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sylvannah's review against another edition
5.0
Never did I think I could love a book that’s so rife with bureaucracy and, god forbid, MEETINGS, but here we are. I loved the wittiness of it. I loved the poetry obsession. I love unflappable, unstoppable Mahit. I loved the intricacies of Teixcalaani society. I loved wading through the minutiae to arrive at the explosive climax. Highly, highly, highly recommend.
flyingfox02's review against another edition
challenging
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Mahit and Three Seagrass seem to be really good friends don't they
orion93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annamorgan27's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Colonisation, and Blood
howardgo's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
4.5
I am fascinated by storytelling. It is a large part of why I read so much. I also love to learn about the art of storytelling and writing. So much so that I listen to a podcast called Writing Excuses. What is it? In their words, "Writing Excuses is a fast-paced, educational podcast for writers, by writers. Our goal is to help our listeners become better at their craft. Whether they write for fun or for profit, whether they’re new to the domain or old hands, Writing Excuses has something to offer. We love to write, and our listeners do, too." In their latest season they have been talking about "world building" and using the Hugo-award-winning novel A Memory of Empire by Arkady Martine as their text.
I had thought about reading this book many times but always decided to pass. On the cover is a prominent quote that, in part, refers to it as "space opera", not one of my favorite types of science fiction. I didn't really relish reading about war in space. But as I listened to this season of the podcast, I discovered that this novel is less about space war and more about culture, language, diplomacy, colonization, and empire. I became very interested in reading this book and finally picked it up.
The story centers on a young woman named Mahit who grew up on a small space station on the edge of the empire. When suddenly the empire requests a new ambassador from the station, Mahit is sent. She has studied the empire and its language and culture almost her entire life. She is fascinated by it as well as troubled by its power and threat to her home station. When she arrives, she learns that the former ambassador is dead, possibly murdered. With little knowledge of what happened to him and almost no one to help her, she sets out to discover what happened to him and protect and represent her home.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved that it delves into the culture of the empire and how it both fascinates and troubles Mahit. One of the episodes in the podcast is an interview with the author. In it I learned that she combines aspects of the Byzantium and Aztec empires to develop the empire in the book. The world building happens in the context of telling the story so there is little exposition about the empire or the world. It all happens organically in an intriguing story that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and takes you along for the ride with Mahit as she struggles to navigate this new world that she loves and fears and has for so long wanted to be a part of. But as the story unfolds she starts to wonder if that will ever be possible. A unique look as colonization and it effects on the colonizers in the shape of a compelling story that is hard to put down.
My rating: 4.5/5
yetiman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
3.5
mopherad's review against another edition
4.0
Book deals with a lot of cool themes and sci fi concepts, builds some unique cultural stuff. Political intrigue gets good…eventually.
Biggest issues are that the protagonist seems to just get pulled from one place to the next. Feels like the story is happening to them. I think this could have been balanced by a second POV to switch between. The other is some of the themes (cultures absorbing each other) are a bit more show then tell.
Biggest issues are that the protagonist seems to just get pulled from one place to the next. Feels like the story is happening to them. I think this could have been balanced by a second POV to switch between. The other is some of the themes (cultures absorbing each other) are a bit more show then tell.
rkaufman13's review against another edition
5.0
While the shape of the language here lends itself to, I don't know, Aztecs In Space, Martine just nails the experience of (sorry) a total weeb just bouncing off a real, actual culture with real human people. Also there's Politics and rebellion and a real true love of language that made this book un-putdownable. Many of the characters are a little too Clever to feel real but that was a minor fault, I think.