Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
St. Martin's Press (2020), Edition: First Edition, 384 pages
Description
"By the fall of 2007, one well-timed leak revealing that the U.S. government might have engaged in first contact has sent the country into turmoil, and it is all Cora Sabino can do to avoid the whole mess. The force driving this controversy is Cora's whistleblower father, and even though she hasn't spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government-and redirected it to 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. To save her own life, she offers her services as an interpreter to a monster, and the monster accepts. Learning 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 find 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. But in becoming an interpreter, she begins to realize that she has become the voice for a being she cannot ever truly know or understand, and starts to question who she's speaking for-and what future she's setting up for all of humanity"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
Lindsay Ellis’s Axiom’s End examines the impact of first contact with an alien race, in this case the biosynthetic race dubbed Pequods by a group within the Department of Health and Human Services to whom the aliens appear to seek asylum. The novel takes place in 2007, some time after the
Ellis uses the novel and the setting toward the end of George W. Bush’s presidency to comment on contemporary events without binding herself to what’s happening now. The internet and political culture of 2007 offer a small-scale version of current events that works effectively as a backdrop for social commentary while Ellis’s examination of a truly alien culture helps to break the mold of most mainstream science fiction. In this way, her examination of conspiracy theories and how they propagate is particularly timely for 2020 (pg. 225). Further, in portraying Cora as an average person, her famous father notwithstanding, she can address detailed science-fiction concepts in a way that’s understandable without getting too bogged down in the technical jargon. For example, the title refers to how learning of a totally alien advanced intelligence alters a society while also addressing the Fermi Paradox (pg. 257). Moreover, the novel itself has plenty of Easter eggs for Ellis’s fans, such as a reference to one of her video essay series, itself inspired by Michael Bay’s films, where Ellis works in the lines “…the whole plate. The whole plate” (pg. 131). The acknowledgments also mention Ronald Reagan, whose deregulation of television programming made possible the Transformers series, of which Ellis is a fan and to which the reader will notice some allusions.
The best science-fiction uses the genre as social commentary and Ellis’s debut novel does just that. The story is interesting, the characters relatable, the concepts thought-provoking, and her analysis of the political climate of 2007 all-too-relevant in 2020.
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initial group of aliens have come to earth and when two more incidents occur that appear connected. Nils Ortega, a Julian Assange-type, leaks documents related to the government cover-up of the aliens’ existence. His estranged daughter Cora is just trying to get through life without anyone realizing she’s related to the famous conspiracy theorist, but finds herself drawn into events that will forever change humanity.Ellis uses the novel and the setting toward the end of George W. Bush’s presidency to comment on contemporary events without binding herself to what’s happening now. The internet and political culture of 2007 offer a small-scale version of current events that works effectively as a backdrop for social commentary while Ellis’s examination of a truly alien culture helps to break the mold of most mainstream science fiction. In this way, her examination of conspiracy theories and how they propagate is particularly timely for 2020 (pg. 225). Further, in portraying Cora as an average person, her famous father notwithstanding, she can address detailed science-fiction concepts in a way that’s understandable without getting too bogged down in the technical jargon. For example, the title refers to how learning of a totally alien advanced intelligence alters a society while also addressing the Fermi Paradox (pg. 257). Moreover, the novel itself has plenty of Easter eggs for Ellis’s fans, such as a reference to one of her video essay series, itself inspired by Michael Bay’s films, where Ellis works in the lines “…the whole plate. The whole plate” (pg. 131). The acknowledgments also mention Ronald Reagan, whose deregulation of television programming made possible the Transformers series, of which Ellis is a fan and to which the reader will notice some allusions.
The best science-fiction uses the genre as social commentary and Ellis’s debut novel does just that. The story is interesting, the characters relatable, the concepts thought-provoking, and her analysis of the political climate of 2007 all-too-relevant in 2020.
