes the situation to a whole new level. It makes for an absolutely exhilarating read.

It also helps that Sakey writes well. These novels are as fast paced as anything I've read and while there are some cheesy moments, I think that's exactly what this sort of book requires to keep it from either becoming a numbing succession of action sequences or ruining the mood with out of place personal dramas. The dialogues are sparky and generally to the point and the characters are fleshed out quickly with the reader easily able to supply details and form opinions based on their actions.

I'm not at all surprised these books have been optioned for movie releases and I hope they get the big budget treatment as I could see them becoming huge successes if done right.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

A wasted opportunity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

First book was very clever and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

However this book had less depth and felt like it had been written without the same love and attention. It lacked originality and parts lacked credibility. For example when cooper over comes the assassin at the end the explanation for this falls short. The same could be said of a number of other areas of the plot.

Probably better enjoying the first book and giving this a miss.

Ianski

A Better World. Shame its fiction

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed the concept [very clever]. The characters emerged in a multilevel way with some extremely clever twists.
It covered the concepts of loyalty and friendship showing that the author was speaking from experience.
This second book carries on in the same vein. I have seen it likened to "X Men", strange I see no miraculous powers over the elements only an ability to think, reason and act in a superior way.
You can really understand why the common man would object and work against this rather than embrace and take advantage of all the benefits.
But then look at who is against progress for the benefit of the masses, yes those who have climbed high on the backs of everyone else. Unfortunately commonsense is just not common.

Mr. S. Harrison

Book 2 doesn't disappoint!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

Wow! I am so pleased I stumbled across this book one when looking for a thriller to sink my teeth into. The premise doesn't sound that original but don't let that fool you - it's utterly gripping and at the same time very thought provoking. Marcus Sakey is a brilliant writer who has crafted engaging characters and a very clever plot.
I actually read the book one and book two in three days! I just couldn't stop myself. Cannot wait until Book 3!

Book 2 takes right up where Book 1 left off and things get very dark... I won't spoil it for anyone but you won't have any nails left by the time you read the last page. Loved it!

3 people found this helpful

WhatCathyReadNext

Well-crafted thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

Three and a half stars really as this is a well-crafted if undemanding thriller that is not quite as good as the first in the series. A good beach/pool read (which is where I have been reading it). The protagonist of the first book returns and, as usual in books of this kind, seems virtually indestructible regardless of what the baddies throw at him and no-one can be trusted. Will probably read the final book in the trilogy out of curiosity to see how the author resolves things.

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