Amie Kaufman
Amie Kaufman is the New York Times and internationally bestselling co-author of the award-winning Starbound trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World) and The Illuminae Files trilogy (Illuminae). Her multi-award winning work has been published in 30 countries, and described as “a game-changer” (Shelf Awareness), “stylistically mesmerising” (Publishers Weekly) and “out-of-this-world awesome” (Kirkus).
Amie had the good fortune to be raised just one block from her local library, and took full advantage of that fact growing up. She and her sister spent their childhood summers re-creating their favourite books by camping in the back yard, mapping their neighbourhood, climbing trees, stepping through magical doors and sailing the local seas. Raised in Australia and Ireland, she has kissed the Blarney stone six times, thoroughly cementing her gift of the gab.
As she grew older (but not up), she continued her education, and graduated with honors degrees in history, literature and law, and a master’s degree in conflict resolution. After working as a mediator for seven years, these days she’s a full time writer, working from her home in Melbourne when she’s not on the road in the US, Europe and Asia.
A few of her top travel moments include camping in the Sahara overnight, climbing a mountain in Vietnam, standing on the Great Wall of China and cycling the Loire Valley, but she has a huge list left to cover.
Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their rescue dog, Jack. She’s a huge fan of chocolate and naps, has an enormous music collection, and an entire room of her house is devoted to her library. She still sails, and though she climbs fewer trees, she remains partial to investigating the occasional magical door.
What genres does Amie Kaufman write?
She is best known for speculative and science-fiction-leaning fiction—often space-centered—and many of her books are aimed at young adult readers.
What are her most popular series and where should I start?
Her best-known series include The Illuminae Files and the Starbound trilogy. Good entry points are Illuminae (Illuminae Files Book 1) or These Broken Stars (Starbound Book 1).
What is the reading order for The Illuminae Files?
The recommended order is Illuminae (Book 1), Gemina (Book 2), then Obsidio (Book 3).
Does Amie Kaufman write solo or with co-authors?
She frequently collaborates—many of her most famous books, including the Starbound trilogy and The Illuminae Files, are co-authored.
Has she won awards or received recognition?
Yes. She is a New York Times and internationally bestselling, multi-award-winning author whose work has been published in around 30 countries; for specific awards see her official author pages.