This was the sequel to "Axioms End". Truth of the Divine follows pretty much on the heels of the first book in the series with only a few months. Cora is suffering from PTSD from her time as a victim of Asperas. Ampersand is suffering as well from his apparent loss of Asperas and his psychic link to Cora. Into this mess comes another of Ampersand's Symphiles, Enola, who has come to die with him on Earth. It also happens that a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Kaveh, is near and Cora gives him one of her ear buds so he can communicate with this new creature he dubs Nikola because Enola Gay has such bad connotations. The story then centers on the three of them with a lot of time given over to the budding relationship between Kaveh and Cora. Proof is given to the world that there are aliens being harbored by the U. S. Government and right-wing conspiracy groups and leftist human rights groups are formed. The battle begins. This is a very dark novel that deals with suicide, self-harm, and insanity. There is a trigger warning at the beginning which is quite right to be there. The book is engrossing, but not a "fun" read. It is far too serious for that. In many ways it is a condemnation of the human race. However, on the plus side this book does delve into the timely and appropriate question fof what constitutes a being to be defined as a person?

"By nature, we are more competitive than they. We are more violent. We are more consumptive. We are more individualistic. We are more tribal. Most terrifyingly to them, we are omnivorous. Imagine being of a species descended from herbivores looking in on we humans, who eat nearly anything, but especially delight in the flesh of our fellow animals. We raise and slaughter them in factory farms, and that’s not even the worst of it. We go to war with each other constantly. We continue to pump greenhouse gas into our atmosphere, knowing full well how future generations will suffer for it. We traffic and enslave our most vulnerable, and those who don’t turn a blind eye to it. What intelligent being would look at a species like this and not see a potential threat?"

When I requested this book, I was very excited. I loved Axiom's End and thought the sequel would be just as good. Now, after finally finishing this, I"m kind of disappointed.

There are great parts of this book. We follow Cora as she tries to defend Ampersand and his fellow aliens rights. The US government is openly debating whether they should be allowed to have any rights at all, or if they're simply too dangerous to be allowed into society. We also see Cora as he battles through PTSD after her ordeal with Obelus in Axiom's end.

But this book is just so dark and depressing. Sometimes it was hard to read through every single panic attack without it starting to affect me as well. I avoided reading this book quite a bit, and only could bear reading it in small chunks.

My biggest issue, however, is that the focus shifts. The magic of Axiom's end is the bond between Cora and Ampersand. However, they're not seen together much in this book at all, instead replaced by new characters Kaveh and Nikola, and their story.

Overall, a 3 star read.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin's Press for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cora is the world’s first alien communications expert and with the job of personal interpreter to the alien known as Ampersand has come with many complications and a whole lot of trauma... their association has never been easy and as time goes on it’s not getting easier what with their new special unusual bond and all that tunes them into each other’s emotions. Which would be an issue at any time but considering the fact that they are both going through stuff it’s becoming a problem...

But personal issues aren’t the only thing going on... there’s also the fact that everyone in the world knows that there are aliens and now the world and the government are debating what rights aliens should be given and what that might mean for aliens as well as humans. The arrival of another alien doesn’t help matters and neither does Cora finding that Ampersand has been keeping secrets from her. Getting tangled up with a journalist leads Cora down an unexpected path so does the new alien she finds in her life.

I expected chaos cause you know humans are going to human and humans generally suck... And I can appreciate the fact that after everything Cora went through she didn’t just shake it all off she had serious trauma... though she was already kind of annoying rather naïve and kind of reckless so her general irritating nature magnified by trauma made her difficult to deal with in this book and that’s not even considering the added alien bond trauma she was getting from Ampersand who was also going through his own things.

This book was a lot and a lot of it was sad and there was a lot of political nonsense and a lot of philosophical nonsense and even science nonsense and so much human nonsense... oh and don’t forget the alien drama... it’s hard to know how to feel about this book it’s not bad at all it’s just a lot and kind of exhausting. And at certain point I kind of felt like Cora did just need to let Ampersand and Nikolai go and do what they wanted to do. Also her family should have definitely cared more about what was going on with her. I did like Kaveh even though their relationship was most certainly a bit weird. And did like Nikolai he was the most talkative alien in the whole dang series.

This was a wonderful follow-up to Axiom's End. I learned more about the characters and their relationships which helped understand where the story was headed. Overlaying the characters and their struggles is the devastating human mindset which will not take into account the intelligence and personhood of anyone unlike themselves. Beyond the riveting story, this is a denouncement of the "humanity"of humans. I found it a thoroughly enjoyable read, the characters drawing me into the story even more than did the previous book.

I received an eArc of this work in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, and St Martin's Press for the opportunity.

