Truth of the Divine
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- Author：Lindsay Ellis
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Summary
Sequel to instant New York Times bestseller Axiom's End， in Truth of the Divine， Lindsay Ellis deepens her exploration of a world faced with the presence of extra terrestrial intelligence。
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。
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
Kevin Saunders
，
I quite enjoyed the second of this series by Lindsay Ellis。 I think it developed both the characters of the first novel and the philosophical ideas that were raised。 We spend a significant portion of the narrative outside the perspective of Cora， the POV character jn Axiom’s End， which I think helps with the growing world we find ourselves in。 I do think the book suffers a little bit from “middle of a trilogy” syndrome， with lots of things left open for a potential third novel。 The themes of the I quite enjoyed the second of this series by Lindsay Ellis。 I think it developed both the characters of the first novel and the philosophical ideas that were raised。 We spend a significant portion of the narrative outside the perspective of Cora， the POV character jn Axiom’s End， which I think helps with the growing world we find ourselves in。 I do think the book suffers a little bit from “middle of a trilogy” syndrome， with lots of things left open for a potential third novel。 The themes of the novel and what it means to be human absolutely resonate with what is happening in our world today， and even though it is ostensibly a period piece （set in 2008） it feels like these are arguments that could be happening today。 I don’t know what that says about us， that things haven’t changed all that much in 10+ years。 I was given an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sion Fogal
，
I’ve just finished the ARC （I will still read the official version and listen to the audiobook in October）。 This is my new favorite book。It has a lot of the things I want in a story。 That’s all I’m gonna say！
Steve Koyasako
，
I won a free advance review copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway， and am leaving this review voluntarily。 I was lucky enough to have read Volume 1 of the series （again in a giveaway）; otherwise it would have been hard to pick up the threads of the story without having had the background。 Granted， a lot of that is recapped， but not early on。 What is discussed a lot early on is Cora Sabino's PTSD from having been disemboweled and killed by one alien --"Obelus" -- and repaired/brought back to I won a free advance review copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway， and am leaving this review voluntarily。 I was lucky enough to have read Volume 1 of the series （again in a giveaway）; otherwise it would have been hard to pick up the threads of the story without having had the background。 Granted， a lot of that is recapped， but not early on。 What is discussed a lot early on is Cora Sabino's PTSD from having been disemboweled and killed by one alien --"Obelus" -- and repaired/brought back to life by another --"Ampersand"。 Cora is the main POV character in this book， just as in Axiom's End。In this alternate history universe， the events of the prior book have caused the fall of the George W。 Bush administration; V。P。 Dick Cheney has succeeded him as President。 Cora is still the interpreter/mouthpiece for Ampersand， who is now in government custody along with the other aliens （who we call "Amygdalines"）， except for Obelus -- who Cora believes to have been killed。 Unfortunately， because of the "dynamic fusion bonding" that Ampersand did with Cora in the previous book， Ampersand is also suffering PTSD。 Ampersand has a mental breakdown throughout much of the book， triggered by fear of "Esperas"， leader of the other aliens， the pain coming from his bond with Cora， and his anxiety over Obelus -- whose brain and personality were transferred to the dead cyborg body of "Cefo"。 Ampersand was secretly bonded to both Obelus and Cefo in this complicated web of Amygdaline fusion bonding: one of the critical plot points in the series， but also one of the most confusing and less satisfying。The parts of the book where Cora and Ampersand deal with their respective mental health issues didn't really interest me that much， and I don't know if they were that critical to the plot， which was strangely centered on U。S。 political controversy over alien "personhood"， and a movement to classify them as something less -- the so-called "Third Option Movement"。 This leads to political intrigue involving Cora's Julian Assange-lite father， Nils Ortega; right-wing extremists （much like what we see today） organized against the aliens; and compounded by the dramatic appearance of yet another "Symphale" （bond-brother） of Ampersand's， code-named "Enola Gay"， through a self-made wormhole。 The more interesting thing about the book is how it explored the pernicious effect of secrets: keeping secrets， leaking secrets -- eating the secret-keeper inside; and having destructive consequences on others， some intended， and some unintended。 This book introduces a new POV character， an Iranian-born award-winning journalist named Kaveh Mazandarani， who is first taken prisoner by Cora and Enola， and who then takes care of Cora's meltdowns and becomes her lover。 To me， he was the most likable and honorable character in the book。 His major failing is that he leaks classified information that he overhears using alien technology， passing it on to Cora's father， who is blackmailing him by threatening to leak damaging information about Cora。 This action has disastrous consequences: again， the pernicious effect of keeping and leaking secrets。With Ampersand either out looking for Obelus or comatose， Enola becomes our main alien interlocutor （after undergoing drug detox）。 And he waxes metaphysical， trying to explain to Cora the Truth of the Divine， as in the title。 He also explains that because humans have advanced so rapidly， we will be perceived as a threat to the Amygdaline species， and will be eliminated -- within as little as 15 years。 This presages the theme for the next book（s） in the series。A lot of the book involved the political maneuvering between ambitious politicians， aided and abetted by Nils， the Third Option proponents and right-wing militias; and those in favor of alien personhood， among whom are Cora and Kaveh。 Besides being perfectly silly， this leads to some of the more distressing parts of the book， with militias attacking Cora and the aliens， media distorting everything， and so on。 It gets even worse later， with fatal consequences。Thank you to St。 Martin's Press and Lindsay Ellis for letting have this ARC。 。。。more
