Truth of the Divine
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- Create Date：2021-10-23 04:19:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lindsay Ellis
- ISBN：B08TZ5WQFJ
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Summary
17 hrs and 18 mins
Truth of the Divine is the new alternate history first contact novel from the instant New York Times， Wall Street Journal， and LA Times best-selling video essayist Lindsay Ellis。
The human race is at a crossroads; we know that we are not alone， but details about the alien presence on Earth are still being withheld from the public。 As the political climate becomes more unstable， the world is forced to consider the ramifications of granting human rights to non-human persons。 How do you define “person” in the first place？
Cora Sabino not only serves as the full-time communication intermediary between the alien entity Ampersand and his government chaperones， but also shares a mysterious bond with him that is both painful and intimate in a way that neither of them could have anticipated。 Despite this， Ampersand is still keen on keeping secrets， even from her， which backfires on both of them when investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani， a close colleague of Cora’s estranged whistleblower father， witnesses far more of Ampersand’s machinations than anyone was meant to see。
Since Cora has no choice but to trust Kaveh， the two must work together to prove to a fearful world that intelligent， conscious beings should be considered persons， no matter how monstrous-looking， powerful， or malicious they may seem。 Making this case is hard enough when the public doesn’t know what it’s dealing with， and it will only become harder when a mysterious flash illuminates the sky， marking the arrival of an agent of chaos that will light an already unstable world on fire。
Truth of the Divine is the new alternate history first contact novel from the instant New York Times， Wall Street Journal， and LA Times best-selling video essayist Lindsay Ellis。
The human race is at a crossroads; we know that we are not alone， but details about the alien presence on Earth are still being withheld from the public。 As the political climate becomes more unstable， the world is forced to consider the ramifications of granting human rights to non-human persons。 How do you define “person” in the first place？
Cora Sabino not only serves as the full-time communication intermediary between the alien entity Ampersand and his government chaperones， but also shares a mysterious bond with him that is both painful and intimate in a way that neither of them could have anticipated。 Despite this， Ampersand is still keen on keeping secrets， even from her， which backfires on both of them when investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani， a close colleague of Cora’s estranged whistleblower father， witnesses far more of Ampersand’s machinations than anyone was meant to see。
Since Cora has no choice but to trust Kaveh， the two must work together to prove to a fearful world that intelligent， conscious beings should be considered persons， no matter how monstrous-looking， powerful， or malicious they may seem。 Making this case is hard enough when the public doesn’t know what it’s dealing with， and it will only become harder when a mysterious flash illuminates the sky， marking the arrival of an agent of chaos that will light an already unstable world on fire。
Reviews
Brianna
，
Didn't give me EVERYTHING I was looking for as a sequel， but I definitely did enjoy this。 Didn't give me EVERYTHING I was looking for as a sequel， but I definitely did enjoy this。 。。。more
Johnathan Miller
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ellis confessed in a video that she resorted to using third-party editors *before* she sent this to her publisher， which， for traditionally published authors， is *extremely* uncommon， and would seem to be indicative of her overall writing ability。 If her prose skills here show improvement， we can safely say that it is due to a pay-to-play system of publishing that simply throws money at a text until it is readable。 Putting that aside， I still can't shake the fanfiction makeup and tone of this se Ellis confessed in a video that she resorted to using third-party editors *before* she sent this to her publisher， which， for traditionally published authors， is *extremely* uncommon， and would seem to be indicative of her overall writing ability。 If her prose skills here show improvement， we can safely say that it is due to a pay-to-play system of publishing that simply throws money at a text until it is readable。 Putting that aside， I still can't shake the fanfiction makeup and tone of this series， but it was original enough that I actually finished reading it， mostly out of morbid curiosity as to just how poorly the inevitable cliffhanger would be setup。 If my library had not allowed me to borrow this book， I would not have read it。 I suppose if you've got some time to waste and don't have to pay for it， it might be worth a look？ Probably not， though。 The "truth" is that there are plenty of fish in the sea。 Don't waste your time reeling this sucker in。 。。。more
Mo
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Ugh， this was related to the first book？？ I lost interest about 1/4th of the way through when Kaveh is introduced。 Cora becomes a helpless woman in distress and needs a knight to save her。 We lose access to characters we liked in the first book to just be replaced with bland， boring new ones。I'm starting to see a pattern with books where some clearly are written after the tragic killing of George Floyd and the societal reactions that followed。 I'm so happy that there are more "popular" books tha Ugh， this was related to the first book？？ I lost interest about 1/4th of the way through when Kaveh is introduced。 Cora becomes a helpless woman in distress and needs a knight to save her。 We lose access to characters we liked in the first book to just be replaced with bland， boring new ones。I'm starting to see a pattern with books where some clearly are written after the tragic killing of George Floyd and the societal reactions that followed。 I'm so happy that there are more "popular" books that are being suggested and promoted due to the social climate， but some are just hot garbage that try to throw every social issue but the kitchen sink into the book inauthentically。。。 and this book was it。 Honestly shocked it wasn't "revealed" that， Surprise！ Cora is queer！ we should have known this all along！ If there is a 3rd installment， I'm not going to be rushing to read it anytime soon。 Save your happy memory of the series and stop after the first book。 。。。more
Suz
