Apostles of Mercy

Second sequel to instant New York Times bestseller Axiom's End, this alternate history first-contact adventure deepens the exploration of a world faced with extra terrestrial intelligence. First Contact has not been going well. The nations of Earth are rapidly militarizing against the arrival of the Superorganism, an alien civilization that promises to destroy humanity before it can develop into a real threat. The Superorganism has done it before-to their distant transient relatives, the rebel Superorganisms-and they could easily do it again. But the alien Ampersand and his human interpreter and liaison Cora Sabino are done with trying to save humanity from both the Superorganism and itself; to them, this is a civilization that does not deserve to be saved. When a strange new form of communication between the two of them reveals to Cora how alien Ampersand truly is, she begins to question her blind devotion-to say nothing of the wisdom of fleeing Earth with him. But she soon learns of