Axiom's End cover art

Axiom's End

A Novel

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Axiom's End

By: Lindsay Ellis
Narrated by: Abigail Thorn, Stephanie Willis
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About this listen

The instant New York Times best seller

The alternate-history first-contact adventure Axiom's End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis. 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"Axiom’s End is one of the most unique science fiction novels in years. It’s a heartfelt story of alien first contact, but, luckily, unlike so many 'big idea' sci-fi books, it’s utterly unpretentious." (SYFY.com)

©2020 Lindsay Ellis (P)2020 Macmillan Audio
First Contact Political Science Fiction Espionage Fiction Heartfelt

What listeners say about Axiom's End

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Axiom's End

This book made me very anxious at times due to the existential horror of humans being so fragile and meaningless. The quite moments were such a needed break in this fast paced novel and I wish there were more of them. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and feel the void that finishing a good book leaves.

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Story with a difference

A planet of billions of flesh eaters ...... that's how a frightened alien describes planet earth . Very interesting story development but that would spoil the ending.

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  • Overall
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😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 this book made me cry and this app says I need 15 words minimum for the review 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

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  • Overall
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Great story but difficult to listen to

I found the way this narrator keeps stopping mid sentence to emphasise different words quite disconcerting. The story was really interesting and thought provoking.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Original and endearing sci-fi.

It took a while for me to get into the character but I love it now. Please write more, Lindsay.

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Great story

Loved this story so much, great narrators. Epic story with intense, well developed characters. Will definitely read again.

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3 people found this helpful

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Lindsay Ellis début novel

I recommend this book to new sci-fi readers. It is a great introduction to first contact stories.

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Engaging plot, dynamic characters...

...But I never want to hear the phrase “at length” again. This was a solid book and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a pulpy genre romp. The voice actor occasionally gave too much inflection in her delivery, but YMMV. I personally prefer the lines to be read with some neutrality so I can interpret them myself. Overall I loved it! Good to see someone’s keeping Oliver Thorn employed.

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2 people found this helpful

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Grounded yet heartfelt sci-fi

Reads like classic science fiction (Clarke, Niven etc.), but with characters you'll fall in love with and dialogue that you'd actually believe would come from a human (or not).

Brilliant story, eagerly awaiting the sequel.

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1 person found this helpful

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Good story, annoying narration

While the story seemed good, the narrator was incredibly annoying - from her disjointed reading in an attempt to depict emotion to her completely 'over the top' ranting when the main character was hurt or confused was just irritating...

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