bbbhltz reviewed Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
Review of "Axiom's End" on Goodreads
3 stars
I liked the story but I really disliked the way it was written.
paperback, 384 pages
Published Aug. 10, 2021 by St. Martin's Griffin.
4 stars
(19 reviews)
It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.
Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to …
It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.
Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.
William Smith reviewed Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
Review of "Axiom's End" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
First encounter stories are a genre themselves within science fiction. They generally follow a pattern of two beings, alien to each other, overcoming their differences to become friends while being chased by one or more adversaries. Axiom's End is such a story, but it's still engaging.
The protagonist Cora is somewhat along for the ride throughout the book with plot points and other characters directing her what to do next. She lacks control over most of the situation where she encounters an alien who needs her help whether he realizes it or not.
Ampersand, the alien on the run, was really well-conceived and I appreciated the conversations over what makes two or more races "alien" to each other. Ellis did a good job explaining why we shouldn't want to learn an alien's language and the problems that can cause. I would've appreciated much more of this mindful thought-provoking type of …
First encounter stories are a genre themselves within science fiction. They generally follow a pattern of two beings, alien to each other, overcoming their differences to become friends while being chased by one or more adversaries. Axiom's End is such a story, but it's still engaging.
The protagonist Cora is somewhat along for the ride throughout the book with plot points and other characters directing her what to do next. She lacks control over most of the situation where she encounters an alien who needs her help whether he realizes it or not.
Ampersand, the alien on the run, was really well-conceived and I appreciated the conversations over what makes two or more races "alien" to each other. Ellis did a good job explaining why we shouldn't want to learn an alien's language and the problems that can cause. I would've appreciated much more of this mindful thought-provoking type of discussion.
Throughout the book is a sub-plot about Cora's father, which never really comes to fruition for me. All the elements about her father could've been removed from the book and not affected the story.
The story is probably best suited for young adults or those who wouldn't normally dive deep into science fiction. The writing is straight-forward, which I appreciated, and doesn't bog down in technical detail.
