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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I'm in awe of how the title applies to pretty much every aspect of this book. Naming things is the worst, this is masterful
If someone were to tell me that Ann Leckie wrote this novel before she did the wonderful Ancillary series, I would not be at all surprised. It could well be that it was considered unpublishable before her great success and although I am more or less glad to have read it, had it never been published I have to admit that it seems to me the world would not have missed out on much. Though the characters are well-formed and engage us with their humanity and genuine motivation, the plot is a bit frilly and lightweight, especially in comparison to the Ancillary series.
The bottom line is this: Ingray is the foster child of a domineering, politically-motivated mother who demands fealty and demonstrations of political acumen from her children, while pitting them against one another for her favor and the inheritance of her name and fortune. Ingray takes a very risky step toward that end and pretty much screws it up, but it still ends up somehow working in her favor. There is little action, and the characters spend a great deal of time explaining what happened (and quite a bit of what did not) rather than showing us. This tendency is what causes me to believe that it was written by a less experienced author than the one that wrote the deeply skillful Ancillary series.
Still and all, these are people worth caring about, and though what matters to them matters very little to us, we wish for them to achieve a satisfying conclusion, which of course they do. It is also worth mentioning that this book continues a wonderful trend in science fiction toward gender neutrality and inclusion as well as the naturalizing of queer relationships of all sorts. Bravo to her for that.
The bottom line is this: Ingray is the foster child of a domineering, politically-motivated mother who demands fealty and demonstrations of political acumen from her children, while pitting them against one another for her favor and the inheritance of her name and fortune. Ingray takes a very risky step toward that end and pretty much screws it up, but it still ends up somehow working in her favor. There is little action, and the characters spend a great deal of time explaining what happened (and quite a bit of what did not) rather than showing us. This tendency is what causes me to believe that it was written by a less experienced author than the one that wrote the deeply skillful Ancillary series.
Still and all, these are people worth caring about, and though what matters to them matters very little to us, we wish for them to achieve a satisfying conclusion, which of course they do. It is also worth mentioning that this book continues a wonderful trend in science fiction toward gender neutrality and inclusion as well as the naturalizing of queer relationships of all sorts. Bravo to her for that.
3.5 stars. This is a tough one. I remember appreciating Ancillary Justice more than I liked/enjoyed it, and I never bothered continuing with the trilogy. I didn't have very high expectations for this, but I ended up getting sucked in pretty early on. I liked that it was mainly focused on a couple of characters, and I found Ingray, Garal, and Tic interesting and sympathetic. So I was getting really into this, but then about 3/4 of the way through, I took a break for a few days, and when I came back to the book, I just wasn't able to get back into it or remember who most of the secondary characters were or the politics or anything else. I think I would've had an easier time with the end if I had read the rest of the Imperial Radch trilogy because there were so many names and details of the world that I think just went right by me. But I did really enjoy like 75% of this and it was more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I also liked the mini-romance(s).
adventurous
mysterious
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
I liked this one overall, though there were some places in the middle that were uneven. It was fun to be back in the Imperial Radch universe. I loved the mechs - especially the spider mechs! They reminded me a lot, in some ways, of the servitors in Ninefox Gambit. I also found the main character very relatable.
Provenance is another richly textured and graceful novel from Ann Leckie. Although Provenance doesn't quite live up to its predecessors (the amazing Imperial Radch Trilogy whose first novel, ancillary Justice, won the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award) it still possesses enough charm and wit, intrigue and action to keep readers hooked. Provenance is a cozy sci-fi mystery set in the same Radchaai universe as Leckie’s debut trilogy, although it doesn’t directly continue Breq’s (our protagonist from the Imerpial Radch trilogy) story. Instead, Provenance focuses on Ingray Aughskold, who is clever and resourceful and likable and believable female protagonist. Ingray pays to have a convicted criminal released from prison, as part of a complex plot involving forgery and stolen antiquities, she rapidly finds herself drawn into a much more serious plot involving murder and angry aliens.
Ingray’s journey is as hectic (and as endearing) as her personality: what starts as a prison break story tinged with an unfortunate case of mistaken identity shifts gears to a heist story, then to a family drama, and then to a comedy of political intrigue, and then….
What is at the heart of the story is the family drama: Ingray is determined to prove her worth to her high-ranking foster-mother Netano Aughskold, even if that means spending all of her inheritance on a scheme to impress her mother that might not work out. This story ultimately is about the question of where people come from, and how an individual is formed.
This was a fun mis-mash of a space adventure novel, complete with a likable aristocratic young heroine in the gender-neutral universe we come to be intrigued by. As always, I appreciate that Leckie's universe feels lived in. Leckie’s imagined universe feels familiarly old-fashioned and quite homely, and that's nice. I felt that the middle was a bit of a slog however.
3.5. out of 5
For fans of: Lois McMaster Bujold and John Scalzi.
Ingray’s journey is as hectic (and as endearing) as her personality: what starts as a prison break story tinged with an unfortunate case of mistaken identity shifts gears to a heist story, then to a family drama, and then to a comedy of political intrigue, and then….
What is at the heart of the story is the family drama: Ingray is determined to prove her worth to her high-ranking foster-mother Netano Aughskold, even if that means spending all of her inheritance on a scheme to impress her mother that might not work out. This story ultimately is about the question of where people come from, and how an individual is formed.
This was a fun mis-mash of a space adventure novel, complete with a likable aristocratic young heroine in the gender-neutral universe we come to be intrigued by. As always, I appreciate that Leckie's universe feels lived in. Leckie’s imagined universe feels familiarly old-fashioned and quite homely, and that's nice. I felt that the middle was a bit of a slog however.
3.5. out of 5
For fans of: Lois McMaster Bujold and John Scalzi.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
No
frankly, i miss the radchaai!
"And she couldn't just sit here arguing with a bag." (177)
"Diplomat does not mean nice," muttered the spider mech. "Diplomat means tell the aliens to leave us alone." (265)
"And she couldn't just sit here arguing with a bag." (177)
"Diplomat does not mean nice," muttered the spider mech. "Diplomat means tell the aliens to leave us alone." (265)
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character