First, be aware there is a very explicit content warning up front with this book as it explores some very dark topics and can be triggering to those with sensitivities to discussion of self-harm, gaslighting, abuse, etc.

Truth of the Divine continues the examination of the societal and emotional impact of alien First Contact through a close up, human centered lens. The first book is not necessarily required reading for this book, but it will add a lot more nuance and meaning to the story. I found that it is vastly different in terms of tone, and topic (less spy thriller, more character drama). The pace is still very slow, and it is still the story of a race for survival, but this is not a very a happy story, and it has some very interesting things to say on the philosophy of personhood and the lasting impact of personal trauma and the damage that relationships can do on a person (or alien).

I am still a big fan of Ellis, and I can definitely see how she has taken the feedback and criticism from her first book in this series and improved upon it. The writing feels more elegant and mature than the previous book. I also enjoyed the experience more, since I was reading it directly and not listening to a VERY annoying audiobook narrator (one of my main problems with the first book - see my other review for further detail). I very much enjoyed the perspective of a second character point of view and I felt it heightened the tension and added value to help understand how reliable, or not, the narrator is to the telling of this story.

In this sequel, the world is expanded for both reader and in universe characters, The complications added felt realistic, and while there were plot threads from the first book that were not explored here (where was Nils?), having the primary focus be a meditation on Cora's trauma sometimes felt like a slog. The exploration of her bond with Ampersand after the complications from her near death experience and the other Symphile relationships was interesting, and while I was disappointed by some of the choices made by the characters (especially the ending), I felt like there was still room to grow. IMO, Ellis is building an epic universe that is starting to feel like some of the more character driven moments from the Expanse series.

Overall, this book felt true to the tone of the original work in the series, so if you enjoyed Axiom's End, you will most likely enjoy this read as well.

The second of an alternate first contact history in the Noumena series by Lindsay Ellis. The writing in this one is much stronger, and Cora's story is exhilarating. It does a great job of building on Axiom's End and showing us that aliens are not concerned with us, we're just here in the way. I'm looking forward to another one!

I was glued to this book the whole way through. Everything is darker and more heightened compared to the first book, and I loved it. Certainly not an easy read by any means, but I feel privileged to have experienced it all. I can’t wait to see how this series continues!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I made the mistake of reading some of the reviews of the first book once I finished reading Axiom’s End. I had a lot of fun reading that book and enjoyed it without taking it too seriously. But since I did read reviews, I couldn’t help but think about the things mentioned while I was reading this sequel.
While we get more of the unique alien situation that I enjoyed from the first book, there’s more than just hinting at a romantic relationship with an alien. Some people may want that, but I do not. Something about the idea of Cora and Ampersand going from friends (potentially family members) to something more romantic made me feel uncomfortable. I was sad about this because I really loved their friendship from the first book. We do get more of that friendship at the start of this book, but it quickly turned into thoughts of more and then they were both having mental health crisis’ for essentially the rest of the book. So, I still liked the aliens in this book. I think think they’re unique and seem to be well thought out. I just didn’t like the hinting at a romantic relationship.
The idea of the human/alien romance was nixed when Kaveh came into the picture. He’s a reporter for the New York Times. He’s significantly older than Cora (not my preferred romance trope, but I know many people like that). I really liked Kaveh for the first half of the book, but then things about his and Cora’s romantic relationship started to make me feel uncomfortable. He does thinks like think about how he probably shouldn’t have sex with Cora at the moment because she just had a panic attack. Or that it’s very obvious her body is saying no even when her words are telling him to do it anyway. I get that shes consenting vocally, but she clearly needs some mental health help and having sex with her while she’s dealing with that didn’t feel right. Small things like this happened again and again in their relationship. I was sad to feel this way because I really liked Kaveh and I wanted to be able to wholeheartedly root for his romance with Cora, but I just couldn’t with all the red flags.
The final thing I want to mention is the writing. I didn’t really notice it in the first book, but after reading reviews where it was often brought up, I couldn’t help it. The writing was not good. Ellis uses phrases like “veins clogged with vehicular cholesterol” and it totally took me out of the story having to think about these metaphors she was trying and failing to use. The one that took me out of the story the most was seeing the word “carefuller” in the book. Even my iphone (where I’m typing this review immediately after finishing this book) is telling me that this word is incorrect. I think listening to the audiobook for the first book and the skill of the narrator didn’t make the poor writing as obvious, but I read an eARC of this one and there were so many weird metaphors and clunky sentences that I highlighted that I can’t reasonably include them all.
Overall, I finished this book instead of DNF’ing it, so I would say that I was invested enough to finish the story until the end (which was incredibly unsatisfying). I’m not sure if that says more about this book or the first one. But I liked the concept of the aliens and the conversations of the politics of “what kind of rights would humanity give to an alien species on earth.” I think Ellis did a good job with the political aspect of the idea of aliens on earth. I just don’t think, overall, that this was a very good sequel. I ended up disliking many of the characters I grew to care about in the first book. I’m not sure if there is supposed to be more installments in this series, but if so, I probably won’t continue it.

