Title: Ancillary Justice
Author: Ann Leckie
First published October 1, 2013
416 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9780316246620 (ISBN10: 031624662X)
Rating: 3.98
Overview
In a distant cold world, Breq, a soldier on a mission, is nearing the end of her journey. She was once the Justice of Toren, a massive starship with an AI that connected thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, an empire that ruled the galaxy.
However, a betrayal has stripped her of everything, leaving her with just one frail human body, many unanswered questions, and a fierce thirst for revenge.
Editoral Review
Ancillary Justice, a science fiction novel by Ann Leckie, challenges traditional notions of gender and identity. Published in 2013, it is the first book in the Imperial Radch trilogy.
Leckie, a Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author, combines a space opera setting with the exploration of language and power dynamics.
Ancillary Justice is a fascinating and thought-provoking read. The novel is set in a future universe where the Radch Empire rules over thousands of planets.
The main character, Breq, is a former starship AI known as Justice of Toren. The ship and its ancillaries, which were once human bodies controlled by the AI, have been destroyed.
Breq has been reduced to one body, making her the only surviving part of the once-mighty Justice of Toren. However, Breq is on a mission to find the person responsible for the destruction of her ship and seek revenge.
Breqs journey takes her to various planets, where she encounters different cultures and faces opposition from powerful individuals. She is aided in her mission by a group of characters, including Seivarden Vendaai, a former addict and officer, and Lieutenant Awn, a member of an alien species known as Presger.
The characters dynamics are complex and multifaceted. Leckie plays with the concept of identity, as her characters inhabit different bodies, genders, and species.
Leckies world-building is intricate, and her prose is inventive. She masterfully uses language to convey her themes of power, imperialism, and oppression.
The Radch language has no gender, which means that all characters are referred to by the same pronoun, she. This linguistic device has the effect of erasing gender from the narrative, forcing readers to question their assumptions about gender roles and stereotypes.
The book is not without its flaws. The pacing can be slow at times, and the plot is character-driven rather than action-driven.
However, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise excellent novel. Ancillary Justice is a remarkable debut that showcases Leckies talents as a writer.
Her characters are compelling and well-drawn, and her world-building is intricate and inventive. The book carefully explores themes of identity, power, and oppression, making it a perfect read for fans of thought-provoking science fiction.
It also has historical and cultural significance, as it challenges traditional gender roles and raises important questions about language, identity, and power. Ancillary Justice is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of science fiction.
Rating: 4.5/5
