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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
As an archivist, I thought it was interesting how the author was using how the concept of how people will imbue value to historical items even when those items may be mundane in the larger scheme of things or even fake.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
First, the narrator is fabulous! I love Ann Leckie's world building. This is the same world as the Ancillary books, but a small, unimportant world. I think the thing is that this book is much smaller in scope. The main character never really seemed fully fleshed out. She spent a lot of time either surprised or trying not to cry, and always trying to do what was right, but she didn't seem to have any real interests. Other, characters around her were more fun and made the book interesting. Not one I'd reread, but a fun story.
I enjoyed this newest entry in the Radcch universe books. But I wasn't blown away by it, and I'm a little puzzled as to why-- there's some good mystery and palace intrigue here, with cultures clashing and carooming off each other to get advantage, which mostly good results. And the protagonist, Ingray is an appealing grasper for influence but not too much influence. But somehow it felt like a little small. The dramatic final showdown section, where Ingray offers herself as a target in a hostage situation, maybe shows its strings a little too much, a lot of mechanics falling into place, which we've seen Leckie do before, too. But here, it didn't come to much, I guess, and I'm still puzzled by at least one part of it, all this talk about a pair of shoes (are the shoes Tic?). Mysterious.
It feels kind of off to the side of the main story in this universe and we are seeing small progress toward the conclave that will reshape Leckie's universe. I'll definitely keep reading these, but this one didn't deliver everything I wanted.
It feels kind of off to the side of the main story in this universe and we are seeing small progress toward the conclave that will reshape Leckie's universe. I'll definitely keep reading these, but this one didn't deliver everything I wanted.
Set in the same universe as the Ancillary trilogy, but a different corner and cast. Lighter, but fun. Also, a stand-alone novel.
I enjoyed this a lot better than the Imperial Radch series, I think because the characters fit this setting a lot better. The Radch are mentioned, but more as a nuisance than anything else.
The story is almost a sci-fi cozy mystery, but it fits well with the main character, who is mostly just trying to get by as a lesser rated scion of a dignitary's house.
There's a bit of romance, some intrigue, some interesting aliens and creatures, and a culture that seems to revolve mostly around getting souvenirs, (as opposed to the Radch and their tea). I'd certainly be interesting in reading more about Ingray
The story is almost a sci-fi cozy mystery, but it fits well with the main character, who is mostly just trying to get by as a lesser rated scion of a dignitary's house.
There's a bit of romance, some intrigue, some interesting aliens and creatures, and a culture that seems to revolve mostly around getting souvenirs, (as opposed to the Radch and their tea). I'd certainly be interesting in reading more about Ingray
I really enjoyed the Ancillary series. I knew this book was in the same universe, but didn't feature Breq or any of her associates.
This book was very confusing, half the time I had no idea what was going on. I couldn't keep the races or mechs straight. But it was an interesting read, with engaging characters.
This book was very confusing, half the time I had no idea what was going on. I couldn't keep the races or mechs straight. But it was an interesting read, with engaging characters.
The pronoun games make for some difficult parsing, but this was otherwise my favorite Leckie novel. Without Breq, she can write characters with real emotional quirks. The Radchaai formality really hamstrings the drama.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
I am a huge fan of Ann Leckie's, but can't really decide how I feel about this one. Her writing style makes things very dry, and giant things kind of happen and then pass by that are easy to miss. I do really like that each human society is incredibly different and nuanced and liked the concept of the neman (third gender), but since it wasn't really explicitly explained (just part of the setting so to speak), I spent a lot of mental energy trying to figure it all out, which distracted a bit from the plot. Plot was fun though, Ingray was the best, and I enjoyed this. Lots of funny parts and deadpan deliveries and fun characters.