The novel “Axis” by Robert Charles Wilson was published for the first time in 2007. It’s the second book of the Spin trilogy and follows “Spin“.

Humans are colonizing the New World, and many of them have no problem with the presence of the Fourths, but the “Department of Genomic Security” is still trying to track them down, particularly a group that used Martian technology to create a very special child.

Meanwhile, Lise Adams is investigating the circumstances of her father’s disappearance ten years earlier. Among the clues she has is a photo of him with some Fourths, whom she is seeking in the New World to ask for help.

The New World was modified, if not created, by the Hypotheticals to support human life, but a major problem arises when a huge amount of what appears to be ash begins to rain from the sky, even more so when analysis of some samples reveals that the debris is components of some kind of machine. Are these Hypothetical parts, perhaps discarded because they were worn out? But are those fragments really dead? Is the “rain” somehow connected to the growth of the child created and raised by the Fourths?

In “Spin” and “Axis,” Robert Charles Wilson offers us an immense cosmic portrait in which humans desperately try to see through the darkness and can only grasp a small part of what’s happening. Fantastic technologies are explored throughout the two novels, but in all of this, they tell stories of people facing unknown phenomena and trying to survive.

Despite being a sequel to “Spin,” “Axis” is in some ways quite different because it’s set not only in another world but also in a much older universe where humans must deal with the trauma of the temporal alteration and their helplessness in the face of what the Hypotheticals have decided for them. For some people, life continues as before, but in the New World, many people seek a new beginning in various ways.

“Axis” doesn’t have the same cosmic perspective as “Spin” because events unfold in a relatively short time, even from the subjective perspective of humans. We’re far removed from the decades on Earth and the millennia on Mars of the events of “Spin,” so some readers may be disappointed by this radical shift. However, I believe this different approach is a merit because it goes beyond the pattern of the first novel to develop something different.

Robert Charles Wilson uses “Axis” to delve deeper into some parts of this fictional universe. The Fourths, the humans who used Martian life-extending biotechnology, are central to the story because a group of them is trying to learn more about the Hypotheticals. This novel offers a sense of real alienness regarding this cosmic network of machines, a vague term that can be limiting and is used in the absence of something better.

At the end of “Axis,” many questions remain unanswered, so it may be disappointing for those hoping for a complete explanation of the Hypotheticals. At the end of the novel, we get a glimpse of these entities. Perhaps. Doubts remain, even among various characters, and this makes sense considering how difficult it is to understand entities so different from humans.

In my opinion, “Axis” still has a sense of wonder tied to the elements that made “Spin” such an extraordinary novel, but expressed in different ways. If you can think of it as a novel set in that fictional universe without repeating the same developments as the first novel, you’ll enjoy this sequel as well. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.