In the ever-growing search to discover my new favorite book, I downloaded this book from Libro.fm, the Audible alternative that directly supports independent booksellers. (Not only do I obsessively send people to Libro to support local bookstores, but I actively try to get listeners to change.) After finding new books to listen to, I discovered Lindsay Ellis' newest book, Axiom's End and dove right in. It utilizes science fiction elements to illustrate a recent past of corruption, deceit, and love for our neighbors.
Set in an alternate version of 2007, Cora Sabino believes her father has leaked proof of alien contact from a top secret government facility, where he had worked. In the beginning of the novel, she sets out to discover the truth of what they unearthed, unfortunately putting a large target on her head for government officials to hunt her down. On the run, she grapples with her family participating in a cover-up, aliens contacting her directly, and having to act as interpreter for inter-planetary politics.
This book starts as a buck-wild adventure that ceases to let up for the rest of the novel. Cora is at once a compassionate protagonist developing the taste and expertise to communicate diplomatically between different cultures and species.
It looks like this is just the first in a series for debut author Lindsay Ellis! As someone with growing adoration for the science fiction genre, this is one author to keep our eyes on. She relentlessly keeps readers on their toes and keeps the pace of her writing right in line with the plot.
I finished reading this book toward the beginning of September, 2020, and found myself lost in contemporary corruption (which we all know hasn't exactly abated) with the forward momentum of the presidential election. Instead of diving in to share the growth this book could have offered to our own community at the time, I instead left it to the wayside. As times progressively find solutions to problems faced today, books like Axiom's End offer us more insight into the political adversities we face, especially as it pertains to immigration and refugee politics. In this novel, our protagonist is faced with a battle for a being's life. Seeking refuge, the alien contacts Cora for help and shelter until they can contact its race or until the United States would be ready to integrate the alien into society. Click here to read more!
Contact your local bookstore or purchase it from Cream & Amber.
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Nicholas John Nelson
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