Patrick
，
I enjoyed the first book for what it was and am generally a fan of Lindsay Ellis’s other work; however， I found the second book in this series rather lacking on purpose and direction。 From the jarring use of multiple names for multiple characters （though I understand the purpose for plot purposes）， the complex ideas that needed to be re-explained multiple times， the human drama that sometimes drags， the alien drama that almost always drags， and the strange pacing， I felt that TRUTH OF THE DIVINE I enjoyed the first book for what it was and am generally a fan of Lindsay Ellis’s other work; however， I found the second book in this series rather lacking on purpose and direction。 From the jarring use of multiple names for multiple characters （though I understand the purpose for plot purposes）， the complex ideas that needed to be re-explained multiple times， the human drama that sometimes drags， the alien drama that almost always drags， and the strange pacing， I felt that TRUTH OF THE DIVINE didn’t know what it wanted to be。 Because of that， I found it a real struggle to finish despite my fast attack at the beginning。 Still， there were still some fun-to-read segments and I was really invested in Cora’s human relationship （at first）。 It just feels that， overall， this could have used more time in the percolator。 2。5。Thank you to St。 Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC for a fair review。 。。。more
Sarah
，
I received an eARC of this book prior to publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are mine。TW: this book and review mention subject matter that can be triggering。Oh boy， this was a difficult one。 I signed up to read and review this because I somewhat enjoyed the first book。 I love Lindsay's youtube videos and wanted to support her in her new career as an author。 Since I do not request books often anymore， I try to only ask for ARCs that I will genuinely like。 I hat I received an eARC of this book prior to publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are mine。TW: this book and review mention subject matter that can be triggering。Oh boy， this was a difficult one。 I signed up to read and review this because I somewhat enjoyed the first book。 I love Lindsay's youtube videos and wanted to support her in her new career as an author。 Since I do not request books often anymore， I try to only ask for ARCs that I will genuinely like。 I hate writing negative reviews， but I also refuse to lie。Truth of the Divine continues the story of Cora and Ampersand。 It is a much darker book compared to Axiom's End， due to the trauma that the two main characters endured。 The topics of PTSD， suicide， suicidal ideation， and self-harm are part of the main focus of this book。 I appreciate that Ellis took the time to add a warning to the beginning about these and other potentially triggering subject matter。Book two of the Noumena series also introduces two new main characters， Nik and Kaveh。 If you read my review of Axiom's End， you know how much I disliked pretty much all of the humans。 Kaveh is a major improvement。 If the story had started with him， instead of Cora， I probably would have enjoyed both books more。 I also really loved Nikola and how different he was from all of the other amygdalines introduced so far。 Axiom's End was more focused on the first contact/alien arrival。 Truth of the Divine dives into the aftermath of what that could lead to。 Thus， we spend quite a bit of time focused on the political going-ons and the discussion of what the definition of a person is。 Normally， I find these discussions to be interesting， but by the 50% mark my brain had almost checked out。 I also got annoyed by the way certain things were explained because it came off very "look guys， I'm woke" and it just felt disingenuous。If I had not requested this book as an ARC， I wouldn't have finished it。 I have a big section on the page of notes I took while reading that just says "BORED" that I doodle around while trying to focus。 The idea for this story is great。 I just don't think I click with Lindsay's writing style。 I was admittedly more lenient with the writing in my review of book one。 First books are always hard， so I gave a pass for the things that bothered me， with the hope they would improve in book two。 They didn't。 I hate repetitiveness in books unless it has a reason。 I got to a point while reading Truth of the Divine where I decided if any form of "animal brain"， "animal rage"， or "alien brain" was used again that I was going to drop this book and write my review without finishing it。 "Cora is whiny， annoying， impulsive， immature， and somehow painfully realistic。 She low-key kinda reminds me of Bella Swan， and while reading I felt like I was crazy。" （from my review of Axiom's End）This got worse。 SOOOO much worse。 The difference between Cora and Bella though， is that I like Bella。 Don't get me wrong， Bella is also a difficult character， but she's a teenager。 （The more I think about this series， the more I can see it as fanfic of Twilight。） Cora is just stupid。 I know she's dealing with severe trauma。。。but that girl has no common sense or the ability to learn。 This book has been so frustrating。 All of the elements of something good are there， something just went wrong。 I struggled to finish it but was intent on doing so。 I wanted to make sure to give it a fair shot。。。who knows it could have gotten better。 Sadly， it didn't。 Usually， a book ending is a sad thing。 Finishing this book though has left me feeling relieved。 Rating this book is also another challenge。 I feel like a 2/5 is too low。 I gave Axiom's End 3/5， but I enjoyed it more。 So， I'm officially giving it 2。5/5， but for Goodreads， it is getting 3/5。I believe this is meant to be a trilogy， so since I have read and reviewed one and two I will probably try to force myself to read the final book （only because I am a completionist）。 。。。more
