A review by eliaa
Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis

5.0

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!! this book is perhaps the best take on first contact I have ever seen in any media, it deals with an incredible amount of complexities and intricacies while sidestepping hand wavy stuff and all my pet peeves in sci fi with aliens - the aliens in this book are delightfully far from human and their language is nothing like our own. The characters are complex, have hidden motivations and agendas, and are still so relatable and like-able. This take on first contact asks questions and gives no easy answers. It asks about our place in the world, questions absolute vs relative morality (and how that especially comes into play when dealing with two very different species), and wonders about the innate kindness in not just human beings, but all beings. My favorite part about this book might just be how realistic the aliens are. They are nothing like humans - they have different bodies, cultures, languages - and yet they are just as complex in character and ethics as humanity. The first contact event is beyond plausible. This is not a book about an alien invasion where humanity must join together in unity to save the day. It is a book about a tale as old as time - what happens when two worlds (be it two countries, two entirely different species, or merely two individuals) meet.

Please, do yourself a favor, and read this book :)