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4。5I have to admit that even here at the end I'm wishing I'd re-listened to book one， as I feel a disconnect between the two that I can't put my finger on。Be that as it may， I still enjoyed this a great deal。 It's definitely a treatise on several mind bending ideas about personhood， inner demons， and what defines monsters without actually being preachy or condescending。 Touching， sometimes heart wrenching， and contemplatively explosive。 I suspect I'll go back and listen to the first one again so 4。5I have to admit that even here at the end I'm wishing I'd re-listened to book one， as I feel a disconnect between the two that I can't put my finger on。Be that as it may， I still enjoyed this a great deal。 It's definitely a treatise on several mind bending ideas about personhood， inner demons， and what defines monsters without actually being preachy or condescending。 Touching， sometimes heart wrenching， and contemplatively explosive。 I suspect I'll go back and listen to the first one again soon and then reread this one again。 。。。more
Deanna O'Keefe
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Brilliant。 Unbearably awaiting more books。 Help
Patchlamb
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Heavier than the first book。 By like。。。 a lot。 I feel that to some the severity of the themes in this book （suicide， mental illness， addiction） may be a shock to those who only picked up the series casually。 The tone shift is immense; the existentialism and gut-ripping gore in book 1 is really nothing compared to the anxiousness and dread book 2 will give you。 But there's a trigger warning at the start， so I won't dwell on the tone difference too much。It's pace is breakneck， and it still does re Heavier than the first book。 By like。。。 a lot。 I feel that to some the severity of the themes in this book （suicide， mental illness， addiction） may be a shock to those who only picked up the series casually。 The tone shift is immense; the existentialism and gut-ripping gore in book 1 is really nothing compared to the anxiousness and dread book 2 will give you。 But there's a trigger warning at the start， so I won't dwell on the tone difference too much。It's pace is breakneck， and it still does retain some phrase repetition that was noticeable in book 1。 I'll give one of the phrases a pass since I think it was on purpose， but the rest were clear accidental repetitions， my only ire with Ellis's writing style across the 2 books。 Otherwise I enjoyed book 2 but perhaps not as much as Axiom's End。 Not because I found it "worse" or anything， but just because the pacing was not nearly as spaced out as Axiom's End， and I found it overwhelming by comparison。 Too much happening at once， a LOT of pain from all characters， but no comforting emotional catharsis came out of it。 Even though Axiom's End left off on a bitter sweet note， again， that bitter sweetness was nothing next to the heart wrenching hurt there at the end of book 2。Book 2 leaves us with a hope for book 3， that Ampersand and Cora's relationship could get better。 That maybe Ampersand will stop lying to her， that maybe Cora will treat him like a sick person rather than lashing out at him for things he can't help。 But it also leaves us with an awful dread that。。。 maybe they won't get better。 And then maybe that will be it。I liked book 2 despite the pain， but I can only give it 4 starts next to Axiom's End's 5 stars。 I'm hoping book 3 will be the "comfort" in this "hurt/comfort" story， because as of book 2 it is abundantly missing the comfort。 Maybe some people are into hurt/hurt stories， but me。。。 a need a little sugar in my coffee， please。 Ellis I beg you be kind to Ampersand and his loved ones when the 3rd installment comes out T_T（Also yeeeah， they don't fuck in this one， but it's implied they might in book 3！ Yippe！ Enough same-ol-same-ol human sex scenes， I wanna see the weird asexual alien nasties and aren't y'all curious too？？） 。。。more
Bee
，
Got this early from a giveaway！ I mostly liked it， though I wasn’t a fan of the romance。
Tremayne Gillis
，
If I had to compare this book to the last one in the series， I'd have to say， this one is an improvement on nearly all fronts。 I very much enjoyed Axiom's End， and I think if you did as well that you will enjoy Truth of the Divine。 That being said， the second book really gets into the emotions of our main characters in a way that the first book didn't seem to have the time for。 Axiom was filled with a lot of necessary， but somewhat taxing， world-building。 The upshot of this is an extremely rewar If I had to compare this book to the last one in the series， I'd have to say， this one is an improvement on nearly all fronts。 I very much enjoyed Axiom's End， and I think if you did as well that you will enjoy Truth of the Divine。 That being said， the second book really gets into the emotions of our main characters in a way that the first book didn't seem to have the time for。 Axiom was filled with a lot of necessary， but somewhat taxing， world-building。 The upshot of this is an extremely rewarding read in the second half of it。 Truth of the Divine picks up where the last book left me， and does so in a very satisfying way， sometimes being funny， usually being very harrowing， but always heartfelt and emotive。 It never feels caught in a web of it's own creation trying to explain the universe that it takes place in。From a technical standpoint， you can expect a similar writing style to the first book。 Somewhat utilitarian prose， yet still feeling as though there is someone there actually giving the ideas weight。 （view spoiler）[This book， in contrast to the last one， was written from two perspectives， Cora and Kaveh， instead of just from one。 （hide spoiler）] I found this decision to be really refreshing as it successfully added some narrative nuance between the chapters。 （view spoiler）[ There were several points where I was hooked into the story because I was just extremely curious what the other character thought of any given situation。 I found this format to be really engaging and kept me wanting to read more。 （hide spoiler）]Overall， I would highly recommend this sequel to anyone who enjoyed the last book， and I'd recommend this series to fans of science fiction， but also to fans of very dramatic and heartfelt storytelling。 。。。more
Jason
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Better than the first novelThere’s a change at some point in the book， where we get a second viewpoint character。 Similarly， the first book in this series also has a big change， where it switches from mystery to military。 This second novel handles the change much better and much less abruptly。 It has believable build-up， slow transition to this second viewpoint， and still respects the main。Overall， better than the first， unlike New Moon。
Dani（elle）
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This will take time to process emotionally。 Review to come。
Brian
