During a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court, Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident--or that Mahit might be next to die. Now Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion--all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret--one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life--or rescue it from annihilation
This was a very unique and original story. The author did some really cool things with language that I really appreciated.
I love books that are critical of empire, and this book certainly falls into that camp.
I think perhaps the reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I'm an empathic reader and tend to absorb the mindset of the main characters of the book...Mahit (aka the main character in this book) spends a significant majority of this book feeling stranded, confused, and totally in the dark about what's actually going on. I think that was reflected also in my experience of the book. Perhaps that should be counted as a positive for the book rather than a negative, but...
What do you do when your homeland is in the path of an expanding empire, hungry to consume it and draw it into its embrace? That's the central question to this, and it tells a fascinating story of Mahit Dzamare, sent to the imperial capital as an ambassador to try to protect her home, but also to find out what happened to her predecessor. There's a lot of palace intrigue that she has to figure out, but also a wider set of political processes going on outside the confines of the court, and it's good to see a recognition of those political structures and movements in a book like this.
Sometimes feels like there's too much going on - I haven't even touched on the Mahit's internal story, as she deals with an outdated copy of her predecessors mind within her own - but it all comes together in a …
What do you do when your homeland is in the path of an expanding empire, hungry to consume it and draw it into its embrace? That's the central question to this, and it tells a fascinating story of Mahit Dzamare, sent to the imperial capital as an ambassador to try to protect her home, but also to find out what happened to her predecessor. There's a lot of palace intrigue that she has to figure out, but also a wider set of political processes going on outside the confines of the court, and it's good to see a recognition of those political structures and movements in a book like this.
Sometimes feels like there's too much going on - I haven't even touched on the Mahit's internal story, as she deals with an outdated copy of her predecessors mind within her own - but it all comes together in a satisfying way. Have already ordered the sequel.
On of the best sci-fi novels I've read in some time. Accomplishes the stellar feat of making a story which takes part almost entirely within a single city feel like it has galaxy spanning consequences. Reads as much like medieval court intrigue as it does full on space opera, and is all the better for it.
The last big space opera I read was Saga of the Seven Suns, and while that is a huge story full of fantastic imagination, I enjoyed the writing style of this novel so much more.
Can't wait to read the followup, and hopefully many more to come. Bravo.
3.5 stars, really. I wrote this long review and then managed to overwrite it, meh.
In any case, very interesting premise, if you like sci-fi with a bit of whodunnit mixed into it. It's a fascinating look at an old empire from an outsider, and all its intrigues. The sequel should mix things up a bit.
I didn't care for the poetry angles, but overall, would recommend.
The slow-burning love-child of House of Cards and The Expanse
4 stars
If I'm honest I first picked up this book because of the image on the cover but once I picked up the book I remained interested and the aesthetic remained pretty cool throughout and gave me vibes from the "Coup" and "The Resistance" board games.
The book really focuses in a lot on the political manoeuvrers of the central character Mahit and her allies (and enemies). There's a fair amount of political theatre and description of Mahit's internal monologue which reminded me of House of Cards. The world building meant that the plot does take a little while to really get going but once it does get going, there's a fair amount to be excited about. The last few chapters were pretty gripping and more reminiscent of something like The Expanse.
There is a lot of description of the culture and language used in the Teixcalaanli Empire which for me, …
If I'm honest I first picked up this book because of the image on the cover but once I picked up the book I remained interested and the aesthetic remained pretty cool throughout and gave me vibes from the "Coup" and "The Resistance" board games.
The book really focuses in a lot on the political manoeuvrers of the central character Mahit and her allies (and enemies). There's a fair amount of political theatre and description of Mahit's internal monologue which reminded me of House of Cards. The world building meant that the plot does take a little while to really get going but once it does get going, there's a fair amount to be excited about. The last few chapters were pretty gripping and more reminiscent of something like The Expanse.
There is a lot of description of the culture and language used in the Teixcalaanli Empire which for me, really teetered on the precipice between detailed world-building and self-absorbed. I'm not really in to poetry - which is a huge part of Teixcalaanli culture so maybe that explains why I didn't really get on board with certain aspects of the world building but the descriptions of the technology, city, space vessels etc were well done.
