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linda_wolf's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence and Medical trauma
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
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
5.0
ANCILLARY MERCY is an excellent conclusion to the Imperial Radch trilogy, with Breq solving a series of issues and helping out other people, but not framing her as some big damn hero able to fix every problem in the empire. She can't and she's not trying to do so. She can't fix the way that Anaander Mianaai is it war with herself, or the way that Breq doesn't know which Anaander Mianaai has which goal. This was an immensely satisfying ending, building on many things from the first two books, especially ANCILLARY SWORD, as this relates to Athoek Station pretty directly even though the previous book ended with them leaving the station.
ANCILLARY MERCY wraps up many details which were left hanging, almost everything I consciously noticed as being unresolved by the end of ANCILLARY SWORD gets handled in some way by ANCILLARY MERCY. There's an almost new story related to the Presger Empire, bringing in one of the most refreshing and delightful characters I've read in a long while. The translator is in a category all her own, and I would not expect any other of my favorite characters to compete with her. I found myself deeply relating to a lot of the ways that she expresses identity, especially for myself as a nonbinary trans person. There's a moment where someone asks whether she did a particular thing as a child and she replies something to the effect that she's never been a child, yes this body was a child at one point, but she wasn't the one in it at the time. I really like much of how she (and Breq) discuss identity. The Presger seemed to have something rather more suddenly shaped by names than any kind of directly human analog could encompass under most circumstances, but it reminds me of other transgender people I know for whom choosing a new name allowed them to embrace a new self in a way that hasn't been part of my own transition. I also like Breq's change in understanding about Ship, and the implications this has for all the various beings that the Radch constructed and consider to be tools.
This would not be a good place for a new reader to start, as it's the conclusion of a trilogy, but much of the story could make sense to someone who persisted in doing so. It's excellent from start to finish, though it greatly benefits from the context and characterization of the first two books in order to let the reader fully appreciate the more unusual ways that they get into conversations of identity.
The whole trilogy is great and I'm very happy with ANCILLARY MERCY as the conclusion.
ANCILLARY MERCY wraps up many details which were left hanging, almost everything I consciously noticed as being unresolved by the end of ANCILLARY SWORD gets handled in some way by ANCILLARY MERCY. There's an almost new story related to the Presger Empire, bringing in one of the most refreshing and delightful characters I've read in a long while. The translator is in a category all her own, and I would not expect any other of my favorite characters to compete with her. I found myself deeply relating to a lot of the ways that she expresses identity, especially for myself as a nonbinary trans person. There's a moment where someone asks whether she did a particular thing as a child and she replies something to the effect that she's never been a child, yes this body was a child at one point, but she wasn't the one in it at the time. I really like much of how she (and Breq) discuss identity. The Presger seemed to have something rather more suddenly shaped by names than any kind of directly human analog could encompass under most circumstances, but it reminds me of other transgender people I know for whom choosing a new name allowed them to embrace a new self in a way that hasn't been part of my own transition. I also like Breq's change in understanding about Ship, and the implications this has for all the various beings that the Radch constructed and consider to be tools.
This would not be a good place for a new reader to start, as it's the conclusion of a trilogy, but much of the story could make sense to someone who persisted in doing so. It's excellent from start to finish, though it greatly benefits from the context and characterization of the first two books in order to let the reader fully appreciate the more unusual ways that they get into conversations of identity.
The whole trilogy is great and I'm very happy with ANCILLARY MERCY as the conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Police brutality, Death, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Violence, and War
Minor: Murder and Gun violence
ricksilva's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Picking up right where Ancillary Sword left off, and weaving the threads of the trilogy into a skillfully neat conclusion, this was a perfect ending to the series. The focus on the emotional issues of the characters made good use of the pacing that is controlled by the setting's methods of space travel, in which hurry-up-and-wait is how conflicts play out.
There was a surprising amount of quality humor, which didn't detract from the tension of the final chapters, a couple of enjoyable new characters, and some major twists and surprises.
This whole series has been excellent, and it was so much fun to see how it all wraps up.
There was a surprising amount of quality humor, which didn't detract from the tension of the final chapters, a couple of enjoyable new characters, and some major twists and surprises.
This whole series has been excellent, and it was so much fun to see how it all wraps up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Gun violence, Addiction, Police brutality, and Medical trauma
queenie_ofthe_void's review
adventurous
challenging
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
3.75
I liked Mercy almost as much as Justice! The second book, Sword, was a little slow for me. I think that's mostly because Seivarden was my favorite character, and she took a backseat in the second book. But here she gets more time on the page, and her relationship with Breq develops. Their dynamic is what hooked me in the first place, so I was happy to see them finally interacting again and really digging into their emotions towards each other. Leckie did a great job bringing the trilogy to a close! I was on edge right up until the end. The twists and turns were great, and there was always *just* enough information to keep me guessing on what was coming next. Her writing style is still a challenge for me, but her characters are always worth it. Definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and War
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