Audrey
，
When I saw an opportunity to read this on Netgallery I jumped on it， and surprisingly got it！ I read "Axiom's End，" while usually not my cup of tea it did have me interested in where the story would lead。 Hoo boy this one was action packed！ It is a pretty heavy read， dealing with self-harm， suicidal ideation， addiction， ptsd， racism， etc。 I had to take a break about half way through but it did pull me back。 I loved Kaveh in this， I'm a sucker for kind optimistic characters。 I felt for Cora in th When I saw an opportunity to read this on Netgallery I jumped on it， and surprisingly got it！ I read "Axiom's End，" while usually not my cup of tea it did have me interested in where the story would lead。 Hoo boy this one was action packed！ It is a pretty heavy read， dealing with self-harm， suicidal ideation， addiction， ptsd， racism， etc。 I had to take a break about half way through but it did pull me back。 I loved Kaveh in this， I'm a sucker for kind optimistic characters。 I felt for Cora in this one as she struggles to deal with events that happened in the previous book， and shit still continues to get to real for her in this book。 I just finished reading so I feel I haven't processed it fully yet but I can’t wait for the next book！ 。。。more
Anna
，
I received an ARC from the Goodreads giveaway。 Holy crap。 This book。 I am normally leery of the middle books in series as they usually act as a bridge between the set up of the first to the resolution of the last。 But， man， this took the story to a whole other level。 Cora’s complexity and nuance， the new characters， the absolutely terrifying government and global response to everything， and more come together into a book that （once I finally had the time to read） I could not put down。
Mary
，
As a Goodreads advance copy winner I was excited to start this book， but with a warning from the author， I tried and tried to read it。 Sorry， too “out there”
Kyle Marie
，
While it has been over a year since I read the first novel in the series， I don't remember it being quite as dark as this one。 It definitely had ethical questions posed and some darker scenes， but this book dove headfirst into the hard subjects。 And while some might prefer easy reading when the world is difficult， I appreciated that the author spoke to issues we are seeing in the world today。 It was mirrored perhaps a bit too close for comfort， but that's the point。 There is the idea of "personh While it has been over a year since I read the first novel in the series， I don't remember it being quite as dark as this one。 It definitely had ethical questions posed and some darker scenes， but this book dove headfirst into the hard subjects。 And while some might prefer easy reading when the world is difficult， I appreciated that the author spoke to issues we are seeing in the world today。 It was mirrored perhaps a bit too close for comfort， but that's the point。 There is the idea of "personhood" and what it means in relation to aliens being so different， and rightly so， our main characters point out that there isn't much of a stretch to think this same line of thinking could be applied to humans。 It hit home as a neurodiverse mother to neurodiverse children。 At times， the thoughts and actions of some humans in the book made my heart hurt， but the author does an excellent job writing it。 In fact， the writing is a step up from the previous book。 She really did her research， spoke with others on subjects she had no experience with， and covered mental health issues with tact and truth。There is an additional POV character， which may not appeal to some， but I felt it was necessary for this book。 Cora is not in a good place， and to spend nearly 500 pages in her head would have been difficult。 It also means we get more time with Nikola， who very quickly became my favorite character。 He is all the curiosity and wonder to Ampersand's brooding。 All of the characters are so well fleshed out， each with their own past trauma and baggage。 They felt like real people living in this alternate history （and yes， people include aliens）。 I also appreciated that there were fewer callouts to the time period， as it got a bit tedious in the first book。If I were to have one complaint， it's that the book suffers a little from middle book syndrome。 While it covers necessary topics and character growth， it sometimes felt like a long walk to the finale。 But despite the length， I felt engaged the entire read， and I will definitely be finishing the series。 。。。more
Jasmine
，