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed Axiom's End， and was really excited for Truth of the Divine to come out。 Unfortunately， it was a sequel that didn't live up to the promise of the first book。 Whereas Axiom's End focused on the story of first contact， Truth of the Divine focused on the human side after learning about what happened。 The political issues arising were the most interesting piece to me， even if they were not surprising。 Much of the story also focuses on Cora's PTSD after the events of Axiom's End。 And I really enjoyed Axiom's End， and was really excited for Truth of the Divine to come out。 Unfortunately， it was a sequel that didn't live up to the promise of the first book。 Whereas Axiom's End focused on the story of first contact， Truth of the Divine focused on the human side after learning about what happened。 The political issues arising were the most interesting piece to me， even if they were not surprising。 Much of the story also focuses on Cora's PTSD after the events of Axiom's End。 And while I think Lindsay Ellis managed it well， and I am really glad she didn't write that out of the story， a lot of it also related to Ampersand， who was mostly written out of the book。 The bond between them is so important to the PTSD and Cora's symptoms， but we don't get that explained well。 We did get another new POV character， Kaveh， and saw his first contact experience， but unfortunately it felt like it was just re-doing a lot of what we saw in Axiom's End。 。。。more
Ariel
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This was…not a happy book。 But it is without a doubt a good one。 I enjoyed every moment of pain it put me through but man， I really think I need to go pet a puppy or something after that emotional rollercoaster。 I 100% did not expect to enjoy Kaveh’s character as much as I did in this story but he took me by surprise。 Charming and interesting but also very complex and flawed。 I honestly enjoyed a lot of his chapters even more than Cora’s， which I didn’t think would be the case when I originally This was…not a happy book。 But it is without a doubt a good one。 I enjoyed every moment of pain it put me through but man， I really think I need to go pet a puppy or something after that emotional rollercoaster。 I 100% did not expect to enjoy Kaveh’s character as much as I did in this story but he took me by surprise。 Charming and interesting but also very complex and flawed。 I honestly enjoyed a lot of his chapters even more than Cora’s， which I didn’t think would be the case when I originally heard he was going to be the second narrator in this book。 You did a great job with him Lindsay but I also sort of hate you for that ending。 But in a loving way。 But also how dare you？I definitely think I need a drink now。 。。。more
Colleen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Truth of the divine is excellent for what it is （an above average sci-fi sequel and an at times punishing critique of the romance genre）。 The readers that expected to go in looking for more of the light romance buildup between amp and cora shown in axiom will be absolutely disappointed。 The sequel zooms out to the wider picture of what a alien invasion would look like after first contact and the weeks and months of grinding near normal as you try to rebuild。 Cora fell in love with someone who ha Truth of the divine is excellent for what it is （an above average sci-fi sequel and an at times punishing critique of the romance genre）。 The readers that expected to go in looking for more of the light romance buildup between amp and cora shown in axiom will be absolutely disappointed。 The sequel zooms out to the wider picture of what a alien invasion would look like after first contact and the weeks and months of grinding near normal as you try to rebuild。 Cora fell in love with someone who had severe PTSD， experienced her own traumatic event， and got married to a person who despite all his love and promises to be a protector could not hold himself to that standard。 The truth is that these versions of cora and amp are toxic to and for each other。 Amp cannot rely on anyone else because of his genocidal society and the abuse he endured so he puts up walls of indifference and rejection that read as plain cruelty on the page。 Amp shows more care for his own kind than he ever does for cora， dismisses cora as a child when she offers any level of help （despite cora being seen by the other aliens as one of their own）， and acts like he is on his own the whole book。Cora is defined by rejection， too。 When she falls in love with [spoiler]， it is easily the healthiest relationship she has had in either book， which is faint praise。 Her relationship with amp keeps her rooted in toxic patterns， however， and unable to move forward to a place where she can look at her relationship critically or engage with it safely。 I saw another reviewer complain that cora is acting like bella swan in new moon， but rather than being a negative it is apt。 Both cora and bella engage in self harm to keep their depressed， suicidal boyfriends alive。 Truth has the benefit of looking at cora's actions critically， instead of handwaving it as two teens in love。 Is it any shock then when fusion bonding turns out to be a passive suicide cult， just as cora thought in the first book？ To save Amp， cora requests formal personhood in the alien society， which is the only thing that gives amp hope （though if it is out of love that someone he loves will become his 'equal' or morbid curiosity is yet to really be said）。 For her trouble， amp submits to a conservatorship status for at least six months while she goes through the first part of the process; a broken person offering submission to a person who cannot take that burden on。 When they speed off into the stars， us against the world style， it hits a sour note。 Like watching thelma and louise hold hands while speeding off the cliff。Truth of the divine wasn't the book I expected to read， but that doesnt mean it doesn't have a place。 Take the content warnings seriously and go in free from expectations and I think you will find a book that matches up with any first contact novel。 。。。more
Michael
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4。5/5I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。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 4。5/5I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。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。 。。。more
J Rhodes
