This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Axiom's End, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it. This book, however, will not be spoiled.
SPOILER ALERT
The human race is at a crossroads; we know that we are not alone, but details about the alien presence on Earth are still being withheld from the public. As the political climate grows more unstable, the world is forced to consider the ramifications of granting human rights to nonhuman persons. How do you define “person” in the first place?
Cora Sabino not only serves as the full-time communication intermediary between the alien entity Ampersand and his government chaperones but also shares a mysterious bond with him that is both painful and intimate in ways neither of them could have anticipated. Despite this, Ampersand is still keen on keeping secrets, even from Cora, which backfires on them both when investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani, a close colleague of Cora’s unscrupulous estranged father, witnesses far more of Ampersand’s machinations than anyone was meant to see.
Since Cora has no choice but to trust Kaveh, the two must work together to prove to a fearful world that intelligent, conscious beings should be considered persons, no matter how horrifying, powerful, or malicious they may seem. Making this case is hard enough when the public doesn’t know what it’s dealing with—and it will only become harder when a mysterious flash illuminates the sky, marking the arrival of an agent of chaos that will light an already-unstable world on fire.
No complicated backstory with this one. I follow the author on YouTube, read the first book, knew the sequel was coming out, and picked it up when it did. After the quasi-cliffhanger we were left, with regard to Cora and Ampersand's newly formed bond, it was really a no-brainer that I'd feel compelled to continue the series. And so I did.
Let me first say that the Author's Note at the beginning of this book is really, really important to read. I skimmed over the first sentence, missing the words "content warnings" and saw only "spoilers" and so skipped it until the end. Thankfully I'm not overly susceptible to this type of content and didn't suffer any ill effects, but I can definitely see some readers (coming off of the first book's more adventure-y nature) being ill prepared for the (understandable and realistic) dark turn Cora's story takes.
Most of this story takes place in and around Cora's mind, and considering the events of the last book, that's not the happiest place to be at the moment. Between the stress of her job, the trauma of her experiences with Obelus, the confusion over this new bond with Ampersand, and the fact that she can't exactly spill government or alien secrets to a therapist (if she could even afford one in the first place), Cora's dealing with a lot right out the gate. And that's all before a new player enters the scene and more secrets are revealed. Yeah, it's a lot.
I thought Cora's story, though very dark at times, was well handled. As someone who has experienced some of what she's going through (though not nearly to that degree), I appreciated the transparency and tact used in her depiction. It was definitely hard to read at times, and I shed many tears before the end, but I respect the effort made to further ground Cora and her experiences in reality. Sure, aliens and telepathic mind bonds may be out of this world, but trauma and PTSD are real and getting through them takes a lot of time and effort and support.
Which is where Kaveh comes in. Kaveh Mazandarani is an investigative journalist who has taken a special interest in exposing the US government's secrets. Not because he hates them or is an anarchist, but because he wants to stop the injustices and black-ops projects going on behind the scenes. After all, if they stop doing illegal/immoral things, they can stop lying about not doing them. But exposing government secrets may have to take a pause when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of the alien controversy and teamed up with his once-colleague's daughter.
Admittedly, I can't go too far into Kaveh's story without spoiling some things about the book, since he doesn't even show up until a good ways in. But suffice it to say, I really enjoyed experiencing his fresh perspective on things. I'll admit, when the discussion turned from "OMG aliens! From space! Why is the government hiding the truth from us?!" to "we know they're here, now how do we regulate/govern our new alien residents?" I was very appreciative of Kaveh's perspective as an immigrant, himself.
But that's where Cora's and Kaveh's story turns from an insular character/relationship study, to a hard look at where the U.S. of A's priorities lie when it comes to refugees, immigrants, and "the other". If you weren't keen on the political rhetoric used in the last book, this one definitely turns things up to an 11. Personally, I was fascinated by the depiction of the American people in their responses to real live space aliens, but admittedly it was a lot to take in. News articles, opinion pieces, and even Instant Messenger/Chat Forums are sprinkled throughout the book, just like last time, but this time they tend to immediately affect Cora's story. Unfortunately, the major theme of the day seems to be xenophobia, and the parallels between 2008 and today paint a rather depressing narrative. I'll admit, I struggled with these depictions almost as much as Cora's personal strife at times.
Another part I struggled with was the titular "truth of the Divine" and some of the other alien knowledge that gets described here. For the most part I found the alien sci-fi rhetoric and world-building pretty easy to understand, but when it came to actually going into specifics about different dimensions, "noumenal dimensions," and this "Divine" concept, I got kinda lost and had to do a second and third reading. Again, it's a lot to take in, and gets pretty deep into the theoretical sci-fi instead of hard science, but I think it worked well with mirroring the unnerving unknowns of mental health that Cora was also trying to deal with. And if you're not too big into that kind of stuff, it only takes up a chapter or so.
