Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, 1) Paperback – October 1, 2013

I enjoy science fiction, and while I've read (and re-read) many of the classics in the genre I was looking for something (and someone) new. Fortunately, I had the good luck to stumble across Ann Leckie and her debut novel Ancillary Justice. This is such a radical and complex novel, I don't think I can possibly review it without discussing some of the plots and events in the book, so I'll attach the standard caveat to this review: SPOILER ALERT.I'll start with the protagonist, "Breq" who is truly a remarkable and unique character. I'm sure there's precedent, but I'm not sure I can think of another book with a SHIP as a protagonist, and not just any ship but an intelligent, sometimes conflicted one with multiple bodies (and even personalities, motives, and priorities). I thought Leckie did an admirable job utilizing Breq's multiple vantage points without descending into the realms of chaos or confusion (I realize it would be better to call her "Justice of Toren" at this point, but given the many identities she has, please bear with me and let me use "Breq" for simplicity's sake). For the first half or so of the book, chapters alternate between the past and the present, from the perspective of (potentially) two different characters. Doing so allows Leckie to gradually introduce and flesh out much of the history, culture, religion, politics, characters, and other key aspects of the novel's "universe." It also allows Leckie to slowly build the tension and drama in each story, which the reader knows are coming to a head, even if we don't know exactly what that moment of climax will entail. Along the way, Leckie forces the reader to question fundamental issues such as identity, gender, power, intelligence, and humanity in ways that are sometimes subtle and gentle while other times overt and shocking ... but never forced or preachy. I have read a few reviews that compare Leckie's writing to that of Ursula Le Guin's ... I think that is a very apt comparison, and quite the honor (but a deserved one). The pace does speed up as the novel goes on, and the book ends at a point that leaves the reader hungry for more.The book is not perfect, however. No major flaws, but a few things that stuck out to me: although she tries to be a bit coy, Leckie left some pretty big hints as to who the present day narrator was ... at most, the biggest question was which part of Justice of Toren it was (and even at that, the idiosyncrasies made it relatively clear it was some part of One Esk). Also, toward the end of the story, once Breq survived her initial confrontation with the Mianaai, you kind of knew she probably wasn't going to be killed anytime soon (taking some of the suspense out of the events in the shuttle)--that's the only potential drawback of a more deliberate writing style ... if the reader has a pretty good idea of what's going to happen, the effect wears off. In contrast, when we don't know what exactly will happen on Shis'urna, or in the present day up to the point where Breq confronts Mianaai, this style works delectably well.Finally, while I thought Leckie developed some interesting characters, there are times where I wished for a little bit more depth ... the "big brother" aspects of the Radchaai made for interesting drama and subtext, but it also prevented characters from really TALKING to each other openly. Much is left unsaid, or revealed only from Breq's point of view (the challenge of a first-person perspective) ... and once Justice of Toren is destroyed, it really does just become one person's perspective (this might be an unpopular opinion, but I thought that while Breq was a fabulous protagonist, she was a bit more interesting when she was still Justice of Toren precisely because you had one character with multiple perspectives and viewpoints ... I know that what happened to and on Justice of Toren is necessary for "Breq" to come into her own, but still ...). In some ways, part of the problem is that Breq is kind of without equal amongst the major characters--she knows more and is more capable in most ways compared to just about everyone else ... with the exception of Mianaai. As a result, Breq and Mianaai have a really interesting ... "relationship" (?) ... that I really hope Leckie develops in subsequent books. They have so much in common, and although Breq and Seivarden have some interesting exchanges, for me it was the interactions between Breq and Mianaai that generated the most sparks and were the most thought-provoking. If I may be so bold, I really think that how/whether Leckie develops Mianaai will tip the balance between whether this becomes an iconic, timeless series, or merely a so-so one ... every good story needs a good "villain" (I use the term someone ironically, as I'm not sure Mianaai is the villain Breq makes her out to be).All in all, however, I really enjoyed this book. On its own, I'd probably give it 4.5 stars (I went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars, but eventually I rounded up to 5 because as a debut novel, this was a praiseworthy effort!) ... Leckie has the potential for a "5 star" series ... but there are so many SF and fantasy series where the first story ends up being the best ... I hope she takes care to make sure this one avoids that unlikely (but possible) fate.