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Truth of the Divine is the second book in Lindsay Ellis' Noumena series。 My thoughts on the first novel， Axiom's End， were fairly straightforward: a sub-par book written by an author with big ideas who'd found herself with a publishing network that so badly wanted to wring money out of her name and audience。I feel the bizarre trajectory that the review took around the Internet is important context to this review。 It was far more popular than I thought it would be。 Popular enough that， among othe Truth of the Divine is the second book in Lindsay Ellis' Noumena series。 My thoughts on the first novel， Axiom's End， were fairly straightforward: a sub-par book written by an author with big ideas who'd found herself with a publishing network that so badly wanted to wring money out of her name and audience。I feel the bizarre trajectory that the review took around the Internet is important context to this review。 It was far more popular than I thought it would be。 Popular enough that， among other things， it was drawn into some weird spat between the author and alt-right personality Sargon of Akkad。 No， I don't get it either。 How do people who live and breathe the Internet not understand the Streisand Effect still？Anyway， before I get into the meat of this novel， as thin and stringy as it is， I'm going to do some Proper Goodreads Reviewer Chic and drop a 。gif in here。 Ellis， if you are reading this， and I know that you are because you read the previous one:The novel opens with a lengthy authorial note about traumatic situations， the responsibility of the artist when depicting things like self-harm and suicide， a fairly exhaustive list of potential trigger warnings within the text and the implied superiority of Ellis' work to the wildly successful and critically well-received 2018 movie A Star is Born。Like most well-meaning notes of that type from authors of Ellis' calibre， it reads more as a self-effacing attempt to stress how mature their novel is before the reader's had a chance to judge it （"especially given the relatively light tone of the first instalment of this series"） than any attempt to actually act as a trigger warning。 I can see why Ellis or her publisher felt such a warning was necessary because this novel does like suddenly springing some pretty wild stuff on the reader， but such occurrences struck me more as bizarre and laughable than dark and unsettling。 Like being disturbed by the ludicrously over-the-top gore in Amazon's Invincible series。 Still， it does raise the thought: is this a dark and mature sequel？ Is this Axiom's End's Empire Strikes Back？Let's see。First， there's the matter of the 'prologue。' A fairly typical epistolary document insert that some genre authors use to try and get around fitting exposition into the story itself。 But here's the thing， and I raise this only because it's advice I've heard from editors， why are you opening your novel with this boring dry textbook-esque exposition instead of just leaping into the story？Anyway， the novel has four of those， and two of them are straightforward excerpts from United Nations documentation。 Is this an academic essay or a story？ Oh， and that's just the ones at the start of the novel。The first part of Truth of the Divine--hereafter TotD--is "It's A Fool Who Plays It Cool" which might be a perfect summary of the book but not in the way the author intended。 The book is divided into four parts in total， and each has a title that lands well short of the profundity it's shooting for。The story itself is similar to the first as far as prose is concerned。 I commented on the weak， amateurish prose in my review of the first novel and so won't go too much into it this time。 The second novel's text may be slightly better， credit to Ellis， but it certainly isn't good。 On the very first page of the story itself， we get the following: "The fluorescent lights in this conference room were the frequency of knives。"Knives don't have a frequency in either meaning of the term （unless， perhaps， there's a stylish knife block atop the conference room table。） What Ellis means to say is something like 'The hum of the fluorescent lights was like a knife in Cora's brain。' Unfortunately， the same paragraph explains that Cora is in a 'mind fog' implying boredom， tiredness or disinterest which doesn't really gel with the painful knife metaphor--but， hey， who's counting awkward prose at this point？Even shuffling so much exposition into those documents has done nothing for the actual story， the first few chapters are a clunky mess that practically recounts the events of the first novel and the worldbuilding contained therein。 Cora is the sole intermediary between the aliens and they don't want to talk with the government。 Meanwhile， people wonder whether human rights can apply to non-human beings with all the intelligence and perceptive wit of a middle school humanities debate。 It all sets the tone of the whole novel。 The plot plods along， interspersed with panic attacks and navel-gazing about human rights， and there were more than a few sections I had to read more than once to make sure I understood what was being said and/or be sure I hadn't missed anything。 By the end of it， I wasn't sure anything had really happened。 Anyway， the Transformers inspiration remains clear， too。 I know some people， including the author herself， have taken umbrage with reviews that point this out。 I know， specifically， that the comparison to Michael Bay's Transformers has made a lot of people wail and gnash their teeth and call me a psychopath。 But here's the thing--it isn't a hard comparison to draw， and it's very apparent in the first few chapters of TotD， too。See， Cora Sabino essentially operates in the same position as Sam Witwicky does in the Michael Bay films， that is， she's the sole liaison between humanity and an alien species which seemingly cooperates with the government at their own volition。 What Ellis has written feels like--and I can't believe I'm saying this--gender-swapped AU fixfic。Where Bay took the interesting tack of making Witwicky's status an irrelevant joke that can't even help him get an office job， Ellis' attempt at the same idea lacks any kind of subversive edge and she veers between being bored about her security clearance job and terrified that they'll take it away from her。 Instead of Witwicky's entitlement and toxic masculinity driving him into psychotic break culminating in killing someone he thinks is his romantic rival， we get maudlin panic attacks and a relationship （sorry， "fusion bond"） between a woman and an alien that feels far creepier than the author intended it。 "Dear one， come to me，" Ampersand says like he's trying to lure Cora into an unmarked van。 And just how many times is Cora going to get injected with a syringe？（view spoiler）[（Should I bring up the robotic inventor of a folding space invention who may or may not be on the level suddenly introduced into the story by the name of Sentinel Prime-- Sorry， Nikola？ Yes， that's a direct reference to Nikola Tesla。 "A deal had to be made。" "I have made an arrangement。"） （hide spoiler）]As the story went on， I was also reminded of a particular episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation， The Measure of a Man， when the humans meet with two members of the Fremda group。 