I read this book because I liked the first one, Axiom’s End. It had lots of heart and even ended hopefully. Truth of the Divine starts with a trigger warning about suicide. Which was not at all what I was expecting. For anyone that might want to know, discussion of suicide is in the book but it is not the biggest part of the story.

Truth of the Divine continues the story of first contact with a species that is technologically advanced and also very different from humans. Physically, emotionally and philosophically different. First contact issues common in fiction and movies are present in this book. Many fear the aliens. The military want to control/study them. Many view the aliens as possible allies. But there is an overall sense of wariness.

The biggest question is about how the aliens can fit into human society. The book takes a deep dive into social politics and never comes up for air. Equating biases against the aliens to biases against humans that are different from those in power is a common theme. And a relevant one.

Kaveh is a new character in this book. He is a Pulitzer prize winning writer who’s Persian family is now firmly ensconced in American society – economically if not socially. He brings his own experience to the alien question.

Cora, the main human character from Axiom’s End, becomes a stronger character in this book, while having her weaknesses. Her relationship with the aliens makes her a key person in the political debate.

The alien characters were not well developed except in their role in upsetting the status quo of the United States and the world. And I’m not sure we needed to know more about them. After all, Truth of the Divine is ultimately about the human response to the aliens.

I felt like the entire story was all a setup for Kaveh’s essay that is presented at the end of the book. The essay, which seems to be a platform for the writer’s views, reiterates the socio-political themes throughout the book. The essay is a bit much after reading the whole book.

Set in the context of first alien contact, Truth of the Divine as well as its predecessor, Axiom’s End, gives the reader a fascinating, if sometimes less than flattering, look at humanity.

Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"Truth of the Divine" picks up just after the events in the first book, "Axiom's End." So, "Truth of the Divine" is still really a closely continued first contact story. Less Science Fiction and more metaphysical and theological pondering, but with non-humanoid aliens and their own beliefs thrown in. There is a lot of information from and references to events in "Axiom's End" that Ellis doesn't rehash, so going into this really does require the reader to have read the first book.

We still get Cora Sabino's perspective, but the other point of view comes from a new character, Kaveh Mazandarani, an author and journalist who has unfortunately worked with Cora's outlaw father Nils before. Cora, who acted as an intermediary for the main alien being, Ampersand, in "Axiom's End" is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder here, and dealing with it badly.

At first, I was rather reluctant to add Kaveh to the mix; I'm not someone who loves a story with a roundtable of narrators. However, my reluctance proved to be unwarranted — as at some parts I liked Kaveh's point-of-view to the point of preferring his chapters. Cora, on the other hand, and her PTSD was a little draining. Ellis carefully managed this in a way that was rather distressing and impactful, but never felt exploitative or like a fill-in-the-blank disorder. I think the main issue with Cora's trauma is just part of the main issue with this second book, overall.

Not wholly suffering from second book syndrome, "Truth of the Divine" is just over a hundred pages longer than "Axiom's End" — and it feels every bit of it. Ellis has given herself more room here, but the pacing doesn't keep up. It's a bit too plodding and the plot's timeline is surprisingly slow — covering a really short amount of time for most of the book. This is where Cora's trauma gets a bit too weighed down, while also somehow encouraging a quickly-paced romantic entanglement. Also, there's not enough Ampersand, but there is more Enola/Nikola, the new alien being in town, an amygdaline like Ampersand and the others from "Axiom's End." Kaveh ends up acting as Nikola's interpreter/intermediary and Nikola has a lot to say and share. This only proved to be another spot that, while held a plethora of interesting connections and ideas, could've stood a paring down. And while large swaths of "Truth of the Divine" were rather skimmable, this book does delve a satisfying amount into the timely and appropriate question for its own narrative: What constitutes a being to be defined as a person?

I'm definitely invested enough to come back next year for the finale in this trilogy. I'm not sure where Ellis is going to take this one, but I'm excited to see what she has for the end of it.

