Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire is one of the hottest science fiction debuts around. For those who loved Ann Leckie’s epic space opera Ancillary Justice, Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth and Iain M. Banks’s Culture novels.
Shortlisted for the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award.
Shortlisted for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards.In a war of lies she seeks the truth . . .
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next.
Now Mahit must navigate the capital’s enticing yet deadly halls of power, to discover dangerous truths. And while she hunts for the killer, Mahit must somehow prevent the rapacious Empire from annexing her home: a small, fiercely independent mining station.
As she sinks deeper into an alien culture that is all too seductive, Mahit engages in intrigues of her own. For she’s hiding an extraordinary technological secret, one which might destroy her station and its way of life. Or it might save them from annihilation.
A Memory Called Empire is followed by A Desolation Called Peace in the Teixcalaan duology.
‘A Memory Called Empire perfectly balances action and intrigue with matters of empire and identity. All-round brilliant space opera, I absolutely loved it’ – Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
‘Contender for debut of the year’ – SFX Magazine
I desperately wanted to like this book, but alas it was not in the cards for me. There’s a fine story in here somewhere, but I just couldn’t find it behind all the endless posturing about perfect prose and the poetry of a nebulous galactic empire that was ill defined and barely described. Even the main character lacked any kind of description, same for their originating space station. Other than the fact that it was a “Station” of some sort, we know nothing. How big is it? How many people? Are they in good shape or not? Who knows! Let’s talk about the poetry of a purple rose instead!
I know there’s a market out there for these types of stories and god bless the people that enjoy them, but if you’re looking for palace intrigue, action, adventure, or even a well build imaginative universe, this ain’t the place for you.