But， like the Transformers inspiration， the scene felt derivative instead of feeling like it's commentating on whatever inspired this work， which is kind of my big issue with TotD。 Like， there's been a wealth of media about personhood， aliens， robots， and how humanity can relate to such things and if human rights depend on some statistical range of human capability。 I remain baffled whenever an author dives into such a thoroughly explored ravine with thoughts that amount to， well， we can't call them by white people names because the world will think we're white supremacists。 I don't think Ellis really has any serious arguments for or against these themes which is why it's just prosaic pabulum after prosaic pabulum。 I feel like you could write a whole critique of this novel just based on how Americentric this text is， this novel that says America represents the whole of humanity。（view spoiler）[And that's without touching on the trite secularism of the titular truth of the Divine， either。 I really hope the author didn't think 'the Divine is what they call God' is clever， especially with the hasty clarifier that there's nothing religious about it， it's all knowable science。 Practically one step removed from that infamous /r/athiest euphoric copypasta。 Pray tell， dear author， what is religion without divinity？ What is a god without religion？ What is secular divinity？ （hide spoiler）]I really don't want to say too much， if only because I'm repeating myself and don't really have much to say that I haven't already said and if I don't cut myself off I'll be yanking on every single thread in the tapestry--plot， character， themes， and worldbuilding。 Truth of the Divine is Axiom's End 2 for everything that means。 As mentioned， Ellis' writing is actually a bit better in the sense it's not so obviously bad， but it's not a distinct， marked improvement。 The mental anguish Cora goes through as a consequence of the events of the first novel is more melodramatic than anything else， and it's exacerbated by that authorial note which makes you wonder if the author thinks it is incredible writing。 The usage of things like Facebook posts， fake news articles， text messages， and email chains as worldbuilding and secondary plot telling is fairly unbearable。 Any kind of sci-fi multidimensional theorizing remains pat and bland where you're not sure if the author skimmed Wikipedia while writing the sections in question or didn't and thinks they're onto something original and thought-provoking。As an aside， and I bring this up only because of that authorial note about responsibility， but I found the times Kaveh would bring up globalists， anti-Semitism， or whatever else that was intended to make the novel 'relevant' a choice that I'm not sure is really that responsible。 I'm reminded of the web serial Worm where the protagonist， Taylor， would display an exhaustive knowledge of Nazi beliefs and iconography， some of it quite obscure， despite frequently not understanding really basic things。 This is seemingly done to enlighten the audience to the secret messages they use， educating them in ways those types cloak themselves， yadda yadda--but all you really get out of it is， like， an introductory lesson/primer in neo-Nazi iconography and beliefs。 So， Kaveh will reflect 'When they say globalists， they mean Jews， this is anti-Semitism' in the same page he wonders like， oh， maybe they don't get that they're fascists。 Is this novel dealing with the reactionary elements of 2007 or 2021？ Does the author comprehend the difference？ While not quite as odious as the first novel， TotD continues the trend where it's unclear why this novel was set in 2007 in the first place。 Somehow Bay's Transformers series provides more interesting commentary on that era by making the Autobots tools of American hegemony who blow up Middle Eastern nuclear research operations and also the Pyramids while talking about how freedom is everyone's right。（view spoiler）[I feel like I should really stress that this is a novel that has the gall to talk up American exceptionalism when it's set in the time period where the American government was waging an unjust war for oil leading to the deaths of so many innocents。 Where's that authorial responsibility？ You want to write a book about trauma？ The slighted ego of the American people led to a bloody swath being cut across the Middle East， decades of war that the world is still recovering from， veterans who gave their lives or took them。。。 the list goes on！ In TotD， every country in the world （including China） is looking to America to lead the way and set an example in a time period where America defied the international community and led the way to atrocity and bloodshed。 The words Iraq and Afghanistan show up once each。 （hide spoiler）]Speaking of Kaveh， he's actually somewhat more interesting than Cora， although the fact it feels like he and Nikola are repeating the first novel was a big letdown。 And the kinda-sorta love triangle between him， Cora and Ampersand is。。。 an odd choice。 I don't mean in practice--the second book in most YA series introduces a love triangle， of course。 But it's more。。。 Look， yet again， a sci-fi author dabbles with something transgressive and weird then walks it back to something safe。 You end up with a message that's basically， hey， it might be fun to fool around with one of those aliens-we're-using-as-a-metaphor-for-other-ethnicities， but。。。 The one thing I hoped to get from this novel is the one thing I hope to get from Transformers， a weird-ass relationship between a human and a bizarre lifeform。 Oh well！（view spoiler）[Kaveh's ultimate fate also doesn't exactly land well， and just kind of exacerbates the issues of the above paragraphs--you've introduced perhaps your best character， set up a love triangle， and then shot him in the head。 It felt exceptionally cheap。 Great。 If the third book follows the trend of this one， we'll spend most of the book with Cora mentally lamenting that death and trying to process that trauma。 （hide spoiler）]Earlier， I raised the idea that the novel was setting itself up as The Empire Strikes Back--dark and gritty and mature。 Upon reflection， I think it's closer to The Last Jedi。 Better than the film that preceded it but certainly not good and not so much a failure of the text in question as it is the compounding failure of the previous instalment it was built upon。 A text that seems profound but is just kinda banal， where it feels like the author is unaware of the wider corpus of fiction that's handled similar themes。 Ellis' writing is better than the first novel， true， but still short of what I'd consider passable。 If Axiom's End was one star， Truth of the Divine is about one and a half。 My impression is a novel that'll do nothing to sway people who didn't like the first and will surely alienate a number of people who enjoyed the first。 My curiosity into Ellis' creative skill is sated。 I will not be reading the third。 It's nice to see Ellis put out a better book than her first， whether that stems from increased editorial oversight or more attention on her own craft， but so much of it feels like it's tied up in a desire to be taken seriously as a mature writer who writes about trauma and not space aliens but with the same energy and intensity as someone who writes 'mature' fanfiction on ao3。 There's no truth in this supposed divinity and certainly no insight。Ultimately， whatever support the editorial staff gave Ellis for this book is what they owed her for her debut novel。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more