Thanks so much to NetGalley， St。 Martin’s Press， and Lindsay Ellis for this eARC in exchange for an honest review！ I adored this book for a multitude of reasons。 Does it have flaws？ Surely。 That doesn’t change the fact that this story is filled with heart。 Truth of the Divine， at least to me， was a strong follow up to Axiom’s End。 There are so many issues covered in between these pages （which does have a trigger warning in the beginning due to writing about suicide and mental health） that this b Thanks so much to NetGalley， St。 Martin’s Press， and Lindsay Ellis for this eARC in exchange for an honest review！ I adored this book for a multitude of reasons。 Does it have flaws？ Surely。 That doesn’t change the fact that this story is filled with heart。 Truth of the Divine， at least to me， was a strong follow up to Axiom’s End。 There are so many issues covered in between these pages （which does have a trigger warning in the beginning due to writing about suicide and mental health） that this becomes so much more than a book about aliens and the inability of humanity to adapt to that which makes them uncomfortable or confused。 Naturally， we will not handle aliens well on a grand scale because so many humans don’t even really understand how to deal with differences here on Earth。 Ellis takes us deeper into the emotions of both humanity and alien alike to show that， yes， there are differences， but none so vast as to be insurmountable。 There’s a lot to be said for being an open-minded being。 I was looking forward to this book in a big-time kind of way， and I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed。 I’m so beyond ready for the third book already！ Is it out yet？？！？ 。。。more
Cat
，
Thank you to Goodreads and St Martin's for the chance to read an early copy of this book！I am a fan of Lindsay Ellis's video essay work， as well as her first book， so I am not SURPRISED by the fact that I loved this book， but the experience of reading it certainly was more an emotional rollercoaster than I expected。 Make sure to read the author's note， which speaks briefly but thoughtfully about depictions of mental health in media， and warns the reader that this is a MUCH darker book than AXIOM Thank you to Goodreads and St Martin's for the chance to read an early copy of this book！I am a fan of Lindsay Ellis's video essay work， as well as her first book， so I am not SURPRISED by the fact that I loved this book， but the experience of reading it certainly was more an emotional rollercoaster than I expected。 Make sure to read the author's note， which speaks briefly but thoughtfully about depictions of mental health in media， and warns the reader that this is a MUCH darker book than AXIOM'S END。 Our cast of characters expands and things start to get weird but fascinating but scary but thought-provoking。。。there's a lot in there， and I was there for the ride the whole time， from the occasional giggle to some genuinely shocking developments。 My only regret about winning an early copy is that this makes the wait between now and the next book even longer。 。。。more
Matthew Schiller
，
Full disclosure， I received this book for free after winning it in a Goodreads giveaway。 I very much enjoyed this novel， as I did the first one in the series， but for different reasons。 The first for it’s accessible and believable take on first contact from the perspective of an average person and the second because of how the aftermath is dealt with。 Often in media after the end of a traumatic experience the heroes ride off into the sunset。 I’ve always been interested in what happens after。 As Full disclosure， I received this book for free after winning it in a Goodreads giveaway。 I very much enjoyed this novel， as I did the first one in the series， but for different reasons。 The first for it’s accessible and believable take on first contact from the perspective of an average person and the second because of how the aftermath is dealt with。 Often in media after the end of a traumatic experience the heroes ride off into the sunset。 I’ve always been interested in what happens after。 As an audience， we aren’t usually allowed to see what happens because typically stories are frames as good vs evil and when good wins then the story is over。 Why I enjoyed Truth of the Divine so much was because it drew aside the curtain to the aftermath。 Not to get into spoilers but it’s pretty traumatic being the voice of extraterrestrials and experiencing violent situations for which you were not prepared。 This is dealt with and shown at great and believable length and the conclusion for me was a satisfying response to all that had occurred。 Aside from enjoying the plot and where the story went I felt that the inclusion of a second character POV really helped us along in this novel。 It allowed the reader an outside view of the main protagonist and the situation while adding a great chancier in its own right。 This was something in my review of the first novel I had hoped for and was glad to see。 I was really happy with where the sequel went and I hope that we get more in the future。 。。。more
Lox
，
Suicide is often portrayed as in some way deeply sad， but in some ways inevitable， and sometimes almost noble， which is something that Ellis vehemently rejects from the outset。 The desperation of spiraling and the seeming impossibility of recovery is instead treated as it is: a battle with one's self that cannot be fought alone。 The utter inability to communicate， the dread of being burdensome， those are walls that have to be fought through， and are sometimes gotten through by someone else kicki Suicide is often portrayed as in some way deeply sad， but in some ways inevitable， and sometimes almost noble， which is something that Ellis vehemently rejects from the outset。 The desperation of spiraling and the seeming impossibility of recovery is instead treated as it is: a battle with one's self that cannot be fought alone。 The utter inability to communicate， the dread of being burdensome， those are walls that have to be fought through， and are sometimes gotten through by someone else kicking down the door。Ellis portrays anxiety， depression， and PTSD as the painful， wrecking forces that they can be， but she also shows them as monsters that can be conquered once they are acknowledged， once they are faced。 And they shouldn't be faced alone。 It's so damn true to life， and I love it。 Also there are aliens and the cultural implications of their discovery are intertwined with the preexisting xenophobia and racism in America， all of which is used to create a horrifically believable political climate。 This makes up a lot of the book， and it's really well done。 Uncomfortably so。This book is a good follow-up， a good story on its own， and is a fantastic set up for future books。 Highly recommend if you're into this。 。。。more
