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the_rabble's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I really like this one. It deserves the LeGuin comparisons on vibes alone.
1 POV, 1st person, past tense. Imperial conquest & military revenge plot, with a frame that explores the nature of fractured and unified consciousnesses and identity.
Breq is great. She's going through it, and Leckie writes reactions to Breq's behavior by other characters in a really compelling way.
Breq's friends are great. I don't think this AI character would feel as vivid if she didn't have important relationship toeholds. Community in scfi can be hard to pull off and Leckie does it.
Gender: the "refers to everyone as a single pronoun" situation is good. I'm a fan of the POV choice. The worldbuilding choice is interesting, bc it still seems to be on a binary. I think I prefer a Becky Chambers/Martha Wells gender cloud of chaos but the "this ship doesn't super care" and the importance of language was a fun bit of worldbuilding.
Narrator: song is really important in this book and it was wonderful to have the songs sung. Adjoa Andoh does a great job with a challenging catalog. And her voices elevated the emotional journey of several characters and settings.
1 POV, 1st person, past tense. Imperial conquest & military revenge plot, with a frame that explores the nature of fractured and unified consciousnesses and identity.
Breq is great. She's going through it, and Leckie writes reactions to Breq's behavior by other characters in a really compelling way.
Breq's friends are great. I don't think this AI character would feel as vivid if she didn't have important relationship toeholds. Community in scfi can be hard to pull off and Leckie does it.
Gender: the "refers to everyone as a single pronoun" situation is good. I'm a fan of the POV choice. The worldbuilding choice is interesting, bc it still seems to be on a binary. I think I prefer a Becky Chambers/Martha Wells gender cloud of chaos but the "this ship doesn't super care" and the importance of language was a fun bit of worldbuilding.
Narrator: song is really important in this book and it was wonderful to have the songs sung. Adjoa Andoh does a great job with a challenging catalog. And her voices elevated the emotional journey of several characters and settings.
julieyael's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pamc_1996's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jennie_wren's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mikeyt's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
nitterbug's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
odin45mp's review
5.0
This was a very interesting novel. I picked it up because of the John Scalzi blurb on the cover and the Hugo best novel this year. Ancillary Justice starts off a little slow, but really grew on me as I got to know the setting and the characters. I really want you to discover them on your own, so I am trying not to say much. I have not seen some of the concepts used presented in this way, which really added to my interest. My only frustration with the story is I wanted more of it, more backstory, and it ended too abruptly.
The world building utilized some interesting gender play. It also used tea, which made me smile. Yes, it's an odd link to our present Earth, and specifically to cultures that have a set time and ceremony around tea, but it helped to cement this alien world and link it in some small way to our own reality.
I will be reading the second book in the series in the near future. I can see why this won the Hugo, and will be seeking out more by Ann Leckie as she writes.
The world building utilized some interesting gender play. It also used tea, which made me smile. Yes, it's an odd link to our present Earth, and specifically to cultures that have a set time and ceremony around tea, but it helped to cement this alien world and link it in some small way to our own reality.
I will be reading the second book in the series in the near future. I can see why this won the Hugo, and will be seeking out more by Ann Leckie as she writes.
jwolflink3's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
esilly12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kittycat2302's review
4.0
Definitely worthy of the Hugo
In many ways, this was a giant classic sci-fi space opera- big ships, unusual beings, vast conspiracies. And yet, much of the worldbuilding grounder this apart from others like it. While it took me a bit to fully understand and embrace the whole "ships are people" thing, I ultimately truly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!
In many ways, this was a giant classic sci-fi space opera- big ships, unusual beings, vast conspiracies. And yet, much of the worldbuilding grounder this apart from others like it. While it took me a bit to fully understand and embrace the whole "ships are people" thing, I ultimately truly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!