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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
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.
I loved the Ancillary trilogy.
This is different. It’s as good and probably better.
This is different. It’s as good and probably better.
Since I'm a fan of Leckie's trilogy, this book wasn't at all what I was expecting. It is much more comedic and less brutal. The characters, particularly the narrator, are more approachable. The plot is quick-moving. I had a great time.
While I've seen a lot written lately about Leckie's approach to gender in this and her other books, what I found most interesting was the new perspective she gave to memorabilia-- in this world, "vestiges." Why do we collect signed books? Signed anything? What do they mean? What are they worth? This book has given me a lot to think about and that's what I want from great scifi.
While I've seen a lot written lately about Leckie's approach to gender in this and her other books, what I found most interesting was the new perspective she gave to memorabilia-- in this world, "vestiges." Why do we collect signed books? Signed anything? What do they mean? What are they worth? This book has given me a lot to think about and that's what I want from great scifi.
Set in the same universe as Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy, 'Provenance' is a mixed bag of a book, mixing in different story elements; prison break, political intrigue, sibling rivalry, and even murder mystery to name a few, and as a result, it keeps the story entertaining right until the end.
The book focuses on Ingray Aughskold, the adopted daughter of Netano Aughskold, a powerful high ranking political figure, and her attempt to break out a political prisoner and use them to gain favour within her foster family. But things immediately don't go the way she'd planned and she's soon drawn into a dispute between alien species, interplanetary politics and family drama.
I liked Ingray's personality. She's smart, resourceful and could be determined at times. But as well as making some good decisions, she's also very prone to making some bad ones too, which in turn plays on her anxiety, which also sometimes has her on the brink of bursting into tears. She's a very likeable character, bringing her own complexities to their character, making her seem more grounded and realistic.
I also liked the world building, the plot twists, and the cast of different characters we meet throughout. More of a romp than full on Space Opera, it's a fun and entertaining read, a standalone set in another corner in Ann Leckie's Radch universe. Well worth picking up!
The book focuses on Ingray Aughskold, the adopted daughter of Netano Aughskold, a powerful high ranking political figure, and her attempt to break out a political prisoner and use them to gain favour within her foster family. But things immediately don't go the way she'd planned and she's soon drawn into a dispute between alien species, interplanetary politics and family drama.
I liked Ingray's personality. She's smart, resourceful and could be determined at times. But as well as making some good decisions, she's also very prone to making some bad ones too, which in turn plays on her anxiety, which also sometimes has her on the brink of bursting into tears. She's a very likeable character, bringing her own complexities to their character, making her seem more grounded and realistic.
I also liked the world building, the plot twists, and the cast of different characters we meet throughout. More of a romp than full on Space Opera, it's a fun and entertaining read, a standalone set in another corner in Ann Leckie's Radch universe. Well worth picking up!
The daughter of a political family, attempting to con her rival sibling out of succession, stumbles into a mess of intrigue and accident. This feels something like a comedy of errors, something like a fantasy of manners (in space!), with a rolling plot of increasing action and scale but not always intent. The protagonist retains agency, and her character growth is the book's highlight, but the sequence of events is larger than her. I appreciate that scale; Leckie has a way with space opera, simultaneously embracing and challenging its conventions, and this possess the realistically huge scale and diversity of the Imperial Radch series (and the sibling stories contextualize each other). But what stuck with me from Imperial Radch was the character- and trope-level investment, which was absent here: the supporting characters are less engaging, which means the relationships are likewise. Stronger speculative aspects and/or less predictable coming-of-age narratives may have helped enliven things, and the conversation about society and its symbols is interesting, but on the whole I found this fairly unremarkable.
adventurous
lighthearted
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
adventurous
mysterious
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
Ok I have to say, I lovvvved this book. I sped through it so fast because the plot and characters were so interesting. Ann is a great writer and good at imagery. I felt like I was there with Ingray the whole time.
I also love that this is still set in the Radch world. Having just finished the trilogy, it's nice to read a book for a completely different part of the human realm, while giving us hints as to what's happening elsewhere after the events of the trilogy. While it isn't a space opera, little slice of life kind-of books like this are a great breath of fresh air. I feel like this worked a lot better than the second book in the trilogy did, where it seemed Ann was trying to take that approach of focusing on one small piece of the puzzle. Here, because we're separated from the events of the trilogy, it's nice to focus on just one planet and the factions vying for control in the small corner of space.
I also love that this is still set in the Radch world. Having just finished the trilogy, it's nice to read a book for a completely different part of the human realm, while giving us hints as to what's happening elsewhere after the events of the trilogy. While it isn't a space opera, little slice of life kind-of books like this are a great breath of fresh air. I feel like this worked a lot better than the second book in the trilogy did, where it seemed Ann was trying to take that approach of focusing on one small piece of the puzzle. Here, because we're separated from the events of the trilogy, it's nice to focus on just one planet and the factions vying for control in the small corner of space.
I just couldn't connect with the main character Ingray but I loved the sweet sapphic couple ending
Same universe as Ancillary Justice, but different characters.