Mark Cofta
，
I really admired Axiom's End， and was pleased to learn of its sequel， officially coming out in October （my copy was a freebie from Goodreads and the publisher）。 Axiom's End was a satisfying stand-alone， but Ellis shows that there is much more to discover in her story of powerful yet imperfect extraterrestrials and the young woman who makes an essential connection with one of them。 Ellis wraps politics， xenophobia， personhood， and cultural upheaval in a plausible first-contact story （in an altern I really admired Axiom's End， and was pleased to learn of its sequel， officially coming out in October （my copy was a freebie from Goodreads and the publisher）。 Axiom's End was a satisfying stand-alone， but Ellis shows that there is much more to discover in her story of powerful yet imperfect extraterrestrials and the young woman who makes an essential connection with one of them。 Ellis wraps politics， xenophobia， personhood， and cultural upheaval in a plausible first-contact story （in an alternate US 2008 in which Bush has resigned and Cheney is president！） that raises the first book's considerable stakes。 Her writing feels more self-assured and focused in this book; I like how she uses emails and other documents as well as quotes from songs to frame the narrative， and I also enjoyed her use of humor and romance in a novel that's overall quite serious。 She adds a distinctive second alien leading character as well as another human， but again avoids easy answers and predictable endings。 I can't imagine what might happen next， but now that the two books constitute "The Noumena Series，" I trust there's another novel coming！ 。。。more
Josh Kiernan
，
Got an early review copy and could not put it down！！ I really enjoyed the characters introduced in the sequel， and the themes of human rights being explored from both sci-fi and worldly lenses was really well done。 It left me feeling empty when I finished， but in a way that was poignant and powerful
Iman
，
Ok， full （spoilery） disclosure？ I liked the first book better than this one。 Yes， I was still interested in the story and what was gonna happen but I was let down by the POV change in this one。 I wanted more of Cora and Ampersand。 I get that this was probably a way of doing the whole "show， not tell" thing， but I really wanted to be in Cora's head while she was dealing with her PTSD， grief and separation from Ampersand。 （Maybe that's the masochist in me but I really wanted to be IN her head for Ok， full （spoilery） disclosure？ I liked the first book better than this one。 Yes， I was still interested in the story and what was gonna happen but I was let down by the POV change in this one。 I wanted more of Cora and Ampersand。 I get that this was probably a way of doing the whole "show， not tell" thing， but I really wanted to be in Cora's head while she was dealing with her PTSD， grief and separation from Ampersand。 （Maybe that's the masochist in me but I really wanted to be IN her head for the whole book。） Instead we mostly saw Cora's mental deterioration through the perspective of a male love interest。。。a much OLDER male love interest。 Now， I did like Kaveh， but not at the expense of Cora's POV。 I might have liked it more if the book had alternated between them for every chapter， not start off with Cora and then basically have Kaveh take over until almost the end。I'm gonna have to give this one a 2。5 because I had more gripes than praises。 I will read the third book， but I'm not on the edge of my seat waiting for it。 。。。more
V
，
In Truth of the Divine， we meet Cora Sabino working as an official communication intermediary between alien Ampersand and the US government。 The events of Axiom’s End have resulted in her being newly diagnosed with PTSD and struggling to manage her symptoms without access to treatment。 Although citizens of Earth are now aware of the presence of ETI’s （intelligent extraterrestrials）， the government continues to withhold details causing further turmoil in an already unstable political climate。 As In Truth of the Divine， we meet Cora Sabino working as an official communication intermediary between alien Ampersand and the US government。 The events of Axiom’s End have resulted in her being newly diagnosed with PTSD and struggling to manage her symptoms without access to treatment。 Although citizens of Earth are now aware of the presence of ETI’s （intelligent extraterrestrials）， the government continues to withhold details causing further turmoil in an already unstable political climate。 As Cora’s relationship with Ampersand becomes more fraught， they are forced to work alongside investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani after he stumbles upon suspicious activities late one night。 Together they attempt to change the escalating narrative surrounding what constitutes personhood as the decision to deny rights to ETI’s has serious implications for human rights as well。 This second chapter of the Noumena series takes a serious tonal shift and delves heavily into the effects of trauma and the toll it takes on a person’s health， not only for Cora but also for Ampersand。 I highly recommend reading the Author’s note at the beginning of the novel for content warnings before getting into the story。Some things I loved:- New character， Nikola。 For me this character brought a lot of levity to some otherwise dark subject matter。- How the story is delivered。 Interspersed within the narrative of the book are news articles or an exchange of emails which for me really elevates the story and creates a greater sense of the world。- Focus on mental health。 In my experience， F/SF doesn’t generally dwell much on the trauma characters face and the real tole it takes on a person。 While I like to see more discussion of mental health in F/SF， I did have to put the book down briefly at times because there was a lot to process emotionally。 