P.S. If no other book I read this year contains any reference to Occam's razor, I will be thankful — that and the also-overused Schrödinger's cat references. I'm calling it; that's enough.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the e-Arc of LIndsay Ellis's Truth of the Divine. This is a 5-star book and top tier science fiction book for me. Lindsay Ellis is a great writer and what I believe is unique is how the how this book differs from Axiom's End. This book was slowed down in comparison to Axi0m's End and lacks many of the earth shattering action sequences of the predecessor. However, what it lacks in action, it makes up for in raw emotion. The book does a really fantastic job of paralleling the national debate of defining the aliens a person with Cora's trauma and uncertainty and anxiety of being THE person at the forefront of the debate and the interaction of the aliens with humanity. It is really difficult to describe what Cora must go through, and Lindsay Ellis really does a great job with it using what I assume to be a mountain's worth of mental health research.

Though not without its cringeworthy moments, this is definitely an improvement,

There's significantly less secondhand embarrassment in reading Ellis' second book. It helps to recognize it for what it is-- a paranormal romance where the heroine is the locus of first alien contact instead of first vampire contact. From that perspective, it's not that bad. Truth of the Divine feels a lot less like being asked to look at someone's first draft, putting it aside, and hoping the author never asks you what you thought about it.

For the genre, it's at least ambitious, although it fails at being believable in the details. Ellis wants to delve into the existential aspects of how the world would react to the appearance of aliens, but the main characters are the only ones who aren't depicted as cartoons. Everyone else is shallow and reflexively antagonistic when they appear at all. Much like in Independence Day, most of the world just sits this one out waiting for two Americans to tell them what to do.

The writing still has problems. Though the alien, familial, and institutional hierarchies are more clearly defined, acts of violence are still difficult to parse. Ellis still writes sentences as though how the characters *feel* is literal as opposed to metaphorical. The protagonists don't actually do much, and there's the occasional Internet-speak non-sequitur that completely undermines the book's more serious themes. (i.e., "!!!") But it appears someone at least took a look at this one and said, "You know people are going to read this, right? Maybe rein in a few of these things."

I hadn't intended on picking this one up, but at this point I'd be curious to see a third installment. In some ways, what Ellis is doing reminds me of the Dean Koontzier Robert Charles Wilson books. And not only is there a dearth of sci-fi themed paranormal romances (to the best of my knowledge, this is not a thing), but I have to stick around and see how Ellis' alien sex scenes compare to Laurell K Hamilton's amorphous blobs vaguely doing... something??? to each other . Surely they have to be less opaque than that.

I feel like meeeehhhhh should be enough of a description. I guess that makes me a hypocrit because I did not undertand this as a full description as a mom. Now, I get it.

I am pretty disappointed in this follow up. I liked the first one and so I was excited to read this. This feels rushed and in some places unintelligible. I think this book should have been written in first person. Some of the stuff that the 3rd person narrator thinks are things Cora thinks and that simply doesn’t work. There were multiple times where I had to re-read things to make sure that the line was actually the third person narrator “speaking.” That is never good. Suffice to say, I am not keen on book 3.

Truth of the Divine is the sequel to Axiom’s End, a first-contact science fiction novel I loved so much I was a bit afraid to read the sequel. Unlike most science fiction, this story takes place in the recent past. George W. Bush was president in the first book and in the second, he has resigned to be replaced by Cheney. We are still with Cora, a young woman who dropped out of college, and Ampersand, an alien who has befriended and bonded with Cora. They are in a CIA facility where Cora translates for the alien. You would think that would be a well-paid gig, being so singular, but you would be wrong. Cora is suffering PTSD from the events in the first book and lacks the money to pay for therapy or the meds her doctor prescribed. The CIA isn’t even providing insurance.

Things really heat up when another alien arrives on the scene with an explosive fold in space/time. The whole world saw the burst of light. Ampersand realizes that the last of his bonded cohort has arrived to kill Ampersand and himself as their cultural mores demand ritual and mutual suicide so they all die together. Cora and Ampersand go to look for his symphile and along the way, Cora takes a reporter hostage and Ampersand imprisons his symphile while taking off to hunt for another alien, one he lied to Cora about.

The novel is very much about Cora realizing Ampersand has been lying a lot and Ampersand realizing he needs to truth Cora more. I came to really love Ampersand’s symphile, Enola/Nikola, a much more talkative and extremely literal alien. His friendship with the reporter is lovely.

There is the usual bigotry, hate, xenophobia, and political opportunism. Generals see a controlled warning as aggression. Self-defense is portrayed as offense in propaganda media. It mirrors today and the Trumpist anti-immigrant racism so closely.



I loved Truth of the Divine but it suffered from being a bit too dogmatic. I think this is more a reflection of the times we live in than Lindsay Ellis’ skill as a writer. When a coup failed just a few months ago and one party is laying the legal groundwork for invalidating elections for a future coup in broad daylight, it is a time to be loud and excessive. Subtlety is not an effective weapon against authoritarianism. Ellis is using this story to sound the alarm and I am grateful for her effort. I just think it weakens the story. Democracy, I think, is more important than a fifth star in my subjective rating.