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
So it’s hard to write a review of this book without being biased. I’ve been watching her since she was a pig-tailed nostalgia chucker and stayed following through Disney film criticism, Transformers film theory, obsession with musicals, and Hugo nominations. She doesn’t release material
Ellis has described Axiom’s End as “Stranger Things” meets “Arrival” (the good one with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, not “The Arrival“). Personally, I think it’s more like “E.T.” meets “Independence Day” with an infusion of “Beauty and the Beast”/”Phantom of the Opera”-style plot (you know, those stories where an emotionally unavailable anti-villain and a warm-hearted girl fall in love even though it’s wrong and would never work). The external story is about xenophobia and protecting a group of refugee aliens from bounty hunters with technology way beyond our own. The internal story is about the relationship between the main woman and her alien companion.
The beginning is good at “show, don’t tell” and that’s tough for a beginning, because you want to get backstory out there without being infodumpy, but you’ve got to do it expediently or the plot can’t start. Then it gets complex. Way more complex than I expected from someone whose most popular video is about Disney’s Aladdin. (but I guess this went through 26 drafts, so it makes sense. In software development, we call that “feature creep”.) Good, hard science about time dilation, political machinations, and Dyson spheres. One of the major motifs in the book is language (par for the course when dealing with aliens), and that gets tricky when you’re trying to remember who’s who in the alien world–what is a “similar”? Is Esperas a name or a term? How is Cefo related to everyone again?
And here’s what I didn’t expect: it’s a love story that’s not a romance. Like a “hurt/comfort” fic? For all those “comp titles” I mentioned before, the real root of the plot is basically 2007’s “Transformers” by way of Carl Sagan or Isaac Asimov. An aimless young adult makes contact with an alien soldier from a space war galaxies away. And that war’s coming to Earth. It’s evocative of a fan fiction that got blessed by the blue fairy and turned into a real boy for being so good.
A lot of the reviews describe it as “fun”, but I don’t know if I’d call it that. The complexity turned me off, because that reeks of hard science fiction, which I’m not a fan of (too much research, not enough characters). But I would like to see the sequel, because I want to see where the girl and the alien’s relationship goes.
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often, but she’s never disappointed. So as I read it, I tried to be objective in my evaluation–if you’d never heard of Lindsay Ellis, what would you think of this book?Ellis has described Axiom’s End as “Stranger Things” meets “Arrival” (the good one with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, not “The Arrival“). Personally, I think it’s more like “E.T.” meets “Independence Day” with an infusion of “Beauty and the Beast”/”Phantom of the Opera”-style plot (you know, those stories where an emotionally unavailable anti-villain and a warm-hearted girl fall in love even though it’s wrong and would never work). The external story is about xenophobia and protecting a group of refugee aliens from bounty hunters with technology way beyond our own. The internal story is about the relationship between the main woman and her alien companion.
The beginning is good at “show, don’t tell” and that’s tough for a beginning, because you want to get backstory out there without being infodumpy, but you’ve got to do it expediently or the plot can’t start. Then it gets complex. Way more complex than I expected from someone whose most popular video is about Disney’s Aladdin. (but I guess this went through 26 drafts, so it makes sense. In software development, we call that “feature creep”.) Good, hard science about time dilation, political machinations, and Dyson spheres. One of the major motifs in the book is language (par for the course when dealing with aliens), and that gets tricky when you’re trying to remember who’s who in the alien world–what is a “similar”? Is Esperas a name or a term? How is Cefo related to everyone again?
And here’s what I didn’t expect: it’s a love story that’s not a romance. Like a “hurt/comfort” fic? For all those “comp titles” I mentioned before, the real root of the plot is basically 2007’s “Transformers” by way of Carl Sagan or Isaac Asimov. An aimless young adult makes contact with an alien soldier from a space war galaxies away. And that war’s coming to Earth. It’s evocative of a fan fiction that got blessed by the blue fairy and turned into a real boy for being so good.
