PositiveColumbia Journal... a book that initially cloaks its intellectuality in the tropes of genre, drawing readers into what appears to be the kind of story with which voracious science-fiction fans are well acquainted ... a mind-bending exploration of the human condition ... readers are made to grapple with Big Questions about the dangers of cross-species (here an erstwhile stand-in for cross-cultural) communication, and the will of humans to force our likeness onto those around us. Ellis’s prose style is compelling, though not ornamented, and her style lies not so much at the sentence level as at the level of wit ... While at times the material seems to stretch at the seams, reaching a bit too far for its extraterrestrial limbs, it’s always admirable in the attempt. For those seeking a thrill-packed and politically pertinent science fiction ride, Axiom’s End might just be exactly what you’re looking for this summer. But be warned: you may find that, like an alien implant, this novel lingers far after you’ve put it down.