Christine
，
Ok， truth time for "Truth of the Divine。" - The bad news is that I was super nervous about reading this sequel because the first book left me confused （entertained， but confused）。- The good news is that reading "Truth of the Divine" felt like eating a bucket of popcorn at the movies， and I got hooked in spite of my better judgment。 （Much sleep was sacrificed to this book。 Just one more chapter。。。）"Truth of the Divine" is the second installment of the Noumena series and picks up right where "Axio Ok， truth time for "Truth of the Divine。" - The bad news is that I was super nervous about reading this sequel because the first book left me confused （entertained， but confused）。- The good news is that reading "Truth of the Divine" felt like eating a bucket of popcorn at the movies， and I got hooked in spite of my better judgment。 （Much sleep was sacrificed to this book。 Just one more chapter。。。）"Truth of the Divine" is the second installment of the Noumena series and picks up right where "Axiom's End，" well， ends。 Main character Cora is recovering （poorly） from the ordeal of the first book's finale， Ampersand the extraterrestrial is somehow more comforting and less trustworthy than when she met him in the back of a van， and a minor character makes a big， big comeback in the form of Kaveh Mazandarani， journalist & globe-trotter extraordinaire （complete with bad jokes and many internal narration exclamation points）。 Plus we keep Sol Kaplan， CIA agent and resident Sad & Frustrated Man （who gets some added depth this time around！）。The story starts off slow and fairly rough: Cora's working for the government now， interpreting for the ETs （or ETIs， as they go by here）， and having， as the kids say， a Straight-Up Bad Time。 She can't turn to anyone but Ampersand， which isn't great considering she barely knows him and he's not terribly thrilled about being mind-connected to a human he can't begin to understand。 （Not that this isn't his fault， it's totally his fault。） And then we meet Kaveh， and more aliens， and suddenly the ball gets rolling like a boulder chasing after an 80s action hero。 As a bonus， author Lindsay Ellis gives us more repulsive glimpses of Cora's manipulative father Nils （from afar） and some good old American political circus adventures to boot。 If you read "Axiom's End" and feel ambivalent about picking this up: squash that feeling。 Seriously。 This is a great time。 Darker， with some content warnings for trauma and suicide， but it grabs you with earnest emotions and a boost in energy that was missing from the first installment。Recommended for anyone who likes a summer-popcorn adventure that isn't afraid to delve into the bad consequences of living through the previous summer-popcorn movie。 Also good for anyone who wants to laugh one second and tear up the next。One more warning: if you know any elderly people who speak Farsi，，， maybe don't ask them what "Jendeh" means when used as a greeting。 Just google it。Thank you to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Michael Thonton
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I'm finished with Truth of the Divine: A great read， moves the series in an interesting new direction。 The characters grow and develop and the world moves on。 Easy to read and flows like a river to the next book。 Can't wait。 I'm finished with Truth of the Divine: A great read， moves the series in an interesting new direction。 The characters grow and develop and the world moves on。 Easy to read and flows like a river to the next book。 Can't wait。 。。。more
Soph the Oaf
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This。。。 oh， god this book。 I swear I cried a thousand times。 This book captures the essence of what it means to be human， to hate something different and other that you don't understand， to want to destroy it。 And it also captures the essence of hope for humanity and what it's like to lose that hope。 This。。。 oh， god this book。 I swear I cried a thousand times。 This book captures the essence of what it means to be human， to hate something different and other that you don't understand， to want to destroy it。 And it also captures the essence of hope for humanity and what it's like to lose that hope。 。。。more
Bell
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A huge jump in quality over Book 1， this one really fleshed out the characters and built up the tension。 It felt a lot more natural and realistic to me。 My only complaint is that the long diatribes were sometimes out of place and a bit jarring。How long till boor 3 is released？
Shannon （It Starts At Midnight）
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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight 4。5* 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 You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight 4。5* 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！ 。。。more
Mattias
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This book took turns I did not see coming but that felt very natural and obvious looking back。It feels both smaller and larger than the first book。It is much darker and at times frustratingly painful。The themes and the feel of the world is spot on。 It is a vivid portrayal of our society and who we are。The thought and detail that has gone into the alien society and personalities really adds to the grounded feel it all。The slow pace also adds to things feeling more real and there is time to focus This book took turns I did not see coming but that felt very natural and obvious looking back。It feels both smaller and larger than the first book。It is much darker and at times frustratingly painful。The themes and the feel of the world is spot on。 It is a vivid portrayal of our society and who we are。The thought and detail that has gone into the alien society and personalities really adds to the grounded feel it all。The slow pace also adds to things feeling more real and there is time to focus on characters， relationships， philosophical and judicial ponderings etc。 I really like this and I need more。 。。。more
brian