A lot of the reviews describe it as “fun”, but I don’t know if I’d call it that. The complexity turned me off, because that reeks of hard science fiction, which I’m not a fan of (too much research, not enough characters). But I would like to see the sequel, because I want to see where the girl and the alien’s relationship goes.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
This alternative history is set in 2007. The premise is the revelation of first contact with extraterrestrial life after a whistleblower, Nils Ortega, leaks a memo proving the U.S. Government has known about these others - still on earth! - since 1971 and has been covering up their presence. Some
In another parallel, the epigraph to Rich’s book of the same name is also very apt for Axiom’s End:
“I go where I love and where I am loved . . . . ; I go to the things I love with no thought of duty or pity.” (from “The Flowering of the Rod” by H.D.)
Axiom’s End is ultimately a book both about language, and surprisingly, about love, but not in the way you would expect.
Cora Sabino, 21, is Nils’ daughter, although she, her mother, and two younger siblings have been estranged from Nils for years. Nils now lives overseas and has a website popular with anti-government elements and conspiracy theorists. It is also in the forefront of the “transparency movement,” advocating for truth and openness from government. As an acquaintance of Cora’s argues to her after Nils’s bombshell:
“This is a big deal. . . . the biggest discovery in human history that is being hidden from us as we speak. . . . Don’t we have a right to know?”
Nils published the leaked memo - dubbed the “Fremda Memo” for the name the CIA gave the alien group - one day after a so-called meteorite (but actually suspected alien vehicle) landed in Altadena, California, which was code-named the “Ampersand Event.” It was followed two months later by another “meteorite,” called the "Obelus Event." It was after this second event that Cora got involved when she inadvertently was given the role of an interpreter for the alien she started to call Ampersand, since this being arrived in the first of the two recent events.
Ampersand developed a translation algorithm so that humans and the aliens could “talk” to one another. The alien species, partially organic and partially synthetic, were unable to vocalize in ways recognizable to humans, so Ampersand created a computerized voice device he inserted into Cora’s head. She not only communicated with Ampersand this way but later she served as a translator for others interacting with Ampersand. Many words and sounds were not translatable, however, so both Ampersand and Cora had to improvise, with Cora often rephrasing Ampersand’s words to be more diplomatic and less threatening.
In one of the simultaneously amusing and poignant aspects of the story, both Cora and Ampersand admit apprehension about one another. Ampersand finds it entirely logical to have a fear of “billions of aggressive, violent flesh-eaters.” Cora finds it similarly logical to be frightened of a being that looks so monstrous. But Cora is possibly even more afraid of the nebulous collection of government officials she now encounters.
At one point a perplexed Ampersand asks Cora, “Why are you afraid of your own government?” Cora obseres that even those who speak the same language don’t always speak true words, or they shade the truth by omission. Indeed, different communication issues are woven into different strands throughout the plot.
But Cora and Ampersand have much in common despite being two entirely different species: both feel lonely, lost, and frightened, and both are therefore inordinately receptive to acts of kindness and care. They discover that emotions are easier to convey without using any words at all, while words can be inadequate no matter how outwardly similar two people are.
They eventually form a bond of sorts, though Ampersand contends, “Given our disparate physiology, we can never communicate through high language. I will never truly know you. We will always be isolated within our own minds.”
Too bad he was unfamiliar with the work of Adrienne Rich: it’s not just an interspecies problem.
Evaluation: It turns out this is only the first book in a series to come. I was very glad to learn that; there are so many interesting “conversations” to be had, not only between the characters, but between the author and readers, and so many thought-provoking ideas.
I especially loved the rather humorous quote from a fictional “New Yorker” article inserted early into the novel:
“If these ETIs really do exist, most of us would have to admit that they have terrible timing. Humanity is fractured, bellicose, paranoid. It’s the cosmological equivalent of having a guest come to the door when you’re in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight with your spouse, there are lines of coke on the coffee table, and your pants are down around your ankles.”
I can’t wait for the next volume.