My literary background nods up and down and says, "Yes, this is pretty impressive work." And I can see why the sci-fi crowd would be happy to champion this work--if for no other reason than its prose is exemplary, with particular regard to POV. Ancillary Justice gets to be one of those titles you can point to when a lit-snob claims science fiction cannot be literature.(As a quick aside, but the length of time Justice of Toren has been around, coupled with the occasions wherein the ancillaries had yet to be destroyed, offered the one and only time I’ve ever seen an author jump through hoops to write a third-person limited omniscience in the first person. Bravo, Ann Leckie. I’m sure it was the source of much aggravation. Impressive, for sure.)Narratively, these types of far-reaching military-style sci-fi novels are nothing new: Bad empires, self-conscious AI's, Ronin-esque soldiers seeking revenge... it's been done. However, that's what makes this book work, its generally straightforward narrative. Sure, Leckie plays with non-linear events, but she telegraphs those shifts loud and clear. The whole thing boils down to "underdog sets off to confront the head of an evil empire" and that is about as tried and true a storyline as you're apt to find in the sci-fi genre. Again, it is this utterly simple story that allows Leckie to indulge in the complexities of POV and how a fractured, but not wholly unreliable, mind affects narration. Yes, you do find out One Esk's memories have been tampered with, but only in the sense that the AI has been forced to forget certain details. One Esk is never willfully hiding anything. The intelligence acts with three basic, programmable instincts that are inherit to thinking artificiality: observation, anticipation, and action. In fact, you could argue that any sense of unreliable narration is more at the fault of Leckie and how she has chosen to write the tale, than the tale itself. Though, again, the non-linear nature is a way for Leckie to sidestep the tried and true formula and head into something more challenging. It is, truly, a way to move the genre forward by also staying true to what's come before--by showing us the complexity capable within common tropes.And, regarding gender within the narrative:I never stopped thinking about gender as I read this book. And Leckie, with her complete disregard of common gender identifiers, wrote herself—not into a corner—but into an open field of deniability. You can infer what you want about the characters, bring your own identifiers and generalizations to the table. One Esk can be read easily as a man or as a woman. During my initial read through, I must admit that I leaned toward One Esk having been a female, but having separated myself from the text and mulling over it, I have actually come to the strong inclination that One Esk is, actually, a male.And sex and sexuality exists, clearly such a relationship was had by Skaaiat and Awn, but you are simply left to infer everything on your lonesome.For instance, Radchaai defaults to the feminine, yes? And it is an empire with a single (for all intents and purposes) ruler in the form of Anaander Mianaai. Logically, you could be forgiven then for coming to the conclusion that the Radchaai is a matriarchal society, and that Anaander Mianaai—despite her many fluid forms—is their matriarch. And perhaps that is part of what Leckie is getting at with the clear division in Mianaai: the aggressor and the pacifist. Male or female, female or male… I don’t really know, though that is the point, yes? Does it really matter at all? Even age is obliterated in regards to identity, as the last we see of Mianaai exists in the body of a very young child, itself a contradiction.Perhaps it is simply Leckie asking us to consider not what is on the outside at all, and only ever consider what is within, consciousness, the ephemeral impulses that exist between our ears and behind our eyes.My biggest complaint:Now, keep in mind, I have not read this entire series, only this entry. I can only speak for this particular book. Having said that, I’ll proceed.Justice of Toren One Esk doesn’t have a real character arc. One Esk is at the end, as they are in the beginning: an intelligent AI, capable of stunning violence, at the mercy of its own programming, literally at the mercy of the antagonist. Even the “goal” of this protagonist is revealed to be nothing more than the product of a direct order given by the antagonist at an earlier point. Lots of things happen to Justice of Toren One Esk, and many things happen around One Esk, but there is a passivity to the character that is carried throughout the narrative. Only the reluctance to leave behind an estranged soldier—an event that is presented as pure chance (not the only dash of Deus ex Machina within this narrative)—gives the AI a hint of character beyond the façade of cold calculation.This is troublesome, as the narrative all but sets up neon signs advertising growth as an obvious outcome of passing time. “We’re not what we used to be,’ said the head priest. ‘Everything passes, eventually” (pg 78).And further into the narrative you get this weighty bit of discourse:“Or is anyone’s identity a matter of fragments held together by convenient or useful narrative, that in ordinary circumstances never reveals itself as a fiction? Or is it really a fiction?” (pg 303)And these are all very worthy of discussion, though they don’t really apply to Justice of Toren One Esk, because—as I stated earlier—One Esk remains a constant all the way through to the climax. “But I had always been, first and foremost, a weapon. A machine meant for killing” (pg 529)Regardless of this, I was engaged throughout the work. And though I am not normally in the habit of reading series, I am seriously considering picking up the next book.

