A review by selfsoulfriend
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I personally enjoyed it a lot, but I can see how it's not for everyone. The review on the cover describes it as a "space opera," which is misleading. Other than the fact that the main character is from a space station and it's about an interplanetary empire, there aren't really any space opera elements. The entire book takes place on one planet, mostly in one city; it's more of a political thriller/murder mystery with some sci fi elements. Again this is not a bad thing to me but I can see how some were disappointed if they were expecting something else. It was a dense, slow paced read that did get a little tedious at times, especially with the author's writing style. I enjoyed the main character getting thrown into a chaotic and mysterious situation, the gradual uncovering of what exactly happened, and seeing everything come together at the end.

The concept of imago machines was the most interesting part of the book for me-- I enjoyed that their space station has its own culture, customs, and technology. I liked how it clashed with the Empire's culture as a way of exploring the philosophical questions that come along with this sort of technology.
I did find it hard to believe that some random surgeon was able to successfully reinstall a technology that they'd never seen before, and that absolutely NOTHING went wrong with the procedure. Mahit was a little tired and disoriented for a few hours and that was the only side effect.....okay.


The one thing that really got on my nerves was the author's overuse of italics for emphasis. It disrupted the flow of my reading at times and most of the time I didn't think it was necessary.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel!
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