Some things I’m not sure about:- Cora’s mom and siblings are barely mentioned。 I get that she’s upset with her mom and needs space after the events of the first novel， but it’s weird to me that she doesn’t account for them at all before making a pretty staggering decision in the final chapters。- This book is told in duel perspective， leaning heavily towards Kaveh。 Functionally， I understand the need to spend more time with him; he is largely moving the plot forward while Cora struggles with her mental health。 Regardless， I really missed Cora’s character; but I guess she’s really not that person anymore。- Cora’s relationship with Kaveh。 This is something that I’m still processing and can’t really get into without spoilers。I really enjoyed Truth of the Divine and highly recommend the Noumena series overall。 I just have some questions about that ending and since this book hasn’t been published yet， I can’t talk to anyone about it。 Gah！ It was so exciting to have gotten a chance to experience this book early。 Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc of Truth of the Divine。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Zoe Mei
，
4。5 starsVery happy to have won a giveaway for an ARC of this book！ I hoped the sequel would be better， and I’m glad to say that it was。 （Also， I freaking adore the cover。）Though it certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste， I found Truth of the Divine to be very well executed， and extremely thought-provoking。 （Think: Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card， but with a non-homophobic author。） This book is much better than its predecessor Axiom’s End， but it’s very different too: much denser; more politica 4。5 starsVery happy to have won a giveaway for an ARC of this book！ I hoped the sequel would be better， and I’m glad to say that it was。 （Also， I freaking adore the cover。）Though it certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste， I found Truth of the Divine to be very well executed， and extremely thought-provoking。 （Think: Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card， but with a non-homophobic author。） This book is much better than its predecessor Axiom’s End， but it’s very different too: much denser; more political， philosophical， and personal; far less focused on action， although there is still some in there。 There are new aliens， new humans， new conflicts。 One thing’s for sure: though there’s some humor in here， this is not a fun book。 These characters go through some shit （CW: trauma， PTSD， suicide， self-harm）。 Ellis is far more concerned with the philosophical and political implications of aliens coming to call than she is with happy endings。 Much of the improvement from Axiom’s End， though， is because to me the characters were much more interesting。 In Axiom’s End， Cora didn’t seem to have much of an arc; the focus was on the development of her relationship with Ampersand。 In this book， however， she has more of an emotional journey， and her complicated relationships， especially with the new character Kaveh， are well depicted –– in that they left me feeling very conflicted， as I’m sure Ellis intended。 （She does not sugarcoat things。） Speaking of， I really enjoyed reading Kaveh’s perspective alongside Cora’s。 Not only does he have a refreshing and entertaining voice， he also has a unique viewpoint on both Cora and the aliens。 I always enjoy seeing contrasting perspectives on the same characters。 But be warned: I wouldn’t call them likable。 Ellis’s characters are all deeply flawed， which in my book is one mark of a skilled writer。These books are fundamentally about people’s relationship to the alien， whether that’s between groups of humans or between interplanetary peoples。 These relationships are defined by conflicts of values， of beliefs， of power。 Yet Ellis still treats her alien characters with as much empathy as she does her human ones， giving them individuality and depth。 Her discussion of how to apply ‘human rights’ to non-human persons， who happen to have an enormous technological advantage， was fascinating。 And I found her exploration of how America would react to the arrival of extraterrestrial refugees to be depressingly realistic。 I think the ending fit， and it left me sure the next book will be even bigger and better than the last。 It’s been a few days， and as with Axiom’s End， Truth of the Divine is sticking with me。 I’m definitely going to be picking up the third book when it comes out！ 。。。more
CR
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Science Fiction and the real world crash together in this amazing story that weaves through everything from addiction to mental health。 This book felt so real that if it popped up in the news I wouldn't be surprised。 This is one book that will live with you after you finish。 Science Fiction and the real world crash together in this amazing story that weaves through everything from addiction to mental health。 This book felt so real that if it popped up in the news I wouldn't be surprised。 This is one book that will live with you after you finish。 。。。more
Nat
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I found it fine。 Kind of of prolonged。 It seems suited for teenagers。 Nice to see a protagonist who does not develop super powers in these type of stories for once。
Glen
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I won this book in a goodreads drawing。ETs are real， and don't view humans as space brothers。 They're busy dealing with other ET's of real consequence。 Overlong， with a lot of idea that don't quite get developed。 I won this book in a goodreads drawing。ETs are real， and don't view humans as space brothers。 They're busy dealing with other ET's of real consequence。 Overlong， with a lot of idea that don't quite get developed。 。。。more
Rachael
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This book is incredible。 I feel so lucky to be able to read this book already。 Lindsey’s world of 2008 is tangible。 I’m so looking forward to what happens next。
