hardcover, 384 pages
English language
Published July 21, 2020 by St. Martin's Press.
Axiom's End is a 2020 science fiction novel by American writer Lindsay Ellis. Set in 2007, the novel is about a U.S. government coverup of contact with extraterrestrial life. Axiom's End entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number 7. It was Ellis' debut novel.
First contact stories are plenty in sci-fi, but this one stands out as particularly well-written, with characters that have depth.
Content warning Plot discussion
I picked this one up on a whim, and was a little shocked to see something that doesn't seem to conform to the norms. It's almost like it's heading towards a romance, but I'm not quite sure it'll go that way. The 2nd book will probably make or break the series. Some novel ideas on communication and partnership. All in all quite enjoyable.
So overall I really enjoyed the plot of this. Was Cora slightly juvenile? Yes. Were there some repetitive strange terms (lizard brain anyone?) Also yes. Does it seem like there's about to be a very incompatible (in all meanings of that word) alien/human romance in book two? Definitely. Do I care? Not one bit. It was creative and fun and I didn't want to put it down.
I really wanted to like the book but, while entertaining, it didn’t connect. Not the main character and not the plot. Key parts of the plot seem abrupt, like if a good chapter was missing in between, and other parts were dragged too long. The connection between alien and protagonist increased as my connection to the book decreased.
spoilers There are definitely page-turning moments, but they’re interspersed with making us spend time with a petulant protagonist who has an internal white saviour narrative inflating into space. Plot points vary from untidy to curiously convenient like an indulgently talky, cuddly, thousand-year-old oligarch of an alien. The aliens are altogether too fathomable, kindness is told not shown and that mote is absurdly the impetus for interspecies bonding (is trying to murder your other symphyle endearing?), and there are no innovations in the intergalactic arc nor surprise in the final secret.
I did like: the diplomatic translations.
Lindsay Ellis’s debut novel, Axiom’s End, is my first encounter with a science fiction novel that is all about first contact with extraterrestrial beings. I must confess that, while most of the typical first contact tropes are present—Area 51’s presence being a huge one—I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobooks narration. Stephanie Willis does a solid job of conveying Cora’s emotions in dealing with Ampersand, government officials, and even her own family who are knee-deep in concealing Ampersand’s existence alongside the other extraterrestrials (Similars). Oliver Thorn does the same for conspiracy theorist, Nils Ortega, by reading off excerpts from the Broken Seal between chapters.
Between the both of them, they made Ellis science fiction novel feel more like a thriller from the word “go” to its conclusion. I would sometimes listen to it for a couple of hours—almost non-stop, because I did not want to be left in the lurch as …
Lindsay Ellis’s debut novel, Axiom’s End, is my first encounter with a science fiction novel that is all about first contact with extraterrestrial beings. I must confess that, while most of the typical first contact tropes are present—Area 51’s presence being a huge one—I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobooks narration. Stephanie Willis does a solid job of conveying Cora’s emotions in dealing with Ampersand, government officials, and even her own family who are knee-deep in concealing Ampersand’s existence alongside the other extraterrestrials (Similars). Oliver Thorn does the same for conspiracy theorist, Nils Ortega, by reading off excerpts from the Broken Seal between chapters.
Between the both of them, they made Ellis science fiction novel feel more like a thriller from the word “go” to its conclusion. I would sometimes listen to it for a couple of hours—almost non-stop, because I did not want to be left in the lurch as to what happened next.
I’ve watched Ellis’s video essays on YouTube in the past, and there are some minor references—at least one of them anyway. While Willis does emphasize said reference, they do very little to dampen the narrative.
In sum: Axiom’s End is an interesting take on alien encounters and government conspiracy with an audiobook duo who hit the right notes.
My notes: anaulin.org/blog/book-notes-axiom-s-end/
I liked this book. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a fun read that at times says some interesting things. I will definitely be picking up the next book when it comes out!
This is hardly a surprise considering the author, but my first thought after finishing the book was it'd make for a pretty alright movie. A sci-fi thriller that may be light on deep, profound statements, but is nonetheless entertaining, full of interesting characters and world building, and fast-moving enough that I couldn't put it down. It hits enough touchstones of the first contact genre (I was reminded at times of Childhood's End's first section, for example) while bringing its own ideas to the party.
I really liked it, it was different smh, I couldn't foresee where it was going and it felt realistic. I don't know, if it was a standalone I think I could have gone without the last chapter, but I like the open end of it.
Highly recommend it, love the way it was written.
This first contact story is such a refreshing break away from what I have come to expect from first contact stories. I loved the reimagined modern setting, which I felt lent itself very well to the themes of the book. I have to say, I loved just about every character in the book, and the appropriate characters had well thought out development, but some of the relationships between characters I found to be hit or miss.
While engaging, the pacing of the story was all over the place. It started at breakneck speed, but quickly came to a screeching halt to establish a lot of worldbuilding, only to pick back up again in the final ~70 pages. Speaking of, I greatly enjoyed the worldbuilding, but I wish it were dispersed a bit more homogenously throughout.
I found that my favorite parts of Ellis's storytelling were highlighted the least. The humans' …
This first contact story is such a refreshing break away from what I have come to expect from first contact stories. I loved the reimagined modern setting, which I felt lent itself very well to the themes of the book. I have to say, I loved just about every character in the book, and the appropriate characters had well thought out development, but some of the relationships between characters I found to be hit or miss.
While engaging, the pacing of the story was all over the place. It started at breakneck speed, but quickly came to a screeching halt to establish a lot of worldbuilding, only to pick back up again in the final ~70 pages. Speaking of, I greatly enjoyed the worldbuilding, but I wish it were dispersed a bit more homogenously throughout.
I found that my favorite parts of Ellis's storytelling were highlighted the least. The humans' limited understanding of the aliens, the sociopolitical impact of sensitive information wreaking havoc in the United States, the complex hierarchies among the alien species... all of these were fascinating to me, but often took a backseat to character relationships and variable plot movement.
Overall, really liked the story and I'm excited to see what more comes from Ellis.
I liked the story but I really disliked the way it was written.
This entire book is delightful, augmented delightfully because I self inserted Thorn as the voice of Ampersand, not the start-of-chapter excerpt narrator, as I later learned by listening to the first chapter on Audible.
A lovely, competent book, especially for a debut novel. Feels "American" in that it has some action, some drama, but it didn't really challenge me. Bonus points - doesn't have a romance shoehorned in. I feel ambivalent about the ending. It's definitely not a happy ending, but since the ones suffering the most are not humans, not our protagonist, it doesn't quite feel like the miserable tragedy that it was. So it feels like the emo impact the book has (had on me) is contradicting it's theme of "recognising the other as a person".
I also don't particularly like the protagonist. She seems a bit self-unaware.
This book is a bit messy, but not in a terrible way. It shows the sign of a promising new author finding their voice, and the strong plot makes it easy to forgive the slow start and under-defined protagonist. I look forward to the sequel, because this is the first time in a long time I'm genuinely excited to see where a series goes just in terms of plot. Hopefully the next book will be less bare-bones, and flesh out not only the alien worldbuilding, but also the smaller details of Cora's life, to make her feel more, well, human.
