Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
I think Ann Leckie is a genius. How does one think of these worlds, these plots? Loved Ancillary Sword as much as book 1, and looking forward to book 3. Love her work with gender, with individuality, language, morality - as all relative, and sometimes extremely different or not understandable by outsiders. Love that the main character is some one many even in that strange world would not think of as a person.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've been enjoying this series a lot. This second installment unexpectedly subtle at times, focused on personal, seemingly small-stakes, local matters -- but all of it with much larger implications for society. Surprising and compelling. I really like the strangeness of Berq's POV, all the threads of her awareness that she's tracking at once, and how when she's wrong she accepts that and learns, adapts. Excited to see where we go in book 3!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Slavery, Police brutality, Classism
Brainwashing / "Reeducation"
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was highly dubious about making it through this book and couldn't get really gripped by it until halfway through. It's surprisingly hard to follow a book in which gender is non-existent and individual identity is highly fluid as well. The corrective to this confusion is that the protagonist spends a lot of time reminding and re-reminding us of which body/bodies belong to which mind, which is not always the most exciting kind of narrative. Still, I closed the book looking forward to the next volume, so....
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Not as sweeping of a narrative as its predecessor, Ancillary Justice. With a lot of loose ends, Ancillary Sword feels very much like a bridge novel, setting the stage for the next book in the series. Still, I enjoyed the complex politics and intrigue at play as well as the class and race commentary within a post-colonial context.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A good follow on from Ancillary Justice, love the concept and characters, a little slower at times but an enjoyable read.
This book was not as good as Ancillary Justice by a mile, but I expect that’s because it’s the second book in a trilogy and so suffers from “second book in a trilogy” syndrome — all setup, little payoff. I’m also a bit concerned to see where Ann Leckie is going to go with the whole “critique of imperialism” thing. She means well, but there’s some reinforcement of imperial logic going on and I can’t tell if that’s on purpose yet or not. Anyway, I look forward to finishing the trilogy!
adventurous
challenging
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No