Aliens. Disintegration. Explosions. Mind control. Government conspiracies. What more could you want, you greedy bastards?
And yet, Axiom’s End delivers a whole lot more. The story slows its pace between the high intensity scenes of danger and intrigue. In these moments lies the heart of the story. Abandonment, loneliness, betrayal, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. Not only the protagonist, but all of the major characters seem to be steeping in a variety of trust issues. And in turn, each character’s rough edges are softened a bit.
Trust isn’t the only major theme. Communication, consent, cultural filters, and a lot of other topics recur and intertwine in really interesting ways. The story’s construction on a thematic layer is very tight, and the characters (full in their own right) are built just right for the exploration of these themes.
But screw all that. Was there sex? Was there hot, alien sex? Um… no. Whatever may be depicted in the fanart, the book never gets R-rated. So if that was your main criteria for reading this book, it’s not in there.
Nevertheless, the book does portray many emotionally intimate interspecies (and intraspecies) moments. If you are here for the feels, you might just get them. If you are here for the story, it might be good enough? I couldn’t shake the feeling that this book was just building up to a second one. And while it is a closed story on its own, it sets up threads which kind of call for one (or more) sequels.
The pacing in the beginning is too slow for my liking. The writing is at times sloppy, with clusters of poorly worded paragraphs that require re-reads for clarity. And there are instances where there seemed to be editing errors (like one place where character A notices character B, and then notices character B again a few sentences later). Some parts are slick and efficient, but other parts still felt a bit unpolished. Not so much so to be offensive, but my inner editor did, more than once, scream out from the outer realms to which I banished it long ago.
All this to say it’s not an unreserved recommendation. But it is a recommendation.
It’s not Le Guin, but I’d read it over Robert Jordan any day (FIGHT ME WOT FANS).
Plot: 5
Characters: 9
Themes: 10
Prose: 5
Overall score: Welcome to ship-town.
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