Axiom's End
Axiom's End is a 2020 science fiction novel by American writer Lindsay Ellis. Set in 2007, the novel is about a U.S. government coverup of contact with extraterrestrial life. Axiom's End entered The [New York Times Best Seller list|The New York Times Best Seller list] at number 7. It is Ellis's debut novel.
Plot
In an alternate version of the United States in 2007, famous whistleblower Nils Ortega leverages his large online following to repeatedly attack the Bush administration, alleging a series of government cover-ups. The nature of Nils's work forced him to flee the country, abandoning his family. Nils's daughter, Cora Sabino, lives with her mother and her two younger siblings in Southern California, where her aunt Luciana, a former federal agent, also resides. Cora's family find themselves under constant supervision by agents of the U.S. government, including a CIA official named Sol Kaplan.Following a meteor strike nearby, Cora's family is abducted by government agents while Cora flees from an alien creature that broke into their house at night. The alien catches Cora, implanting a tracking and communication device into her, using her as a human puppet to launch an infiltration of the Googleplex for unknown reasons. This infiltration fails when a mysterious pulse of energy knocks out the alien. It is revealed that the alien came to Earth to figure out how another member of his species died while being held in captivity by the government. Cora and the alien strike a wary alliance, as Cora wants to reunite with her abducted family members while the alien needs a human interpreter. Cora names the alien Ampersand, after the government's leaked codename for the meteor. Cora contacts Luciana in an attempt to convey Ampersand to his fellow aliens, called "amygdalines," who are being held in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Ampersand bonds with Cora as she attempts to create translations between the amygdaline language and English. Ampersand reveals to Cora that the majority of amygdaline "Oligarchs" voted to commit planetary genocide against an alien race, against the wishes of Ampersand and a few other Oligarchs. It was determined that the dissenting Oligarchs, including Ampersand, were genetically defective, causing their flight to Earth with "the Genome," a mysterious package of genetic information. Ampersand notes that the amygdaline race will likely attempt genocide against humanity as well.
Nils and his followers continue to attack the government, embroiling George W. Bush in a scandal around an alleged attempt to cover up first contact with an alien species. Amidst a public outcry, Bush resigns, and Dick Cheney is sworn in as president. Cora and Ampersand argue over cultural differences between humans and amygdalines, and Cora storms off. Meanwhile, a hostile amygdaline, Obelus, arrives at Cheyenne Mountain and attacks the facility. Cora escapes with the Genome, but Ampersand and the other amygdalines are lost. In transit, the Genome hatches from its egg, revealing itself to be a fragile, newborn amygdaline. After surviving a car crash and severe injuries, Cora leaves the Genome with Luciana and attempts to track down Ampersand. Upon meeting with Cora, Ampersand heals her wounds, makes amends, then urges her to leave him for her own safety. She begins to do so, but doubles back when she realizes that Obelus has found Ampersand and is attempting to negotiate. Eavesdropping on their conversation, Cora discovers that Ampersand and Obelus are pair-bonded. Obelus abducts Cora and the other amygdalines as insurance in exchange for Ampersand bringing Obelus the Genome. Amidst an altercation between Cora and Obelus's guards, she is badly injured. Upon waking up, she realizes that Ampersand has arrived with the Genome, but is refusing to turn it over. The Genome is wounded by Obelus and dies. Suspicious that Obelus is genetically defective, and prompted by a tip from Cora, Obelus's guards attack and kill Obelus. Ampersand escapes carrying the still-wounded Cora.
Cora awakes in a hospital, attended to by her mother and siblings, who have been released from government custody after Nils publicizes their abduction. That night, Ampersand appears in Cora's hospital room and, at her request, curls up next to her. Ampersand reveals that, in a moment of desperation, he pair-bonded with Cora in order to track her when she was under Obelus's arrest. Strongly affected by the revelation that they have pair-bonded, Cora asks Ampersand not to leave her. Though he agrees, he notes that, given their disparate constitutions, they will never truly know each other.