It’s been so long since I’ve read a right and proper, complex, deliciously well-written space opera that when I finished Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie I broke my no new library requests until the end of February ban and put myself on the list for the next book, Ancillary Sword. I’m number 4 so I hope I don’t have to wait so very long. I already mentioned how the book plays with gender. It stopped being so weird after awhile to have everyone be “she” and slipped right into the background.
What’s the book actually about? It’s a complex story with lots of interlocking pieces. Breq, our narrator, used to be a troop carrier, a ship called Justice of Toren. Breq, or rather One Esk segment nineteen, is an ancillary of Justice of Toren, a human body connected to the AI of the ship. The troops Justice of Toren carries are all ancillaries of herself. They are all connected and can see and hear what is going on through each segment and Justice of Toren controls them all. The Ship has consciousness and her human crew, the captain of the ship and various lieutenants in charge of the brigades of ancillaries have implants that allow them and Justice of Toren to communicate directly to each other. The humans think the ship is just a computer but they are mistaken. Ships have favorites, and Justice of Toren’s favorite is Lieutenant Awn. Got all that?
So the first half or so of the book moves back and forth between present and twenty years ago. Twenty years ago Breq/One Esk was with Lieutenant Awn on the planet of Shis’urna, a planet that the Radch, an ever expanding empire, had annexed. They had been on the planet for five years, making nice with the new citizens and helping them adjust to being part of the Radch empire. Everything was going pretty well until it wasn’t. It turns out there is a plot afoot involving the ruler of the Radch empire, Anaander Mianaai who herself is made up of no one knows how many ancillaries. I’m pretty sure the original Anaander was human but she has lived on for thousands of years through her numerous ancillaries, expanding her empire and growing ever more powerful.
In the present, Justice of Toren was destroyed and Breq is all that is left of the ship. She is on a mission, out to take revenge against the one who destroyed her. People from the past keep showing up and she has to work hard to hide who she really is or else her plans will all be ruined. She is pretty sure she will end up dead when all is said and done. Does she get her revenge in the end? Yes and no. Does she die? She comes pretty darn close. And instead of the end she thought it all would be, it turns out to be only the beginning. I said this was a space opera right?
So great plot. Great pacing. Lots of cool stuff. But the best part is that is not all of the book. Because the book is also about empire and politics and class and war, about following orders (or not) and taking responsibility for your actions. And most of all, it is about identity. Breq is Breq and One Esk segment nineteen and Justice of Toren. She is not human but is often more human than the humans. She struggles with being lonely since until twenty years ago she has never been an “I” and never been alone. She discovers that while she is now singular, she is not actually alone. Breq also often battles with and is hindered by emotions. She makes choices she doesn’t fully understand. She is a spark about to ignite the dry tinder that the Radch Empire has become.
Stefanie, you read more sci-fi than anyone I know. I’m not a big sci-fi fan anymore, but I do love a good time travel novel…just not the Romance Novel genre of time travel. Do you have any recent favorites that involve time travel? All my favorites are at least 20 years old, seems like, and I just never find any new ones that compare. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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I have never read a space opera (does Star Trek qualify?) but this does sound quite interesting. This series would probably be a bit too demanding for me but what might you recommend as a good introduction to this sub genre?
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Ian, Star Trek flirts with space opera but because it lacks a central drama it doesn’t quite make it. Star Wars, there’s space opera for you. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card might work for you. One of my favorites is a trilogy by M.K. Wren called The Phoenix Legacy. The first book is Sword of the Lamb. Asimov’s Foundation series too, though I’ve not read that one yet. It’s on my list!
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Sam, that’s funny you say that since I don’t feel like I read as much science fiction as I used to! Hmm, a good time travel novel. Have you ever read Connie Willis? Many of her novels have time travel in them. To Say Nothing of the Dog and The Doomsday Book are really good. If you want something a bit thicker and heartier, The Cusanus Game is a good one I read a few years ago. I know what you mean about the time travel romance novels. I’m not too keen on those either.
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Have to confess I found the plot and prose pedestrian at best. It’s a book that in places gives the impression of depth of World/culture but actually is very skimpy. The main idea of an identity being able to manifest in multiple instances is far from new. I was looking forward to this book very much, it has great reviews and won awards; this baffles me. It’s an ok first book, but it is only mediocre.
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Mark, too bad you didn’t like the book. Multiple manifestations of a single identity is not new, but I think Leckie puts a nice spin on it. I also really like what she does with gender. I didn’t find prose or plot pedestrian at all and very much liked the world building especially the religious and class aspects. We can’t all like the same books, that would be boring 🙂
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I’m not a fan of science fiction although I did love The Invasion of The Body Snatchers. This sounds much too complicated for me and I’d probably get lost in Radch and never find my way back – unless I take a bag of bread crumbs with me to drop every few feet.
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Grad, it is a bit complicated but great fun if you enjoy SF and worldbuilding sorts of things. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is pretty good. I was watching an old Seinfeld episode last night and Seinfeld called Kramer a “pod” as in pod person. Gave me the giggles 🙂
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This sounds super. Maybe after I read the second Rothfus, I can then read this 😊.
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Emily, super, most definitely 🙂
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Wow–that sounds like quite a story. I envy people who can be so creative in the stories they write like this. I can’t imagine coming up with anything so outside my tiny worldview! Some day I really must give sci-fi a try!
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Danielle, it is quite the story! There is a short interview at the back of the book and Leckie said she got the idea while studying the Roman Empire but the book is definitely not Romans in space!
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