Truth is a human right.
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.
I've been following this author for a good while now. I thoroughly enjoy her video essays, her deep dives into the Transformers movies, her work with PBS, and especially her exploration of (and cynical look at) YA fiction with Awoken and Booze Your Own Adventure. So when she announced that she was releasing her own novel this year, I knew I had to jump on it. Obviously, yes, I am biased in that I already enjoy her content, and so went into the book expecting to enjoy it (ideally, one would go into every book they decide to pick up expecting to enjoy it). But by no means am I about to gush about it like it's a must-read for everyone, cause it's definitely not.
First and foremost, this book is extremely political. Does that mean it's only for Democrats and not for Republicans? No. But as it features Bush era politicians (USA, 2007), the CIA, conspiracy theorists, and WikiLeaks-esque revelations, it is bound to ruffle some feathers (probably about 70 million or so). Granted, the aliens turn out to be real and the government continually lies about them, but that doesn't mean that the conspiracy theorists or leakers are painted in a good light. Neither is the government, especially the career politicians who “wouldn’t want First Contact going public during an election year” [Kindle Locations 2724-2725], and the "militarists" who are painted not as malicious, but as shortsighted, unprepared, and sloppy when it comes to dealing with the aliens. Obviously this is a fictional story, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt, but considering the vitriol that has come out during this election year, I don't think a story that criticizes Dubya or his government will sit well with some people.
Another aspect that may be offputting is that there's a point where one of the aliens makes a certain threat towards humanity...
I may design a pandemic for the humans as well. Their advancement must slow. It would be cruel to allow them to continue at this pace. [Kindle Locations 5620-5621]Yikes. Now, I don't blame the author for this at all. According to the video she posted in December 2019, she started writing this in 2013 and, knowing publication speeds, it had to have been finalized far before our current situation. So this isn't a shameless buzzword inclusion, nor is she implying that the aliens had any part in the current pandemic (or any pandemic, which she did specify). It doesn't play into the plot at all, there is literally nothing done with it, it's just the villain being threatening in a mustache-twirling fashion. Still, even the mention hit me like a gut punch, so I felt it might be best to let people know that it's there.
Something else you should know is there, or rather is out there, is Axiom's End fanart. Specifically, fanart of the aliens. I will grant you, I got a little impatient since the initial sightings of the alien were quick and undetailed, so I didn't wait for the full description of the aliens. Still, a google image search for "Axiom's End alien" does the trick for a quick, handy reference for what the heck Cora is seeing (I mainly drew off of Cinemamind's artwork, mixed with a little of seveneyeddeer's). More patient readers than I will probably be fine just waiting for the full detail when it comes, but for those of you that can't wait, you're welcome.
But if the above aren't deal breakers for you, then there's a lot to love about this book. While the story is told in 3rd person—a technique I've found more alienating (ha!) as of late—it's limited to Cora's perspective, which helped in keeping me grounded and bonded with her. I immediately found Cora relatable in both her initial situation (post-college, back at home, estranged father, job issues, apathy towards capitalism but loyal towards family) and her evolving curiosity as the plot moves forward. She's smart, stubborn, sassy, and sympathetic all at believable levels, which fluctuate appropriately depending on the situation (ie she's not mouthing off to aliens/agents threatening her life). Acting as a fish out of water with regard to aliens, CIA, etc. in the beginning, it was entertaining to see her attempt to reconcile her overall inexperience with her sudden expert status (expert of Earth/humans for the alien, and expert on the aliens as their newly acquired interpreter) and succeed...at times.
The alien was...I guess I'll say fascinating? The book goes to great lengths to stress the fact that these aliens can not and should not be humanized. There's this whole huge speech that Cora relays between the alien and some US military bigwigs:
"'One species is only comprehensible to another species as it understands itself. But with all species, there are attributes one possesses that the other does not share. Where attributes are not shared, inevitably both parties will try to shape the other into a form they can understand.'" [55%]As such, though I want to say I liked 'his' (as assigned by Cora) characterization, I'm only making the assumption that I know his character. But, backing out of the novel's philosophizing for a moment, I liked what I saw, and I'm looking forward to seeing more.
In case that last part wasn't clear, philosophy, morality, and existentialism play a big, big, big part in this story. I suppose that's probably standard for this genre, but please forgive me for my n00b status in Sci-Fi—Douglas Adams is about as far as I've gone so far. I was also surprised by the cursory exploration of trauma and relationship dynamics, which I'm also looking forward to expanding in future installments. Not bad for a monster-love romance book, huh?
Yeah, if you hadn't heard already, the author has a bit of a fascination with monster-love, and unsurprisingly, this book does partake in the trope. Honestly, I'm fairly receptive of the idea since, as a good chunk of the population understands now, loving relationships do not hinge on reproduction. If two consenting adults want to get together and get freaky (or not—it's not required to legitimize anything) then what's the harm in that? I'm eager to see how things progress in the sequel(s), since the ending definitely leaves their relationship hanging... Plus it does remind me a little of another Sci-Fi story I read ages ago.
Overall, while I hoped to enjoy Axiom's End based on its author, it turned out a lot better than I expected (no offense!). The characters kept me engaged even when the story threw complex jargon and philosophical debates at me, leaving me curious and excited for future developments. Definitely not for everyone, especially those who don't believe in science, let alone science fiction. But perhaps the rest of us would like to go back to a better year...when Hope and Change were on the horizon...
(Then again, the author just said that in this book's universe, Obama did not win the Senate race in the 2004 election, so...)
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