A Memory Called Empire
Ratings425
Average rating4.2
Multi-layered and very well written, AMCE is a good science-fiction murder mystery with lots of court intrigue. I will look for more from Arkady Martine.
Overall, this was a really excellent book. It reminds me a lot of Ann Leckie's Ancillary series and Katherine Addison's Goblin Emperor, very intricate world-building, political thriller. The worlds Martine creates are vivid and real, and she has a beautiful ability to highlight the ambivalence of the ex-pat in a country one used to love through rose-colored glasses and now must see the dark truth of. The only part that fell a little flat for me was the romance. Something about it just felt a little tacked on. Granted, I like my romances either entirely subtextual tension or plot-drivingly present, so this one was just a bit lukewarm, like if you removed it from the story, nothing would really be lost. That said, the rest of the tension and mystery more than make up for this, and I will eagerly read the next one when it arrives.
I found the idea of politics expressed as poetry fascinating but something I wouldn't want to be tested for comprehension. I did enjoy the mystery, some tidbits left unanswered, and the character relationship-building.
I am...underwhelmed. I liked the world; I loved the linguistics. I feel like 462 pages later I still don't know who any of these people are or why I should spend time with them.
I'm not a fan of fish-out-of-water stories, which I can't hold against the book (it's me, not you), but I am a fan of mystery and this one was only half solved (it's you, not me).
It ticks another book club/hugo read off the list, but I won't read the rest of this series.
Overview: A beautifully written book that combines some of the best aspects of Science Fiction. An outstanding debut book from an author with huge promise.On 1st Reading: I came away from this book with a feeling of satisfaction, wonder and fascination. This is a book from a new author, one that is clearly both skilled and knowledgeable. Who does she remind me of? There are many passages in which the writing is just beautiful, and gently guides the reader into pondering the nature of society, culture and preconceptions. In this, perhaps more than any other author, she reminds me of the peerless [a:Ursula K. Le Guin 874602 Ursula K. Le Guin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1244291425p2/874602.jpg].In other areas the writing can be stark, evoking the harsh beauty of the cosmos. The author also raises deep questions about technology, how we interact with it and what this means for our identity and the nature of humanity. In both these areas she strongly reminded me of [a:Alastair Reynolds 51204 Alastair Reynolds https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521740247p2/51204.jpg], one of the best SF writers of today.As someone who has enjoyed reading some...older books, I felt many passages and themes echoed with Heroditus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus and Procopius. After one particular passage in which the main character is presented to the Emperor and has to consider how to balance her cultural aversion to bowing with the expectation that she should prostrate herself, I read up about the author and was utterly blown away by the breadth of her scholarly background. This rich knowledge has clearly come through in her writing, giving a believability and a depth that you can really feel to the world that she has created.So yes, the writing reminds me of all these things, yet there is something else there too. I feel that Ms Martine has learned from the best that literature offers, but she has brought something new. It is true that there are threads that remind me of some of the best books out there - but there are novel ideas and a special style that clearly 100% Arkady Martine, something hard to pin down, but spicy, floral and wonderful.As a debut work this is frankly staggering.On 2nd Reading: I reread this ahead of the release of the sequel. I found it just as meaningful and well written as the first time around. Knowing what would happen I was able to relax and appreciate the authors skill in blending genres, and in the little details - particularly in the frankly beautiful handling of the relationship between Mahit and Three Seagrass, in a different way between Yskandr and Six Direction. (Being a softy I'm desperate for Mahit and Seagrass to get together!). This is a fantastic book, it stands on its own, but I am very much looking forward to the sequel.I am moving straight into [b:A Desolation Called Peace 45154547 A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2) Arkady Martine https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591755604l/45154547.SY75.jpg 61309907].
This was a really interesting book. The world-building was intriguing, the technology and the politics were fascinating, and the writing itself was an absolute treat to read.
On the personal character level, Mahit's interaction with the memories and personality of her predecessor were really interesting - it's almost a shame that the plot required them to be separated from each other for such a large portion of the story! As it is, though, it's a perfect mirror of the larger story of Lsel Station trying to resist being integrated into the Teixcalaanli Empire - the macro and micro levels of storytelling are really well intertwined throughout the novel.