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of the aliens have died since their arrival but the government doesn’t understand why. The memo concerns the ongoing desire for a means of communication, or as the poet Adrienne Rich famously characterized the universal problem in her book of poems: “the dream of a common language.” Rich’s point was that even two human beings deeply in love cannot always relate to one another. Imagine then if one of the beings trying to communicate has a conceptual and perceptual framework so exotic that words we could understand cannot bridge the cultural, biological, and ideological disparities. In another parallel, the epigraph to Rich’s book of the same name is also very apt for Axiom’s End:
“I go where I love and where I am loved . . . . ; I go to the things I love with no thought of duty or pity.” (from “The Flowering of the Rod” by H.D.)
Axiom’s End is ultimately a book both about language, and surprisingly, about love, but not in the way you would expect.
Cora Sabino, 21, is Nils’ daughter, although she, her mother, and two younger siblings have been estranged from Nils for years. Nils now lives overseas and has a website popular with anti-government elements and conspiracy theorists. It is also in the forefront of the “transparency movement,” advocating for truth and openness from government. As an acquaintance of Cora’s argues to her after Nils’s bombshell:
“This is a big deal. . . . the biggest discovery in human history that is being hidden from us as we speak. . . . Don’t we have a right to know?”
Nils published the leaked memo - dubbed the “Fremda Memo” for the name the CIA gave the alien group - one day after a so-called meteorite (but actually suspected alien vehicle) landed in Altadena, California, which was code-named the “Ampersand Event.” It was followed two months later by another “meteorite,” called the "Obelus Event." It was after this second event that Cora got involved when she inadvertently was given the role of an interpreter for the alien she started to call Ampersand, since this being arrived in the first of the two recent events.
Ampersand developed a translation algorithm so that humans and the aliens could “talk” to one another. The alien species, partially organic and partially synthetic, were unable to vocalize in ways recognizable to humans, so Ampersand created a computerized voice device he inserted into Cora’s head. She not only communicated with Ampersand this way but later she served as a translator for others interacting with Ampersand. Many words and sounds were not translatable, however, so both Ampersand and Cora had to improvise, with Cora often rephrasing Ampersand’s words to be more diplomatic and less threatening.
In one of the simultaneously amusing and poignant aspects of the story, both Cora and Ampersand admit apprehension about one another. Ampersand finds it entirely logical to have a fear of “billions of aggressive, violent flesh-eaters.” Cora finds it similarly logical to be frightened of a being that looks so monstrous. But Cora is possibly even more afraid of the nebulous collection of government officials she now encounters.
At one point a perplexed Ampersand asks Cora, “Why are you afraid of your own government?” Cora obseres that even those who speak the same language don’t always speak true words, or they shade the truth by omission. Indeed, different communication issues are woven into different strands throughout the plot.
But Cora and Ampersand have much in common despite being two entirely different species: both feel lonely, lost, and frightened, and both are therefore inordinately receptive to acts of kindness and care. They discover that emotions are easier to convey without using any words at all, while words can be inadequate no matter how outwardly similar two people are.
They eventually form a bond of sorts, though Ampersand contends, “Given our disparate physiology, we can never communicate through high language. I will never truly know you. We will always be isolated within our own minds.”
Too bad he was unfamiliar with the work of Adrienne Rich: it’s not just an interspecies problem.
Evaluation: It turns out this is only the first book in a series to come. I was very glad to learn that; there are so many interesting “conversations” to be had, not only between the characters, but between the author and readers, and so many thought-provoking ideas.
I especially loved the rather humorous quote from a fictional “New Yorker” article inserted early into the novel:
“If these ETIs really do exist, most of us would have to admit that they have terrible timing. Humanity is fractured, bellicose, paranoid. It’s the cosmological equivalent of having a guest come to the door when you’re in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight with your spouse, there are lines of coke on the coffee table, and your pants are down around your ankles.”
I can’t wait for the next volume.
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LibraryThing member Veronica.Sparrow
If you have no idea who Lindsay Ellis is (I certainly did not) then you will after this book is released. Ok, how can I put this mildly?
This book is bloody amazing and a damn fantastic read!
There are so many elements here. Alternate History, first contact, conspiracy theories, secrets and lies,
It is a bit hard to get into at first but only because there is no gentle lead up in the book. You are dropped right in the middle of all hell breaking loose and it takes a bit of time to find solid ground. Just keep on reading and everything will settle down and you will find you are reading one of the best books of the year. Yes, I really think the book is THAT good.
