Reviews tagging 'Racism'

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

11 reviews

ahpyrnetbcure's review

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

First Hugo winner I didn't like. Prose was too boring, had to switch to audiobook, where it was better. Still finished it, political ending was satisfying, MC endings were not.

I didn't feel like MCs were proactive or in control at all. Things just kinda happen to them. When they do make decisions it feels like its on whim, unexpected even after hundreds of pages with them.

Danger to them is often imagined and rarely made real. When it is real it comes out of nowhere (and not in a good "life is unexpected" kind of way). 

Tech is not interesting except for imago. I guess I like pretty far-out SciFi, this didn't deliver there. Imago is good though.

There is lots of gayness in this book (which is a pro in my opinion), but doesn't show its hand in force until near the end.

Does its worldbuilding in asides mostly, not in dialogue or through actions. I did not like this.

Much too slow until end. For a world obsessed with poetry and stories, its own story is very unsatisfying, very uncoordinated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racism

existentialhell's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

The horror and humanity of empire, and what loving it can do to its prey. And what the prey can do to the empire. Read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racism, War, Medical content, Xenophobia, Murder, Death, Violence, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Colonisation

clarabooksit's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Confinement and War

allegrahistory's review

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Blood, Medical trauma, Body horror, and Xenophobia

bloodbrooxv's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, Grief, Suicide, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, and Violence

Moderate: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

Minor: Medical trauma, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Vomit

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Police brutality, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Medical content, War, Xenophobia, Murder, Racism, and Suicide

Moderate: Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Cursing

jnl00700's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Suicide

Moderate: Genocide, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, and War

eleanora's review

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Medical content, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol and Cannibalism

hanarama's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Good:

• Creative, intriguing world-building.
• Insightful, in-depth study of main character.
• Political intrigue. 
• Solid themes of otherness. 

The Bad: 

• Mystery feels less important at the end. 
• Not enough information on the political factions. 

You Might Like this Book if You Like: 

• Creative sci-fi settings. 
• Political stories told by an outsider. 
• Fish out of water stories. 
• Growing tension.

Mahit Dzmar is the newly appointed ambassador of Lsel, an independent mining station. She is sent to the heart of the  Teixcalaanli Empire, equipped with an imago machine, a memory recording implant, of her predecessor.  She has no idea why a new ambassador was requested so urgently, but soon comes to learn that it was due to the untimely death of her predecessor. The sudden revelation causes her imago machine to short circuit, leaving Mahit feeling anchorless and alone in a city hostile to outsiders. 

With little other choice, Mahit places her trust in her Teixcalaani assistant Three Seagrass, and together they seek to uncover why the previous ambassador died. Mahit has to rely on her intuition and ingenuity to maneuver the Teixcalaani court, make allies, and protect the interests of her home. 

Martine uses her immensely creative setting to explore the effects of colonialism. Mahit's status as an outsider draws repeated comparisons to her and the native Teixcalaani citizens, illustrating her otherness and the strangeness of the empire. Martine really captures the feeling of being an outsider and uses it to great effect in building tension and mystery in her world. 

Despite this, I feel that some areas could have been explored in greater detail. There are several political factions introduced and most of the information concerning them feels very surface level. I can understand if this was done to further highlight Mahit as an outsider, but I would have liked to know a bit more as the reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Racism, and Self harm

pyrochoresis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Confinement, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Vomit, Racism, Grief, and Gun violence

Minor: Murder and Cursing