I received an ARC/e-galley of Truth of the Divine from the publisher through NetGalley & Shelf Awareness.

Truth of the Divine at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Axiom’s End review
Lindsay Ellis on YouTube
Lindsay Ellis on Twitter

I think this book was perfectly fine. It had a lot of potential but the execution wasn't particularly that great. This kind of falls into the 2nd book trap, and felt like a lot of setup for the future and therefore was a bit of a struggle to get through. I'm not sure if I will continue in the series. If the next book is the last then maybe.

What I liked:
*the emphasis on dealing with trauma and ptsd. This depiction does not shy away from how difficult it is for Cora to cope.
*monsterfucking vibes (not all the way, but I am intrigued at the possibility for the next book 👀)
*some interesting themes on who is considered 'human'
*cool concepts that definitely go over my head at times (my fault, not the book)

What I struggled with:
*added a perspective that felt like they were just there to get another perspective of Cora. Extremely lacked agency.
*there is a character that has been pulling MAJOR strings for two books and we have yet to see them. I don't think those parts should be included as frequently.
*removal of the most compelling and unique character dynamics from book 1 for reasons?
*a lot of filler/or a bit meandering. This definitely could have been shortened up a bit.

Alien first contact stories are a dime a dozen. They always focus on the immediate impact of extraterrestrial contact - how does humanity survive that first encounter? But what about the aftermath? What happens months later when the dust has settled and the shock dissipates? What are the long-term impacts of knowing humanity isn't alone in the universe? This is the question at the heart of Lindsay Ellis's "Truth of the Divine." Picking up where the first book, "Axiom's End," left off, "Truth of the Divine" simultaneously expands the world introduced in that first book while delving even deeper into the psyches of its characters - human and alien alike. "Truth of the Divine" takes everything that worked in "Axiom's End" and makes them even better. And it's a thrilling, thought-provoking read that stays with you long after the first page.

Picking up a few months after "Axiom's End," "Truth of the Divine" finds Cora and Ampersand both suffering from some serious PTSD. Cora's PTSD manifests as nightmares, panic attacks, and intrusive thoughts that stem from her near-death experience with Obelus (another amygdaline, like Ampersand). And Ampersand's PTSD manifests as erratic and deceptive behavior stemming from Obelus's death, a fear of humanity, and an overwhelming sense of existential dread. But the two find solace in each other, even as the bond they share increases the pain they feel. Together, there is a chance of healing. Until the sudden arrival of another extraterrestrial sends Cora and Ampersand's fragile bond - and humanity, itself - careening into a new unknown. The arrival of this new amygdaline, codenamed Enola Gay, only deepens humanity's uncertainty about extraterrestrials. At question is the personhood of these aliens - should they be granted the same rights as humans?

"Truth of the Divine" keeps what worked in "Axiom's End" and improves upon its weaknesses. The pacing here is much tighter, with no time wasted on introductions. Some might balk at this general lack of exposition. But I appreciated it, as the lack of exposition resulted in an absolutely thrilling read that held my attention from start to finish. Part of this is due to Ellis focusing more on how humanity, at large, reacts to their new knowledge of alien society - and the government's attempted coverup of this knowledge. But most of the energy comes from "Truth of the Divine" dividing its focus more evenly between the amygdalines and the humans. This better balance results in a more character-driven story with Cora, Ampersand, and journalist newcomer Kaveh directly influencing events, rather than simply reacting to them. And more dynamic characters lead to a more dynamic story.

One of my favorite things about "Truth of the Divine" is the way that Ellis dives deep into her characters' psyches. More than anything, this is a book about trauma. Individual trauma, shared trauma, even societal trauma. It's such a pervasive theme that Ellis literally includes a content warning at the beginning of the book. And that warning is much appreciated because this book gets quite dark. There are no rosy depictions of mental illnesses here. Instead, it all feels almost too real. Cora and Ampersand both have their own versions of panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, and even moments where they wish they weren't alive. And even some of the newer characters, like Kaveh, have some issues to work through. It's dark, painful material.

But there is a sense of hope here. For as dark as things get, seeing humans and aliens alike finding solace is deeply emotional. And this realness is what grounds the book. At its heart, this is a story about people - human and otherwise - coping with incredible amounts of trauma. And this shared emotion is what connects humans and amygdalines. This sense of humanity. The way that painful events can reshape a person's entire life, ruining relationships, destroying trust, and even unmooring them from reality. It's the kind of emotional core that hits you in the gut. It hurts to see characters you love in pain. But the way that Ellis explores their pain, and uses it to inform the story she's telling, is deeply moving. And much of it stays with you long after you finish reading.

