jill_sykes's review against another edition
3.0
"Ancillary Justice" is an ambitious space opera about identity, power, and revenge. Its premise, where a sentient AI trapped in a human body seeks vengeance, is intriguing and fresh.
Leckie builds a detailed universe with complex societies and a unique perspective on gender. However, I feel Leckie was more interested in exploring ideas than actually telling the story.
The narrative alternates between different time periods, which can be disorienting, making it difficult to fully immerse oneself in the story. The pacing is too slow at times, while Leckie pauses to explan a new concept.
The character development, particularly of the protagonist Breq, is a mixed bag. While the concept of an AI grappling with humanity is intriguing, Breq's emotional depth is often lacking, making it challenging to connect with her.
This novel that demands too much patience for my taste, making it better suited for those who appreciate intricate world-building and philosophical explorations in their sci-fi.
Leckie builds a detailed universe with complex societies and a unique perspective on gender. However, I feel Leckie was more interested in exploring ideas than actually telling the story.
The narrative alternates between different time periods, which can be disorienting, making it difficult to fully immerse oneself in the story. The pacing is too slow at times, while Leckie pauses to explan a new concept.
The character development, particularly of the protagonist Breq, is a mixed bag. While the concept of an AI grappling with humanity is intriguing, Breq's emotional depth is often lacking, making it challenging to connect with her.
This novel that demands too much patience for my taste, making it better suited for those who appreciate intricate world-building and philosophical explorations in their sci-fi.
flighty's review against another edition
4.0
A well constructed, refreshing book that grabs one's interest. A surprising page turner, considering a significant portion of the book is dedicated to the main character trekking through snow trying to find a thing.
The world is clearly very deeply constructed, and the bits of culture Leckie throws in is one of the book's strengths. The fact that the main character is a multi-body AI is extremely interesting (and utterly likable, another plus), but there isn't much of the cerebral sort of sci-fi to be found here. Mostly, the technology and politics could be interesting concepts, but they are not explored deeply. For example, I liked the idea of calling everyone a 'she', it does make one wonder how much it impacts the reader's thoughts and why, but I wished there was a more plausible explanation for it than 'gender is not important here'.
I'm a little surprised it swept the sci-fi awards but unsurprised it won a few.
The world is clearly very deeply constructed, and the bits of culture Leckie throws in is one of the book's strengths. The fact that the main character is a multi-body AI is extremely interesting (and utterly likable, another plus), but there isn't much of the cerebral sort of sci-fi to be found here. Mostly, the technology and politics could be interesting concepts, but they are not explored deeply. For example, I liked the idea of calling everyone a 'she', it does make one wonder how much it impacts the reader's thoughts and why, but I wished there was a more plausible explanation for it than 'gender is not important here'.
I'm a little surprised it swept the sci-fi awards but unsurprised it won a few.
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
ANCILLARY JUSTICE is a story of slow burn revenge by a segment of a colonial empire against its leader. It deals with personhood, gendered language, and sliding scales of ethics in colonial forces. It doesn't propose to have obvious or easy answers to any of these questions, but it excels in coming at them sideways. One of the most obvious elements of this is the way the protagonist engages with gendered language. Her first language doesn't use gendered pronouns, so she defaults to "she" (or that language's equivalent) for everyone, unless she is specifically told another gender reference. At minimum, for someone like myself reading in English it creates the impression of a world filled with women, even if they're not. Her constant misgendering marks her as an outsider even to those who don't know she's an Ancillary. As a physical extension of a spaceship's AI, put into human bodies for seamless operation, the nature of her existence is the subject of many discussions about slavery, autonomy, and personhood. Each of her bodies had a history before they became part of her, and she is uninterested in anyone's attempts to kill her in order to get that person back. This seems like the kind of thing later books might explore more, but the foundations are laid for now with various debates and conversations as to exactly what kind of colonial forces are to be preferred: one where bodies are replaced with ancillaries of a ship (effectively killing them), or one where individual humans are left their own personalities and might engage in assault of various kinds against the people in their charge. Is the soldier who has already been killed better than the one who will randomly rape the populace? The answer of stopping colonization altogether has already occurred to someone, to be sure, but this is a story where changes take time, and the last body of a several-thousand-year-old ship is content to set up the pieces of her revenge slowly.
I enjoyed this and I'm very interested in where things go from here. I like the questions raised nearly as much as I appreciate not being given trite answers.
I enjoyed this and I'm very interested in where things go from here. I like the questions raised nearly as much as I appreciate not being given trite answers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Grief, Racism, Drug abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Xenophobia, Drug use, Slavery, Colonisation, and Death
Minor: Grief, Vomit, Alcohol, Rape, and War
madz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sarahthornton's review against another edition
4.0
I've had this book for at least five years and have been keeping it for a little treat, and it did not disappoint. I read it after Murderbot, so comparisons have been drawn but the hivemind vs human augmentation are similar concepts and honestly I wish I'd read this as soon as I'd bought it.
Esk One is a delightful voice. Hard, tarnished. Bruised and battered. One of many left alone. The way the story unravels for her is elegant and incredibly paced. The last twenty or so pages where home isn't something she can have, although as an ancillary the ship feels an immediately kinship, her captain - not her favourite - and the lover of her favourite all conspire to what they think is best for her.
Will consume the rest of the trilogy (in four parts) with anticipation.
Esk One is a delightful voice. Hard, tarnished. Bruised and battered. One of many left alone. The way the story unravels for her is elegant and incredibly paced. The last twenty or so pages where home isn't something she can have, although as an ancillary the ship feels an immediately kinship, her captain - not her favourite - and the lover of her favourite all conspire to what they think is best for her.
Will consume the rest of the trilogy (in four parts) with anticipation.
nubianibex's review against another edition
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
jennydoesnotgetit's review against another edition
4.0
If the reader is willing to bear some initial confusion, this book pays off as a gripping thriller with some excellent world-building details. I admire the author’s slow exposition (because a character would not need to explain things to themselves). There was not quite enough humor for my personal taste, but I’d strongly recommend this book to sci-fi fans.
abishop23's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hivooha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0