Leighton
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Thank you to St。 Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis is the second book in the Noumena series and an exciting first-contact science fiction novel。 The story revolves around Cora Sabino， who works as a diplomat and shares a deep bond with the alien Ampersand。 She has to deal with the government， as well as nosy journalists like Kaveh Mazandarani。 Cora and Kaveh end up working together to show the world that aliens can be trusted and sh Thank you to St。 Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis is the second book in the Noumena series and an exciting first-contact science fiction novel。 The story revolves around Cora Sabino， who works as a diplomat and shares a deep bond with the alien Ampersand。 She has to deal with the government， as well as nosy journalists like Kaveh Mazandarani。 Cora and Kaveh end up working together to show the world that aliens can be trusted and should not be feared。 Will Cora and Kaveh succeed in their diplomatic mission？ Should aliens truly be trusted and treated like people？ And what other mysteries are waiting in store for our heroes？Here's an excerpt from Chapter 1 that introduces a few of the main characters:""Hey， anyone home？"Cora blinked， shooting to attention。 "Yes。""Did you hear the question？""Yes。" She blinked again， trying to snap out of the mind fog that had been plaguing her all morning。 The fluorescent lights in this conference room were the frequency of knives。 "Sio has declined to speak。"Sol shot her a millisecond of a glare， then faced the brigadier general seated on the other side of the conference table。 "If he says he's not going to talk to us， that's pretty much that for the day。"Brigadier General Whatsisf*** didn't even look at Cora， which had been par for the course for this meeting and also fine by her。 This guy was only the last in a long line of government bureaucrats she'd had to reassure everything was fine and the world isn't ending while also gently telling them no， the aliens do not want to talk to you。"Overall， Truth of the Divine is a stunning tour de force of science fiction that will appeal to fans of authors like Becky Chambers and Cixin Liu。 This book is sure to become a classic of modern science fiction。 I do have to warn you though that you should read the first book in the series before reading this one。 If you don't， it will be difficult for you to understand the plot of this one。 I did take off 1 star because I don't typically enjoy science fiction books。 That's not the book's fault。 I'm just explaining why it wasn't a 5-star read for me personally。 If you're intrigued by the excerpt above， or if you're a fan of science fiction in general， I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October！ 。。。more
Helen
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I liked this book even better than the first。 I didn't mind the length， I enjoyed having it to leisurely page through for a month after waiting a while for ARCs to come out after the first book。 I found the new characters engaging， the plot about the ETI personhood debate plausible and resonant， and Cora's struggle with trauma after the events of book one authentic and moving。 Bottom line: It kept me engaged and I'm excited to keep following these characters in the next book。 What more can a rea I liked this book even better than the first。 I didn't mind the length， I enjoyed having it to leisurely page through for a month after waiting a while for ARCs to come out after the first book。 I found the new characters engaging， the plot about the ETI personhood debate plausible and resonant， and Cora's struggle with trauma after the events of book one authentic and moving。 Bottom line: It kept me engaged and I'm excited to keep following these characters in the next book。 What more can a reader ask for？ 。。。more
Megan Besancon
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This book。 THIS BOOK。 I really enjoyed the first book in this series， but Truth of the Divine truly took things to the next level。 The alternate universe Lindsay Ellis has created is fantastic。 The level of detail is both realistic and believable （from pop culture call outs like the new song characters heard in the dance club for the first time—“just dance， it’ll be okay”—to the descriptions of the ETIs and government operations）。 I love all the new characters， and I especially liked that we got This book。 THIS BOOK。 I really enjoyed the first book in this series， but Truth of the Divine truly took things to the next level。 The alternate universe Lindsay Ellis has created is fantastic。 The level of detail is both realistic and believable （from pop culture call outs like the new song characters heard in the dance club for the first time—“just dance， it’ll be okay”—to the descriptions of the ETIs and government operations）。 I love all the new characters， and I especially liked that we got an additional POV。 The special inserts between chapters added to the overall story and everything melded together beautifully。 This story was captivating and heartbreaking， especially the depiction of panic attacks， PTSD， depression， suicidal thoughts， etc。 The author handled these topics with care， with a thoughtful forward with trigger warning before the start of the book。 Beyond that， the alien race is so well developed and scientifically plausible！ I could truly picture them and their unique personalities came through and were easily discernible。 This book felt so real in a very raw way and I was captivated from start to finish。 I am immediately recommending this book/series to my brother and other sci-fi inclined book nerds！I was lucky enough to receive an ARC via a Goodreads giveaway and I am so， so grateful for the chance to have read this book early。 Now I am anxiously awaiting the rest of the series！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Andrea