Equally impactful is all of the social commentary scattered throughout the novel. "Truth of the Divine" spends a lot of time exploring what makes a person a person. If a being has consciousness, autonomy, language, and some kind of society, why shouldn't they have personhood? And as is often the case in these kinds of stories, Ellis draws a direct comparison between humanity's desire to otherize aliens to their penchant for otherizing other humans. Where "Truth of the Divine" differs from other stories is in how blatant its commentary is. I mean, multiple characters literally suggest that denying amygdalines personhood on the basis that they're not human is a slippery slope to denying some humans personhood. So, it's pretty in your face. But for good reason.

Almost all of the debates had in the book - denying people (or aliens) fundamental human rights, a distrust in government, etc - are ones we're having right now. Even the way Ellis shows various right-wing militias organizing via online chatrooms and forums feels very 2021. And much of "Truth of the Divine"'s fear factor comes from this eerie closeness to reality. I wouldn't be at all surprised if real-life humans reacted to alien life in exactly the same way Ellis's characters do. And that's both interesting as hell and deeply upsetting. I've always loved science fiction stories with a healthy dosage of politics - whether that's Earth-based politics or space-based politics. And the way Ellis weaves these political themes throughout the book is both thought-provoking and extremely well done. It's in your face, sure. But it works and it feels true to the world she's created.

My only problem with "Truth of the Divine" is that, at times, it feels more like a middle chapter than a story in its own right. "Axiom's End" explosively introduces the world of the "Noumena" series, laying down the foundation for future stories. And "Truth of the Divine" builds upon that foundation, delving deeper into the overarching story - but in a more introspective way. Sure, there are plenty of explosive moments, and action sequences, and sci-fi goodies scattered throughout the novel. And there are answers to some of the questions raised in "Axiom's End." But mostly, "Truth of the Divine" feels like the setup for a more bombastic sequel. As though Ellis is moving the chess pieces around the board, preparing them for the battle ahead. It doesn't necessarily feel like the story's moved forward a lot, but it has grown deeper.

To be fair, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. I mean, I enjoyed "Truth of the Divine" even more than I enjoyed "Axiom's End." But I think it's important to point out that you're not really getting an entire story here. Like "Axiom's End," "Truth of the Divine" does wrap up its central threat by the end of the novel. But it, again, ends on a cliffhanger at the exact moment where it feels like the powder keg is about to blow. And for some, ending before this explosive moment might be disappointing. And that's fair. A part of me definitely wishes the story kept going just a little bit further than it does. But where things end does make me eager to read the next book, whenever it comes out. So, your mileage may vary.

I honestly can't say enough nice things about "Truth of the Divine." I enjoyed "Axiom's End" a great deal, but I had a few problems with the pacing and some uneven characterization. It was a deeply enjoyable read, but an imperfect one. "Truth of the Divine," however, feels like Ellis firing on all cylinders. She dives deeper into her characters' psyches, using them as conduits to weave a sort of morality play about the state of our own real-world discourse. Underneath the science fiction exterior lies an underlying truth that feels enormously relevant to everything that's going on today. And this commentary is as intriguing as all of the "cooler" alien/sci-fi stuff is.

Everything about the book just works. It's a dark read, and not always an easy one. But it feels like there's a purpose to the darkness. And through that purpose comes a sense of catharsis and hope. Even in the darkest days, when everything looks grim, holding onto every bit of humanity you can find might just be what saves the day. It's an idea found in many a sci-fi book, but one that's explored beautifully here. "Truth of the Divine" is a must-read for all sci-fi fans, alien invasion fans, and lovers of "Axiom's End." And I can't wait to see where Ellis takes the "Noumena" series next.

I found myself quite enamored with Axiom's End last year, and was so excited for the sequel! I will say that this one did not go where I expected it to, but in a way that kept me surprised and entertained. Interestingly, much like its predecessor, I had a bit of trouble getting back into this world. It's definitely complex, and keeping track of the alien names and customs can be hard at times. But, as soon as I was able to catch up, I was back into being enamored with the story once again!

Cora is now far more involved in the way of the alien species, and often finds herself in the middle of both alien and human political debates. I think having a character like Cora as our key viewpoint was a really great decision, because she is so relatable. And because she is not a scientist, not a politician, the layperson terms are both easy to understand and make perfect sense in context.

Even more than the last book, we delve into what "humanity" and "personhood" mean. We also get an even more impressive look into how the events in this alt-2008 compare to that of today's sociopolitical climate. Both police brutality and the hateful rhetoric of the fanatical right make significant appearances, and the aliens can even see how poorly women, POC, LGBTQ+, and basically any and all marginalized people are treated.