Overall a solid, captivating sci-fi read if you can get on board with some of the slower descriptive parts of the book.
I experienced this as an enjoyable palace intrigue like some other reviewers, but I didn't really find it particularly insightful on "assimilation and language and the seduction and horror of empire" (quote taken from the author's acknowledgments section). It's an interesting world and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, but I can't say my mind was blown.
Review of 'A Memory Called Empire' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Sci fi x political thriller x some romance, set in an empire full of poetry, narrative, allusions and military, where the main character is an ambassador who sees both the beauty and the threat it is. I loved this book, looking forward to the sequel.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
Arkady Martine dazzles in her debut novel, A Memory Called Empire. This is space opera the way it’s meant to be done—and that is really saying something for me. I tend to love space opera with starships and battles and tactical plans. None of that exists in A Memory Called Empire. Or, perhaps it would be better to say that such exists, but the viewpoint we’re given is quite different. If you love your sci-fi thoughtful, cerebral, but fun and with an engaging and excellent main character, this is the sci-fi novel for you.
One of the things I really loved about A Memory Called Empire is the way it deals with culture and identity. As you might expect for a novel with this sort of title, our main character, Mahit, finds herself an ambassador from a …
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
Arkady Martine dazzles in her debut novel, A Memory Called Empire. This is space opera the way it’s meant to be done—and that is really saying something for me. I tend to love space opera with starships and battles and tactical plans. None of that exists in A Memory Called Empire. Or, perhaps it would be better to say that such exists, but the viewpoint we’re given is quite different. If you love your sci-fi thoughtful, cerebral, but fun and with an engaging and excellent main character, this is the sci-fi novel for you.
One of the things I really loved about A Memory Called Empire is the way it deals with culture and identity. As you might expect for a novel with this sort of title, our main character, Mahit, finds herself an ambassador from a small space station to the great Teixcalaan Empire. What’s truly fascinating about this is we get to see Mahit’s perspective as she arrives at the imperial capital and begins her work as an ambassador. But she’s arriving here as someone who loves the culture of the empire and much of what it represents, while at the same time hating the potential that this empire has to gobble up her own home station and all the culture that it represents. This ebb and flow, push and pull between Mahit’s love for both her homeland and the Teixcalaanli is part of what makes this novel shine. But this clash of cultures isn’t the only aspect of the novel that Martine hits out of the park. One of the unique things about Mahit’s culture is their use of a secret technology known as imago-machines. These small machines, embedded in the nervous system, record memories and endocrine responses and then pass these on to the next person in the imago line. The person who receives this imago is combined with it, forming a sort of hybrid personality. It’s not dissimilar to the dax symbiote from Deep Space Nine, but non-organic. However, this allows Martine not only to show us the external push and pull of cultures on Mahit, but also the internal push and pull as she struggles with finding herself and her identity as the inheritor of an imago line. The internal and external factors here create wonderful foils for one another.
I’ve said all of this and haven’t even touched on the worldbuilding, which is fantastic. Martine gives us a fascinating culture in the Teixcalaan Empire. From the use of numbers and nouns in names (Nineteen Adze, Six Direction) to the importance of poetry in the world, this feels like a refreshingly unique sci-fi world. There is a beauty to the world building, yet a certain brutality lurks just behind the curtain, never far from the conscious thought of both the characters and the reader. Not only is the world building exceptional, but Martine gives us a fully realized main character who genuinely grows throughout the novel. It wouldn’t be wrong to call this character-driven sci-fi.
If there is anything that didn’t connect with me in this novel, I’d say it’s some of the side characters. While some were interesting and provided certain enigmas, I felt like we only rarely received glimpses into their motivations. Not only did this leave me guessing at certain points about what their motivations were—in a way that took me out of the story—it also made it feel as if a few of the side characters were simply walking through actions in service to the narrative. This is largely made up for on the strengths of the characterization of Mahit and in the end did not significantly impact my enjoyment of the novel.
A Memory Called Empire is sure to become a sci-fi masterpiece that stands alongside Asimov, Herbert, Simmons, and other greats of the genre. This is one you absolutely do not want to miss.
4.5/5 stars
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile 4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile 3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time 2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it 1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