One thing I wasn't too big on was the romance. Now, I don't want to spoil too much, so I'll refrain from including details, but suffice it to say that I was not entertained by Cora's sexy times. Granted, I think that was intentional, but after that huge lead-in from the end of the last book, I was expecting some freaky, kinky fun. Instead, while yes, Cora does get some flirting in, and does have sex, it's unfortunately not very fun. A lot of this stems from her aforementioned mental health issues, which I totally get, but I'm still bummed nonetheless. I guess it just goes to show that authors love to break hearts.
On a lighter note, it was really cool to have Cora confirmed as bisexual, and possibly a bit ace as well. I think it was maybe mentioned in the first book in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of way (even re-reading it a couple days ago, I still can't recall), but here it's (re?)stated and expanded upon, even coming up in conversation. Sure, the LGBTQIA+ representation is not integral to the plot, but I always love being able to call it out when I see it.
Finally, I've got to at least mention the ending. Again, no details or spoilers, but Ellis is a master at causing emotional damage with her cliffhangers. If you thought the last cliffhanger was nailbiting, you haven't seen nothing yet. And tears? God, I was sobbing at that last passage, which made me all the more thankful for the audiobook ushering me through.
Overall, I am utterly hooked. Despite the tonal shift to a darker and more insular story, and my constant feelings of depression and discomfort, I still appreciated my experience. Make no mistake, there are parts of this book that will infuriate, devastate, and possibly trigger (read the Author's Note!) readers, but I think the story as a whole is excellently crafted and an important reflection on the state of America back in 2008 and today. Even if you're not a big sci-fi fan, I'd recommend this to anyone interested in stories that include American politics, human rights or social justice initiatives (specifically immigration/refugees and freedom of information), mental health struggles, relationship struggles, existential quandaries, or simply an alternate history set in the late 2000s—but, you know, with aliens. I will definitely be back as soon as the next book comes out (hopefully in the next year?) and I'm crossing my fingers for a bit more truth and a lot less devastation the next time around.
Read by Abigail Thorn, Kaveh Taherian, and Stephanie Willis
Unabridged Length: 17.3 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed
Unabridged Length: 17.3 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed
Having come off the last audiobook within a couple days of this one, I noticed a definite change (and in my opinion an improvement) with the reading speed. This time around, though Willis (who I assume read for Cora) kept in a good amount of attitude and emphasis in Cora's narration, she didn't have nearly as many pauses going through. This made it more akin to my typical reading/listening speed, allowing me to proceed without continually adjusting the slider between narrators. A small change, in the scheme of things, but greatly appreciated on my end.
I thought I recognized that journalist's name—sure enough it's Kaveh from MusicalSplaining! I mean, Kaveh Taherian did the narration for the fictional Kaveh Mazandarani's sections. That's totally not confusing, right? Anyway, I thought Taherian did a great job during his chapters, giving a lot of personality to this (mostly) new character. They stuck to only switching actors with the POV, so Kaveh (the character) didn't have the same voice during Cora's sections or visa versa, which serviced okay, though I thought Taherian's voice acting (particularly for females) wasn't as strong or varied as Willis'. Still, it was an unexpected treat to have a familiar voice in my ear, and for his debut in audiobooks I think he did a great job.
Which left Thorn for the numerous articles, emails, and other interludes, which she handled expertly. I'll admit, I wasn't sure at first if Taherian had picked up some of these (since Kaveh's narration didn't start until chapter 13) but I think Thorn was on the ball for all of them, which just shows how much range she has. Tons of different voices for each new author—even during old IM chat conversations!
Speaking of, I thought the formatting/editing for this audiobook was very nicely handled. I've heard many productions which chose to include every single word put to page, whether or not it sounded repetitive or was cluttered with timestamps. This production, however, chose to edit out repetitions, such as during that IM chat, if the same member made multiple posts in a row, they didn't repeat their name for each one, even though visually that's how it shows up. Similarly, they chose not to include every single timestamp on texts or chat logs.
Now, they did omit a document entirely from the beginning of the book, which listed all known Amygdaline/Pequod individuals by their number (AG-ETI-0##), Esperanto Code Name, Function, Caste, and Status for all 50 of them. Granted, that may have taken quite a while, and been a very slow-starter. But instead of omitting it entirely, they could have done one for the end of the book with slight updates instead? I mean, it's not really fair that audiobook listeners don't get to know about the existence of Birdo, Belto, and Problemo, right?
Overall, this was a great improvement and continuation of what came before. The new cast member added even more authenticity to the production (which was only fair considering his "consultant" status) and expertly ushered me through the bits of Farsi/Farglish that Kaveh and his family used throughout. I am both scared—considering how devastated this book left me at times—and excited for what comes next, and am eagerly awaiting the next update.
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