I love how so many varied ideas and theories were blended together to make a cohesive and compelling story that was believable and touching.
It is hard to say more without giving anything away but I will say that I was impressed with how delicately the topic of first contact and developing relationships between species was tackled. I literally fell in love with the characters. This is one book I will definitely be reading again.
This book is bloody amazing and a damn fantastic read!
There are so many elements here. Alternate History, first contact, conspiracy theories, secrets and lies,
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hidden World Order... you name it, you got it.It is a bit hard to get into at first but only because there is no gentle lead up in the book. You are dropped right in the middle of all hell breaking loose and it takes a bit of time to find solid ground. Just keep on reading and everything will settle down and you will find you are reading one of the best books of the year. Yes, I really think the book is THAT good.
I love how so many varied ideas and theories were blended together to make a cohesive and compelling story that was believable and touching.
It is hard to say more without giving anything away but I will say that I was impressed with how delicately the topic of first contact and developing relationships between species was tackled. I literally fell in love with the characters. This is one book I will definitely be reading again.
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LibraryThing member lisally
Given the author is a pretty notable Youtube personality, and one who's work I've enjoyed in the past, Axiom's End came with quite high expectations. The beginning came off a bit clunky to me, and I was worried that I may come away disappointed. The book is intentionally dated to 2007, but the
The blurb suggests "what if Wikileaks, but with aliens," and there is some of that, but thankfully the plot is way more complex and way, way better. It helps that the protagonist actually has contact with one of said aliens pretty early on, and that this alien, is well...alien. Ellis put a ton of thought into her extraterrestrials, and language/cultural/biological barriers certainly come into play.
Axiom's End was absolutely a blast to read once the plot took off. The story could get a bit silly at times (crawling through air ducts? really?) But overall I really ended up liking this one, and I can't wait to see what Ellis writes next.
A review copy was provided by the publisher
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
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references to pop culture came off a bit awkward at first. The blurb suggests "what if Wikileaks, but with aliens," and there is some of that, but thankfully the plot is way more complex and way, way better. It helps that the protagonist actually has contact with one of said aliens pretty early on, and that this alien, is well...alien. Ellis put a ton of thought into her extraterrestrials, and language/cultural/biological barriers certainly come into play.
Axiom's End was absolutely a blast to read once the plot took off. The story could get a bit silly at times (crawling through air ducts? really?) But overall I really ended up liking this one, and I can't wait to see what Ellis writes next.
A review copy was provided by the publisher
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
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LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
This audiobook started off a little slow for me but I stuck with it and it then kept me up all night! I really liked it!
LibraryThing member SChant
Disappointing. Reads like a self-published YA written by someone who only knows about SF through watching Hollywood 'B' movies.
LibraryThing member mikewilliams64
Felt like a mashup of TV scripts, a wikileaks story that went nowhere, and a genuinely interesting alien contact story. It was a real struggle to work through this combination, and I'm surprised I got to the end, but it took months of picking it up and putting ut down, and skimming pieces.
LibraryThing member Guide2
Very interesting almost contemporary first contact story told from a somewhat new perspective, with a bunch of historical tidbits thrown in.REally no idea how it's going to develop in the rest of the series.
LibraryThing member Shrike58
From the perspective of high concept I thought this novel could be fun, in terms of playing up the secret alien first contact concept, but the reality is that the plot never really grabbed me, and I wound up making a quick skim to the end. Am I being fair? Probably not. But nothing is forcing me to
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read this work either, and there's always another book coming down the pike. Show Less
LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
Enjoyable. Refreshing. Entertaining. A solid take on first contact and in the early 2000's to boot.
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction — 2021)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Read-alike to Winner — Science Fiction — 2023)
Compton Crook Award (Nominee — 2021)
Dragon Award (Winner — 2021)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-07-21
Physical description
384 p.; 9.55 inches
ISBN
1250256739 / 9781250256737