That macro/micro connection applies equally well to the political intrigue parts of the story - the tension between Lsel's understandable need for independence and the Empire's need for expansion, and the political aspirations of the Emperor and his court are both compelling and interesting (even though a lot of it might be things we would consider unappetizing in a real-world setting).
Lastly, Martine's storytelling and ability to describe Teixcalaan are absolutely wonderful, and you can really feel yourself inhabiting, or at least visiting, the world that she describes. It's sun-drenched an full of beautiful street art with unique a rhythm and flow.
If anything, the novel struggles to contain all of the ideas that are stuffed into it - there truly is an entire universe contained in the pages here. You sort of hope for a giant, multi-media Star Wars type project to spring forward from it, as the world would definitely be rich enough to support that.
I really enjoyed this book. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Nice world building and character development. Enjoyed the tech too.
Wow, what a fun fun novel. Murder mystery, poetry, espionage, blood sacrifice and all in the guise of a space opera that isn't yet, but it certainly sets the scene for one. Now, I will say if you don't like books where the characters are chatty - well this isn't for you because oh my goodness - let's just say the characters spend a lot of time just sitting around talking. The author makes it work because these times allow the reader to follow the thoughts and the discoveries that come from the thoughts and these not only explain the characters but the world of the novel. Some might find these parts slow, I don't - in fact I found them thrilling. Well, to sum up - engaging and interesting mash up of various cultures to make new and interesting societies, peoples, and situations. Recommended.
Aztecs in space!!!
This is actually a really fun political intrigue novel... featuring AZTECS IN SPACE!
The author is extremely good in conveying the psychological and sociological complexity of human interaction: about all the dialogues were absolutely fascinating. The writing is great, too, and so are many of the characters.
What is less riveting is the rhythm (so, so very slow, eventually growing boring) and the very low scifi-ness (let's be honest, it's actually a very good book about a foreign envoy to the imperial Chinese/Japanese court, disguised very poorly with a lame scifi background which is actually less evolved technologically, in many ways, than our present).
This is a novel written with impressive confidence and fluency, which feels up to date in style and yet recognizably falls into the tradition of science fiction as we know it. Mahit's initial situation as a vulnerable envoy reminded me vaguely of [b:The Left Hand of Darkness 18423 The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488213612l/18423.SY75.jpg 817527]; later on I was reminded vaguely of [a:Samuel R. Delany 49111 Samuel R. Delany https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516722468p2/49111.jpg]; and perhaps the author would acknowledge such influences in a general sense, but she's gone on to create something original that's her own.The story seems to get off to a slow start, but in fact Mahit Dzmare (the protagonist) is always under pressure from the situation and the plot, though the pressure gradually increases as time goes on. There's more action and excitement in the second half.Rather cleverly, the author has given the Teixcalaanli characters names that seem outlandish to us, but which consist of normal words—translated from Texicalaanli to English for our convenience, so they're easy to pronounce and relatively feasible to remember (although it's a bit of a struggle at first). However, the Lsel characters (such as Mahit) have names that are just names.I like this book and I'm glad to have encountered it: it's a fine and recommendable example of modern sf. It's complete in itself and doesn't really need a sequel, but I see it's due to get one, and no doubt I'll read that too.Mild criticisms:1. The interactions between characters can be quite likeable and engaging, but the characters themselves are mostly too driven and dedicated for normal people to identify with them easily. Furthermore, as a result of the situation and the plot, they're constantly under stress and never get a chance to relax, which makes me feel uncomfortable in sympathy.2. The idea of a far-future interstellar civilization with a powerful Emperor (and sun temples!) seems anachronistic—not impossible, it could happen, but I find it somewhat implausible. I hope that future humans will invent new political structures that we haven't yet thought of, not fall back on old ones that we've already discarded.The title of the book seems meaningless to me. Memory and Empire are both important to the story, but memory is not called empire in any way I can think of.