A Memory Called Empire

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.