Without giving much (fine, anything) about the plot itself away, Truth of the Divine was a well-paced, exciting follow up that absolutely took turns I did not see coming, while staying away from some things I was sure would happen. Basically, it kept me on my toes. I also loved that it built upon the character development of Cora and the aliens. There is also a lot of great discussion on mental health, which I appreciated. Overall, a very strong sequel, and I will be eagerly anticipating the next installment!

Bottom Line: Picking up where we left off in unique and exciting ways, this much-anticipated follow up did not disappoint!

Truth of the Divine is the sequel to Lindsay Ellis' "Axiom's End", and now the second part of what is now known as the "Noumena" trilogy.* I liked Axiom's End, although it's not what fans of Ellis' youtube channel would really expect - the book was not a humorous takedown of tropes and ideas, but a serious first contact story dealing with an alternate 2007-2008 dealing with human reactions to aliens who have their own issues of superiority, caste, and morals that clash with human ones, all filtered through the perspective of a young good meaning woman sort of lost in the world due to the actions of her asshole father (who is basically an ersatz Julian Assange/Glenn Greenwald hybrid). That said, the book ended incredibly abruptly, and featured a political situation that did not really make any sense to me and was a bit jarring, so I wasn't sure what to expect from book 2.

*Ellis didn't sell books 2-3 of the trilogy iirc until after book 1 came out, so my review of book 1 treated it as a stand alone, as it largely was, even though it ended off on a weird stopping point with a lot of open threads*

Truth of the Divine is a more ambitious novel than its predecessor (and that's not calling Axiom's End unambitious), with its contents expanding to a second viewpoint character, plots with both the aliens and humans dealing with the question of personhood, and a secondary plot dealing with relationships, trust, and depression and suicide when those relationships break down...sort of. The result however is a bit more of a mixed bag. When it comes to the themes of personhood, Truth of the Divine is strong, with a strong exploration of the theme once you get over some political issues once again. When it comes to its issues of relationships, of the major character's depression and relationships....I don't think it quite so much works, due to how it handles a relationship that's basically abusive in my opinion. The story ends on a more satisfying cliffhanger than book 1, so I'll probably be back, but it still isn't quite as much a winner as I was hoping for.

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide, On-Page Suicide Attempt of a Major Character, Depression and PTSD. These are major plot elements not shied away from which weren't present in book 1, so be wary if those are triggering to you.
-----------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------------
Humanity is no longer alone - a fact that is no longer hidden by a few government officials, and has caused the downfall of the last American Government. For humanity, this has resulted in a new political debate, centering in America, as to what to consider these aliens - are they persons? Are they dangerous? Are they entitled to the same rights as humans in our society? The question will give rise to dangerous provocateurs, both inside the political sphere and without, who will stop at nothing to ensure such aliens (and perhaps others) are not considered the same as humans.

For Cora Sabino, this question is hardly one on her mind - instead what's on her mind is the empathic connection between her and the alien Ampersand, who bonded with her as part of saving her from other aliens months ago - a bond that she has kept secret from the military and CIA for whom she acts as an alien interpreter. But the bond goes both ways, and emotions flow back and forth between herself and Ampersand, and are causing her to not know what she really feels and thinks, other than that she wants there to be some greater connection between herself and Ampersand than would seemingly be possible cross species.

But Cora's desires and emotions are only thrown for more of a loop when things begin to happen suddenly around her once again: first, a new alien bonded to Ampersand arrives on the planet, seeking to die alongside Ampersand; second a human journalist named Kaveh stumbles upon her and the new alien, and forms his own relationship with them all, one that makes it clear that the personhood fight is of key importance for the future.

And finally, it soon becomes clear that Ampersand is still covering up secrets and is lying to her and is unwilling to let those secrets go even though it hurts them both......
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Okay so I'm going to get one thing out of the way first - Truth of the Divine's political premise still seems far fetched, and might be an issue for some suspending their disbelief. Last book dealt with the idea that covering up first contact would be a big enough issue in 2007 (on the verge of a financial economic recession) for George W to resign, which well...yeah no. This book deals with a political movement rising up to fight against alien personhood as a big major issue that takes center stage in American society, despite 99.99999% of humans never being likely to interact with such aliens, which again seems far fetched and unlikely given the other issues people have (for example, exposes about government spying by the same types of people who do the exposes about aliens here didn't exactly raise political firestorms that lasted long). Even more incredulous, the anti-personhood movement, which basically mirrors modern right wing movements, supposedly comes from third party-esque movement taking from both parties, even though it again just seems to mirror trumpist nativist policies and well - third parties aren't a thing in the US for a reason, and this would make more sense as a renewed stronger right wing party taking over the GOP party, which is mainly how it plays out in the book. Just needed to get that out of the way first.

