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A review by trudehell
Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
4.0
So what does the title entail?
“In classic philosophy, an axiom is a statement that is so evident or well-established, that it is accepted without controversy or question. In modern logic, an axiom is a premise or starting point for reasoning.”
We start the rather hum-drum journey of the book by getting to know Cora and her dilapidated Toyota. Cora’s mother Demi is far from impressed by her daughter and we very soon realize what kinds of worries Cora and her family are in. Rapidly she falls further and further down the rabbit hole of troubles and into the arms - or rather legs - of alien monsters.
The story gives us ample possibility to understand Cora’s strained relationship with her parents in a dysfunctional family where her father has left and her mother is rather estranged to her.
Gradually we also learn that we are in the middle of the Obelus Event, thanks to Cora’s aunt, who used to work for the government and knows rather a lot about government secrets regarding aliens. The first event was named Ampersand, the symbol (&). Obelus is the name of the symbol (†) used as a reference mark in printed matter, or to indicate that a person is deceased. Or: a mark (– or ÷) used in ancient manuscripts to mark a word or passage as spurious, corrupt or doubtful. The two events signify two alien celestial objects,of which the reader knows sadly little at first.
It seems credible however, that the alien(s) show interest in Cora due to her father, who is a whistleblower who has found political asylum in Germany, due to the hostility from US government and secret services, after his revelation of the no longer secret aliens on Earth. Or is Nils just a red herring?
As we enter the second part of the book, titled “Billions of flesh eating aliens” things really start to heat up and get cringy for Cora, who soon figures out that she has been placed between a rock - Ampersand - and a hard place - Obelus. The two events were two alien species at war landing on earth, and earth has now become their battleground and Cora a war interpreter for the Ampersand alien. The alien schools her in a few alienistic matters, and we learn that its species has been named Pequod by the CIA. The name might ring a bell with the readers of classical literature, as the whaling ship of captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
Another entry for Pequod in the Urban Dictionary is much more fun:
“Pequod: Mythical being, related to the Bigfoot and Yeti, that comes into your car, house or office and pees in your coffee, and then sods off again without ever being seen. Believed to originate from Seattle. Coffee spiked by a Pequod is also referred to as Pequod.”
In this dictionary you also learn that the coffee house Starbucks once seriously considered naming itself Pequod. Yes, the world is a funny place.
This book is funny too, written in a light, humorous and at times satirical style that could remind you of E.T., Douglas Adams, X-files, Dr Strangelove and Mars Attacks. And maybe it does. Men in Black is directly alluded to, so they don’t count. Actually I discovered later on that Dr Strangelove is mentioned in the book too. Who could have guessed…
My highlight, If I had read the book on Kindle, would be:
“Do you like this game?”
“No,” he said.
She chuckled, still tense from the conversation. “Why?”
“Because it offers little opportunity to strategize. It is mostly a game of chance.”
“The same could be said about life,” offered Cora.
“Yes,” he said. “That is why I don’t like it.”
“In classic philosophy, an axiom is a statement that is so evident or well-established, that it is accepted without controversy or question. In modern logic, an axiom is a premise or starting point for reasoning.”
We start the rather hum-drum journey of the book by getting to know Cora and her dilapidated Toyota. Cora’s mother Demi is far from impressed by her daughter and we very soon realize what kinds of worries Cora and her family are in. Rapidly she falls further and further down the rabbit hole of troubles and into the arms - or rather legs - of alien monsters.
The story gives us ample possibility to understand Cora’s strained relationship with her parents in a dysfunctional family where her father has left and her mother is rather estranged to her.
Gradually we also learn that we are in the middle of the Obelus Event, thanks to Cora’s aunt, who used to work for the government and knows rather a lot about government secrets regarding aliens. The first event was named Ampersand, the symbol (&). Obelus is the name of the symbol (†) used as a reference mark in printed matter, or to indicate that a person is deceased. Or: a mark (– or ÷) used in ancient manuscripts to mark a word or passage as spurious, corrupt or doubtful. The two events signify two alien celestial objects,of which the reader knows sadly little at first.
It seems credible however, that the alien(s) show interest in Cora due to her father, who is a whistleblower who has found political asylum in Germany, due to the hostility from US government and secret services, after his revelation of the no longer secret aliens on Earth. Or is Nils just a red herring?
As we enter the second part of the book, titled “Billions of flesh eating aliens” things really start to heat up and get cringy for Cora, who soon figures out that she has been placed between a rock - Ampersand - and a hard place - Obelus. The two events were two alien species at war landing on earth, and earth has now become their battleground and Cora a war interpreter for the Ampersand alien. The alien schools her in a few alienistic matters, and we learn that its species has been named Pequod by the CIA. The name might ring a bell with the readers of classical literature, as the whaling ship of captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
Another entry for Pequod in the Urban Dictionary is much more fun:
“Pequod: Mythical being, related to the Bigfoot and Yeti, that comes into your car, house or office and pees in your coffee, and then sods off again without ever being seen. Believed to originate from Seattle. Coffee spiked by a Pequod is also referred to as Pequod.”
In this dictionary you also learn that the coffee house Starbucks once seriously considered naming itself Pequod. Yes, the world is a funny place.
This book is funny too, written in a light, humorous and at times satirical style that could remind you of E.T., Douglas Adams, X-files, Dr Strangelove and Mars Attacks. And maybe it does. Men in Black is directly alluded to, so they don’t count. Actually I discovered later on that Dr Strangelove is mentioned in the book too. Who could have guessed…
My highlight, If I had read the book on Kindle, would be:
“Do you like this game?”
“No,” he said.
She chuckled, still tense from the conversation. “Why?”
“Because it offers little opportunity to strategize. It is mostly a game of chance.”
“The same could be said about life,” offered Cora.
“Yes,” he said. “That is why I don’t like it.”