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A review by silvae
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
5.0
Trigger Warnings for: xenophobia and microaggressions, semi-graphic medical procedore (brief)
I'm trying to find a way to fully describe how much I enjoyed this book without prattling on and on about the worldbuilding, the charming characters, the intrigue, the concepts and the wit of writing, and and and... So I'll keep it brief: A Memory Called Empire feels like a modern day (urban) Dune. It's thick and detailed and a lot of telling happens instead of showing. Had I read this in a physical copy, I would have checked the glossary every so often (the audiobook kind of forces you to accept whatever comes your way, which may actually be the best way to go about reading these sorts of stories). Its focus on cultural imperialism, xenophobia and the ugliness a beautiful culture can harbor in itself through the eyes of a diplomat who has to balance the othering she faces with her love for the culture she has always dreamed of... I don't remember having something similar before. Something about Arkady Martine's writing and world made me want to drop everything I was doing, just to listen to another chapter, and another and another... You know how it goes.
I'm glad I picked this book up right before volume 2 gets released - this way, I won't miss the characters all too much before I see them again.
I'm trying to find a way to fully describe how much I enjoyed this book without prattling on and on about the worldbuilding, the charming characters, the intrigue, the concepts and the wit of writing, and and and... So I'll keep it brief: A Memory Called Empire feels like a modern day (urban) Dune. It's thick and detailed and a lot of telling happens instead of showing. Had I read this in a physical copy, I would have checked the glossary every so often (the audiobook kind of forces you to accept whatever comes your way, which may actually be the best way to go about reading these sorts of stories). Its focus on cultural imperialism, xenophobia and the ugliness a beautiful culture can harbor in itself through the eyes of a diplomat who has to balance the othering she faces with her love for the culture she has always dreamed of... I don't remember having something similar before. Something about Arkady Martine's writing and world made me want to drop everything I was doing, just to listen to another chapter, and another and another... You know how it goes.
I'm glad I picked this book up right before volume 2 gets released - this way, I won't miss the characters all too much before I see them again.