Axiom's End

It's been ages since I read a GOOD science fiction story. This story starts with a young woman whose father is on the run for releasing leaked government information about first contact with extraterrestrials. There are many boilerplate directions a story like this could go, but this one surprises! It is a page turner, with unique themes - Is truth a human right? Is it ethical to lie by omission? How far should one go to protect family? What is family? The author also poses thought-provoking issues about first contact and how that might go, and if perhaps we humans might get it all wrong? If you would like a new and different science fiction read that is well written and compelling, this should be on your list!

I received this book from Netgalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced.
#AxiomsEnd

WARNING: Do not start this book unless you have enough hours left in the day to finish it. It's that good.

I made the mistake of starting it before bed, went to sleep, awakened, immediately continued reading it and finished it in one sitting.

Axiom's End is a fascinating mix of genres, one of them being sci-fi, which is a genre I love. And this is the best sci-fi book I've read in a long time.

It has sensationally deep characters and a well thought out plot paired with unique ideas that made me question my own assumptions. And that's something I'm always excited to see in fiction.

2.5 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.

I love Lindsay Ellis' videos, so I was excited to get this through first reads. I honestly didn't have super high expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. Cora is maybe not my favorite character ever, but I enjoyed the aliens a lot and the “girl and her alien” storyline was a lot of fun. I think the stuff with the CIA/government officials was a little hand wavey and puts a lot more faith in our military forces than I for one am willing to give credit for, but I didn't mind so much. Nice to live in a fantasy world where the US doesn't immediately blow up something they don't understand.

A few good scenes mixed with a plot that is unsatisfying and filled with intentionally-withheld information time and time again. It's a trick that gets old real quick. 

The book could be almost 100 pages shorter but continues into unnecessary territory to tell more of a story than is needed, as if it had to be drawn out to pass some checkpoint. 

A heartfelt final chapter ends in the most unsatisfying way. 

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.

Initial ganz in Ordnung, aber dann wurde es unglaublich langweilig. 2/3 des Buches sind überflüssig, setzen die Handlung nicht fort und waren so spannend wie meine Steuererklärung. Charaktere werden eigentlich alle langweilig und belanglos in Handeln und Dialogen dargestellt, es sind überall lose Enden (oder Red Herings) und alles in allem war die Story genauso gut strukturiert wie diese Rezension. Immerhin weiss ich jetzt wie der NASDAQ im Laufe der Geschichte war.

2 Punkte, weil das Cover ganz hübsch ist und das erste Drittel noch halbwegs interessant war.

This is my February book recommended by a friend. This is a great, action-packed sci-fi first contact story. I sat down Sunday afternoon to read the first few chapters and ended up reading the first half of the book. It is set during the 2007 economic collapse and it was fun to see those events re-interpreted through this lens. This book only misses five stars just slightly because I thought parts of the ending were a bit too trite/predictable. But I already have the sequel on hold and am excited to see where the story goes next.

I love Lindsay Ellis, and it is very well written. I just don't like sci-fi. If you do like sci-fi though I think you'll dig this. 

EDIT: Damn, I'm glad I gave this book another shot. I just had to get past some exposition about aliens I didn't particularly care about and then the ball really got rolling. 

I've already put in my preorder for book two and I'm damn excited for where this story goes.