Author: Ann Leckie
Genre: Science Fiction
Published on: October 1, 2013 by Orbit
Ancillary Justice is Ann Leckie's stunning debut -- the only novel to ever win the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke awards -- about a ship's AI who becomes trapped in a human body and her quest for revenge. A must read for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and James S. A. Corey.
"There are few who write science fiction like Ann Leckie can. There are few who ever could." -- John Scalzi.
"There are few who write science fiction like Ann Leckie can. There are few who ever could." -- John Scalzi.
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.
Once, she was the Justice of Toren -- a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.
Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.
Where to start with this one? I started Ancillary Justice with high expectations. I mean, it's won the three most significant awards a sci-fi novel can get. It's gotta be great, no? The main character is Breq Ghaiad, a super-advanced AI occupying a human woman's body. Ancillary Justice is told from her third-person point of view. Breq tells the reader that she used to be a spaceship called the Justice of Toren. Apart from controlling the ship, Breq was also its army of special soldiers, all connected together. It wasn't exactly a hive mind; the Breq AI was just one mind split among a ship and several bodies. The soldiers themselves are known as "ancillaries". They are human, but they're, well, not alive per se. Some people actually refer to them as corpse soldiers. It reminded me of Amy Tintera's Reboots.
Why is Breq a single body now? The novel doesn't reveal that until later. It introduces Breq when she's on an alien planet. It's winter, and while going around, Breq stumbles into a barely-alive soldier she once knew. The soldier's name is Seivarden. Breq collects this person and heals them. It doesn't seem like Seivarden will stick around at first. Then the book reveals how long Seivarden has been missing: a thousand years. Breq herself has been "alive" for way longer than that. It's been twenty years since she was reduced to a single body, though.
The world of Ancillary Justice is known as the Imperial Radch. It's a vast galactic empire controlled by a person known as the Lord of the Radch. Their name is Anaander Mianaai. Yeah, it's very Eobard Thawne-ish; with a name like that Anaander has to be from the future. Not much is revealed about Anaander at first, even though they show up early in the story. A portion of the book's beginning is split into two timelines. One is in the past and reveals what happened to Breq. Since then, she's been focused on getting revenge on whoever was responsible for her current situation. Breq is searching for someone who possesses an object crucial to her mission.
Although Breq's story was intriguing, a major thing kept me from enjoying the novel. The issue is that Ancillary Justice leaves the genders of its characters ambiguous. As the book explains it, the Radchaii culture and their language have complete disregard for gender. You wouldn't think this is so significant until it's tossed aside. Breq is an AI, she has an excuse, but the Radchaii are human. Humans aren't a genderless species, and the book never states we evolved into such. I couldn't picture Seivarden or the other characters in my mind at all. It didn't help that Breq kept referring to everyone as "she". Even their names aren't much help, though I'm pretty sure the Lord of the Radch is male. Still, if I can't imagine the characters, I can't become invested in them. Gender is an important part of a character's identity, if their species happens to have genders. Omitting it is a huge drawback.
Ancillary Justice was also a little difficult to read. I mean difficult as in it's rather...brainy. Although I'm a very intelligent guy, this book didn't strike me as easy for a science-fiction novice. The Imperial Radch is complex, with a long history, and this makes for a somewhat complicated plot. I did find the main antagonist fascinating. I haven't read a character (let alone villain) quite like him. Defeating this enemy is going to take some wit. Although Ancillary Justice was pretty good, it just didn't live up to the hype. I'm honestly surprised it's the only novel to win the three most prominent sci-fi awards. I had totally expected this book would make it into my top ten reads of the year. Not only will it not, but I'm not continuing the series either. It completely failed to live up to its promise.
Why is Breq a single body now? The novel doesn't reveal that until later. It introduces Breq when she's on an alien planet. It's winter, and while going around, Breq stumbles into a barely-alive soldier she once knew. The soldier's name is Seivarden. Breq collects this person and heals them. It doesn't seem like Seivarden will stick around at first. Then the book reveals how long Seivarden has been missing: a thousand years. Breq herself has been "alive" for way longer than that. It's been twenty years since she was reduced to a single body, though.
The world of Ancillary Justice is known as the Imperial Radch. It's a vast galactic empire controlled by a person known as the Lord of the Radch. Their name is Anaander Mianaai. Yeah, it's very Eobard Thawne-ish; with a name like that Anaander has to be from the future. Not much is revealed about Anaander at first, even though they show up early in the story. A portion of the book's beginning is split into two timelines. One is in the past and reveals what happened to Breq. Since then, she's been focused on getting revenge on whoever was responsible for her current situation. Breq is searching for someone who possesses an object crucial to her mission.
Although Breq's story was intriguing, a major thing kept me from enjoying the novel. The issue is that Ancillary Justice leaves the genders of its characters ambiguous. As the book explains it, the Radchaii culture and their language have complete disregard for gender. You wouldn't think this is so significant until it's tossed aside. Breq is an AI, she has an excuse, but the Radchaii are human. Humans aren't a genderless species, and the book never states we evolved into such. I couldn't picture Seivarden or the other characters in my mind at all. It didn't help that Breq kept referring to everyone as "she". Even their names aren't much help, though I'm pretty sure the Lord of the Radch is male. Still, if I can't imagine the characters, I can't become invested in them. Gender is an important part of a character's identity, if their species happens to have genders. Omitting it is a huge drawback.
Ancillary Justice was also a little difficult to read. I mean difficult as in it's rather...brainy. Although I'm a very intelligent guy, this book didn't strike me as easy for a science-fiction novice. The Imperial Radch is complex, with a long history, and this makes for a somewhat complicated plot. I did find the main antagonist fascinating. I haven't read a character (let alone villain) quite like him. Defeating this enemy is going to take some wit. Although Ancillary Justice was pretty good, it just didn't live up to the hype. I'm honestly surprised it's the only novel to win the three most prominent sci-fi awards. I had totally expected this book would make it into my top ten reads of the year. Not only will it not, but I'm not continuing the series either. It completely failed to live up to its promise.
My rating: ★★
2 stars - Leaves a lot to be desired.
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