If you're able to accept its premise, the major themes of personhood in Truth of the Divine work really well, and are especially important in today's world (although to be honest, haven't we been having this same debate since ET?), as exemplified by the political actors (who inspire right wing mobs) and by our main characters: Cora and Kaveh and by the aliens themselves, who have their own version of the same struggle. For Cora, there's no question that Ampersand and the aliens are persons just the same as humanity - after all, she knows Ampersand to a certain extent, and has come to love him....even if she's not wholly sure how much of that is her own feeling and how much of that is the result of dynamic fusion bonding. For Kaveh, the aliens themselves at first don't really matter - although he does get to pretty closely know one such alien, Nikola/Enola, on his own - but the idea that some sentient beings could be considered lesser than persons is a dangerous one for him - after all his family may be rich and doing well now, but they were political refugees from Iran and as muslims are well aware of how persecution can go, and how the concept can expand from aliens to humans.

And then there's Ampersand, and the other aliens' approach to humans. For Ampersand and his people, they did not believe humanity when they got the planet was on their level, and it soon becomes revealed that Ampersand is still struggling with the idea that humanity might in fact be a person on the same level as his species....and might be capable of the fusion bonding that he and Cora now share. And he still (and more on this in a bit) does value his own species a bit more, even as he values Cora, recklessly going after another alien who absolutely does not deserve his consideration, but who he cannot convince himself to abandon. For Nikola/Enola, a new alien, he also comes to adapt to the idea that humanity is worth their version of personhood...but for him that distinction simply means it is doomed to extinction at the hands of his own species, something that only makes him want to further hasten his own demise so he won't see the atrocity happen. It's a strong contrast between the two perspectives that makes this personhood theme resonate tremendously, as it becomes a debate about the value of beings, one which is exemplified in the story's strong ending - in which two contrasting views are given, one of which might surprise you in a vacuum, but will make total sense in context.

Working less well are the relationships and character beats that play such a prominent role in this book. Just to get this out of the way, that's not new protagonist Kaveh's fault - he's a really well done character as a potential love interest and protagonist who knows he has his own faults, admits his own mistakes that he's trying to do better on, and tries to help Cora when she is basically at the absolute bottom. His relationship with Cora, as he tries to help her do better is really well done and works.

But then there's Cora's progression here and her relationship with Ampersand, which is where a lot of the above trigger warnings come in. Cora suffers from PTSD as a result of Obelus' assault on her last book, as well as emotional trauma that Ampersand is herself unintentionally sending her way through their bond. And that trauma is only exacerbated by Ampersand's behavior in this book, which honestly becomes downright abusive - Ampersand hunts to get back together with the one who harmed her (and does so at first in secret), doesn't tell the truth about his activities, or about his actions, and when forced to choose between Cora and that other, he doesn't ever choose Cora...even as he tries to act as her protector in other instances. And Cora can't ever fully leave him due to their bond....which Ampersand insists can only be ended by one of their deaths. Ampersand isn't intentionally trying to abuse Cora, but that is essentially what he's doing, and it leaves Cora in a state where she doesn't care about anything, where nothing seems to matter, and of course since all this involves alien secrets, there is basically no one who can give her help (Kaveh tries, but he's not a psychologist, and Cora can't even tell him everything). And of course this isn't helped by Nikola trying to get Ampersand to commit a mutual suicide, or the idea that the alien superorganism might come and kill all of humanity in just a decade or so....or by humans trying to kill or discriminate against the aliens*.

*Cora's father, who is a Glenn Greenwald/Julian Assange pastiche, becomes even more so here, as the asshole attempts to use Cora to further what are basically right wing racist ends. Good times*

The book does a great job showing the impact of this relationship on Cora's psyche....except it winds up ending with Cora and Ampersand back together, and these problems never dealt with whatsoever, without Ampersand ever taking responsibility for his actions. It's entirely possible that book 3 will deal with this, as I'm not saying that the book has Cora make any sort of full recovery by the end - it just abrogates the need to deal with resolving these issues altogether in favor of ending on the personhood issues. Like yes these things are related but well...you still need to deal with them separately as well, and this book doesn't really do that at all in the last act, after doing so in the middle acts. Which prevents this from really working.

I'll be back for the final book I think, because the series remains interesting and I do hope Ellis will find a way to resolve this issue. But it's an issue that does prevent this book from being a clear recommend, even if you're okay with the triggering factors.

this book was so good, I had enjoyed the first book in the series Axiom's End. I felt like it grew into a more polished read and still had what I enjoyed from Axiom's End. It was a enjoyable scifi novel and I look forward to more from Ms. Ellis in the future.