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Reviewer's note: As usual， it is difficult to review the second book in a series without revealing sensitive details of the first book。 Therefore， this review will not avoid spoilers for Axiom's End。 If， for some reason， you wish to avoid spoilers for that book but still want to read a review for this book， here is your spoiler free review: Going beyond "what if aliens came to Earth？"， Truth asks the question "are aliens people？" Answers are given， and so is some solid character development， but Reviewer's note: As usual， it is difficult to review the second book in a series without revealing sensitive details of the first book。 Therefore， this review will not avoid spoilers for Axiom's End。 If， for some reason， you wish to avoid spoilers for that book but still want to read a review for this book， here is your spoiler free review: Going beyond "what if aliens came to Earth？"， Truth asks the question "are aliens people？" Answers are given， and so is some solid character development， but with a plot that's a little less clear than Axiom's。Following shortly after the events of Axiom's End， Truth of the Divine has to grapple with different questions。 Now that aliens are on Earth， do they have rights？ Do aliens have the same rights as human beings？ But it also has to deal with more personal questions。 After being ripped apart by Obelus and stitched back together by Ampersand， how does Cora cope with that trauma？ What does being bonded to an alien mean？ Some of these questions get thorough explanation and others do not， but the end result is a better book than the first。My chief complaint with Axiom's End was that Cora did not get near as much character development as Ampersand， and Ampersand， through his many lies and manipulations， was not a likeable protagonist。 Truth delivers on building up Cora， and new secondary protagonist Kaveh to a lesser degree。 Instead of just being a walking camera for the reader's POV， Cora grows from simply existing to having a purpose。 Kaveh， introduced with a purpose， grows in what motivates him。 The aliens fair a little worse off。 Truth quickly sets aside most of them to put a laser focus on two。 The "dynamic fusion bond" we learned about in Axiom's is explored in more detail here， and relationships between aliens and humans are central to this plot。 The plot， however， is where Truth suffers in contrast to Axiom's。 It is never quite clear which way we are going and then ends without resolving many conflicts it put into focus throughout the rest of the novel。 We start with the questions about the legal rights of aliens， Truth explores those questions in detail， but we do not quite get to any resolution。 While exploring this central topic， Truth introduces some side threads that likewise go unresolved， until one of them becomes the dramatic climax。 It was good to see it close the loop， but it was not the loop I expected to see end with this novel。Truth of the Divine is a better book than Axiom's End， but it is an exchange of qualities。 We get better characters and a less satisfying plot。 Still， I found myself glued to it for the duration。 It may be the curse of the middle volume， but it makes me look forward to the conclusion in a way that I was not quite bought into after Axiom's End。 。。。more
Di
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I’ll give this 3 stars almost purely because I really liked Enola/Nikola， but overall it was exhausting to read and extremely long。 Ampersand is gone from the story for a big chunk of it， so by the end I barely care about him or his relationship with Cora。 This book does a few things very well but certain threads are frustratingly underwhelming。
Kevin James
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4 stars， a slight improvement over the previous work with more ambitious and focused themingWith Ellis' first book， Axiom's End， I enjoyed the work but ultimately thought it was only okay。 That was partly due to two reasons: much of the work fell back on in jokes from Ellis' media critic career that I appreciated as a long time fan but which didn't do anything for the book's story and the novel tried to juggle more themes than it could fully pull off。 With this sequel， however， Ellis goes all in 4 stars， a slight improvement over the previous work with more ambitious and focused themingWith Ellis' first book， Axiom's End， I enjoyed the work but ultimately thought it was only okay。 That was partly due to two reasons: much of the work fell back on in jokes from Ellis' media critic career that I appreciated as a long time fan but which didn't do anything for the book's story and the novel tried to juggle more themes than it could fully pull off。 With this sequel， however， Ellis goes all in on one main theme and it's a good one: the the dehumanization of refugees in a post 9/11 world。 Much of this central theme is delivered through the newish character of Kaveh， a first-generation Iranian-American who fled Iran in his early childhood。 Through Kaveh， Ellis explores the parallels between how Muslim Americans were treated in the early War on Terror years with how the alien amygdalines are being treated in the book's present day。 Kaveh clearly partially draws on the real life experiences of the actual person who inspired this character's name （Ellis's podcast co-host， Kaveh Taherian） and the book is much stronger for being able to incorporate those real world fears about being an outcast and being mistreated by a fearful and xenophobic society with such sharpness。 Much of the plot revolves around the idea that now that humanity knows aliens exist， there is a clear attempt by the far right to strip them of any legal rights as a prelude to being able to deny the legal rights of other groups they may hate。 Unfortunately the movement picks up a lot of support due to attacks on the amygdalines that reveal just how capable they are of defending themselves from harm。There are still some weaknesses here。 The number of different names each amygdaline has can get a bit confusing at times。 I also felt that the central relationship between Kaveh and Cora was a little weak。 I never fully bought into their romance which felt like it started rather abruptly。 That said， the romantic parts weren't actively bad or anything， just a little underbaked。 I also felt that Ellis' characterization of the far right anti-amygdaline group The Third Option felt rather tame compared to the real world antics of real world far right groups。 While the book correctly has our protagonists identify this group as fascist， their behavior in the book is often subdued and in their worst moments， they engage in a shootout and an attempt to run someone over。 These are certainly bad and horrific acts （with some dire consequences）， but I would have liked to see more especially when compared to books like Hank Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thing which did an excellent job characterizing its anti-alien extremists as a constantly lurking menace with how often they stalked and threatened the main character of Green's book。Overall though， it's an improvement and I was happy to see this turn。 I'll be interested to see how this trilogy wraps up from here since the book ended in a rather unexpected way that opens up possibilities for the 3rd book to be radically different from the first two。Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC to review。 。。。more