Se você permitir o livro vai te conquistar. Eu adorei os diálogos nesse livro, as personagens tem muita personalidade. A personagem principal é complexa e você vai entendendo suas motivações ao longo da leitura. Conforme o livro vai intercalando entre linhas temporais você pode acabar se sentindo perdido se encarar a leitura como algo despreocupado, o livro exige atenção, mas recompensa o investimento.

Endlich mal wieder eine Space Opera, die mich erstens durch ihre Ideen überrascht hat und zweitens brillant geschrieben ist. Glaubwürdige Dialoge, dafür bin ich wirklich dankbar. Ein erster Satz, der mich sofort in die Geschichte hineingezogen hat. Ein Dilemma, in dem die Hauptperson steckt, das den Leser aufgrund der Unausweichlichkeit des drohenden Verhängnisses fesselt. Und natürlich Personen, die nicht einfach gut oder böse sind, sondern teils, teils. Das macht ein Buch für mich interessant! Man hätte vielleicht etwas kürzen oder straffen können, aber das ist Jammern auf hohem Niveau. Ich freue mich schon auf den zweiten Band.

Upsets a lot of ideas with language and ideas. You get taken in slowly until you can’t let go of the plot.

Whoa! That was some book!It began slowly, with the narrator's voice full of procrastination and self-doubts that were rather jarring. Then it kept taking me back into a place and time far-far away. I realised that the narrator's present movements are being driven by THAT past. But while recounting THAT past, the narrator kept mentioning events that are farther down the lane. Slowly, with dialogues in the present and a slow-burning situation developing in THAT past, the picture became clearer.Then it happened!Like a bomb going off, something happened in THAT past. Until then the book had been a rather interesting study of cultures, peppered by self-doubts, fear, meanings of loyalty, importance of power, restrictions imposed by class and guns etc.From that point, it became a thriller. And WHAT a thriller it was!The book has become everyone's favourite for obvious reasons.It was slow, and the pacing wasn't helped by the non-linear narrative. But in the process it had addressed questions that are likely to fill mighty tomes dealing with Political Science.The book addresses gender, class, clan, race, religion, even humanity in all its diversity, while describing the universe where the action takes place. But this book is about power and its implications.It's about Artificial Intelligence, its limits and depths.It's also about love, without ever being spoken, or even thought of.And it's unputdownable, once that point had been reached.Justice of Toren is dead. Long live Breq. Now, where's that tea we were discussing, Citizen?

An engaging and interesting saga, I'm no sci-fi fiction junkie, but this book is great, I bought the whole series.A couple caveats, it is a challenging work to read, as there is no context or synopsis to get you started in how the protagonist and world "works". So the jumping between "minds" of the AI main character is disconcerting until you get the hang of it. I suggest -very- minimal distractions while reading this series, as it really rewards uninterrupted effort. Fortunately, the chapters average 15-20 mins each so its easy to get "breaks" if you have a busy life and need a good book to fill those personal spaces.Highly recommended.