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC。I enjoyed Truth of the Divine more than I expected。 Building on the foundation in the first book， we encounter more complex relationships， more aliens， and most hauntingly， Cora coping with her trauma。 This goes in some very dark directions-- not grimdark H。R。 Giger aliens （though there is definitely some of that！） but human tragedy。 It turns out that being chewed up and spit out by aliens， your government， and your family really stinks， and it Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC。I enjoyed Truth of the Divine more than I expected。 Building on the foundation in the first book， we encounter more complex relationships， more aliens， and most hauntingly， Cora coping with her trauma。 This goes in some very dark directions-- not grimdark H。R。 Giger aliens （though there is definitely some of that！） but human tragedy。 It turns out that being chewed up and spit out by aliens， your government， and your family really stinks， and it has left an indelible mark on Cora。 The human emotion and pain that radiates from sections of this book make it a hard read， but it feels like a stronger novel as a result。I especially enjoyed Cora and the other characters grappling with their relationships to one another， which make up the second heart of the book。 Cora feels an immense attachment to Ampersand， but that relationship is far more complex than mere friendship。 The relationship she builds with a reporter is a sort of parallel， equally disturbing but in very different ways。My biggest complaint would be the jerks who are giving this 1-star on Goodreads without reading it （seriously？）。 Far after that， the aliens themselves。 While aliens having seemingly inscrutable motivations and unexpected social structures makes perfect sense， I never felt like I could grasp， even when things were explained， why these beings were doing what they were doing。 Also， the same aliens have multiple aliases， which gets awfully confusing。Nevertheless， I look forward to the next volume！ 。。。more
Lindsey
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4。5 stars。 Both this book and the first book in the series were excellent。 A great story that also really makes you think。 My only criticism is that some of the more technical details in the middle of this book caused it to lag a bit for me。
Paul
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I liked this but not as much as the first in the series。 It certainly has some high points and some great qualities。 I just didn't get into it as much。 Nonetheless， I think many Ellis fans will enjoy it。 3。5 rounded up。I really appreciate the ARC for review！！ I liked this but not as much as the first in the series。 It certainly has some high points and some great qualities。 I just didn't get into it as much。 Nonetheless， I think many Ellis fans will enjoy it。 3。5 rounded up。I really appreciate the ARC for review！！ 。。。more
Elsie Birnbaum
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I was given an eArc of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review but let's be honest may or may not have built an internet presence as a reviewer to get early access to this book。 I've wanted to read the sequel since I finished Axiom's End。 And oh boy did this book not disappoint。 Ellis once again shows her ability to take narrative conventions of the "First Contact" story and both deconstruct and reconstruct them in a way that is original and compelling。 Every time I thought the st I was given an eArc of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review but let's be honest may or may not have built an internet presence as a reviewer to get early access to this book。 I've wanted to read the sequel since I finished Axiom's End。 And oh boy did this book not disappoint。 Ellis once again shows her ability to take narrative conventions of the "First Contact" story and both deconstruct and reconstruct them in a way that is original and compelling。 Every time I thought the story was doing something cliché the story would take a hard turn。Frankly， Truth of the Divine blows Axiom's End out of the water。 Where Axiom's End is an original take on stories like the Transformers movies， Truth of the Divine is an honest look at trauma and self harming urges。 The book gets what it's like to want to die in a way that I've only seen in fan fiction previously （this is high praise）。 The politics of personhood are thoroughly explored and the Third Option movement is a deeply realistic look at what the response to the existence of aliens would look like。 This book moved me to tears and is my new favorite book of the year。 。。。more
Dave
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Truth of the Divine， the sequel to Axiom’s End， continuing the story of first contact with extra-terrestrials and a reminder that not all such Meet-ups are cutesy E。T。 Stories。 Moreover， these two books warn us that the extraterrestrials we meet may not be as concerned with us as they are with each other。 We might just be in the way。 These books explore communication between species and bonding with them and the chance that we might be an annoying anthill or wasp’s nest to them。 As interesting a Truth of the Divine， the sequel to Axiom’s End， continuing the story of first contact with extra-terrestrials and a reminder that not all such Meet-ups are cutesy E。T。 Stories。 Moreover， these two books warn us that the extraterrestrials we meet may not be as concerned with us as they are with each other。 We might just be in the way。 These books explore communication between species and bonding with them and the chance that we might be an annoying anthill or wasp’s nest to them。 As interesting as the first book in the duo was， the second one is in dire need of a sharp editor’s pen。 It has all these interesting concepts and ideas， but they get lost in a sea of expositions that seem to head off in every direction。 。。。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