Kailin
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Heart wrenching， but one of these books that keeps drawing me back in。 Get ready for a ride， this sequel isn't necessarily gonna be fun， but rings devastatingly true with regards to human nature。 Heart wrenching， but one of these books that keeps drawing me back in。 Get ready for a ride， this sequel isn't necessarily gonna be fun， but rings devastatingly true with regards to human nature。 。。。more
Isabella （Stubbornly Bookish）
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E-ARC provided through the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 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。 E-ARC provided through the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 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。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Copy received from Netgalley。 All opinions are my own。On the whole， I did enjoy Axiom’s End。 I thought the premise was solid and the story was enjoyable but it wasn’t perfect。 It was a little dense in places and I occasionally found myself lost。The Truth of the Divine picks up Cora’s story and she’s not doing well。 She’s suffering frequent panic attacks and nightmares。 Things don’t get much better for her。 Or the world。The main premise of the story is deciding what constitutes a person and Ellis Copy received from Netgalley。 All opinions are my own。On the whole， I did enjoy Axiom’s End。 I thought the premise was solid and the story was enjoyable but it wasn’t perfect。 It was a little dense in places and I occasionally found myself lost。The Truth of the Divine picks up Cora’s story and she’s not doing well。 She’s suffering frequent panic attacks and nightmares。 Things don’t get much better for her。 Or the world。The main premise of the story is deciding what constitutes a person and Ellis weaves her narrative around the subject very well。 It’s not an easy topic to broach but the cases of both sides are presented very clearly and I did find myself being more persuaded by Cora’s side， not surprisingly。Speaking of Cora， I did find her to be a lot more sympathetic in this book。 She is clearly going through a lot， suffering with her own trauma as well as being able to feel Ampersand’s。 Their relationship is a very strange one but I do enjoy their interactions。 It’s a weird mix of romantic and comforting and although I do think it is a bit weird， I also liked reading it。 Cora also works well with Kaveh and I enjoyed reading his character a lot。 Their interactions were sweet and I think he was just the character she needed to be with while she was going through all this trauma。Once again， the novel isn’t perfect。 It does flow a lot better than Axiom’s End and it definitely isn’t as dense but there were times when it felt like the story was treading water while it moved from one set piece to another。 The end of the novel promises something new and different which I am looking forward to reading about。On the whole， The Truth of the Divine is an improvement on Axiom’s End but it still suffers from some problems that need to be ironed out。 I enjoyed the characters and the journeys they went on and the story mostly works well。 It’s just a little long in places。Also， as a Beatles fan， I love that all the parts are named using Beatles lyrics。 。。。more
Shawn Baran
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I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of Truth of the Divine （thanks Goodreads and St。 Martin Press！）。 Despite that， I feel no obligation to hype this book just because it was free。 So， please believe my sincerity when I say that this was an excellent book that exceeded all of my expectations following the first book， Axiom’s End。 It is a incredibly thoughtful deepening of character， conflict， and concept that was charming， entertaining， devastating， and significantly heavier/more in I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of Truth of the Divine （thanks Goodreads and St。 Martin Press！）。 Despite that， I feel no obligation to hype this book just because it was free。 So， please believe my sincerity when I say that this was an excellent book that exceeded all of my expectations following the first book， Axiom’s End。 It is a incredibly thoughtful deepening of character， conflict， and concept that was charming， entertaining， devastating， and significantly heavier/more intense than the first。 And that’s all I’m gonna say about that。 Hope book 3 isn’t too far away， because I’m on the hook now for sure。 。。。more
Greta
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked the first book in this series decently but truly I think it was not fucked up enough for me which this latest one certainly makes up for。 In many ways I think I am the ideal/intended reader for this kind of book: I remember the 00s in a fairly formative way （even with a Howard years more so than bush flavour）， I majored in gender studies， and I’m fucked up， bisexual and strongly on team monster fucker 😎。 Also reading a book about communication and love and traumatic shit during another t I liked the first book in this series decently but truly I think it was not fucked up enough for me which this latest one certainly makes up for。 In many ways I think I am the ideal/intended reader for this kind of book: I remember the 00s in a fairly formative way （even with a Howard years more so than bush flavour）， I majored in gender studies， and I’m fucked up， bisexual and strongly on team monster fucker 😎。 Also reading a book about communication and love and traumatic shit during another traumatic worldwide event really is a vibe。 I simply choose not to see certain parts of the ending for now， purely due to a difference in which bits of the story mattered most about between me and the author which is entirely forgivable and also what fanfiction is for。 My interest in the existential and political commentary aspects will pick up once I finish being Sad and pretending everyone’s horny and happy until the next book comes out。 。。。more
Kay Mcleer
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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。 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。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Truth of the Divine
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Truth of the Divine&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Truth of the Divine&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0