A Memory Called Empire

I really had a lovely time getting swept up in this book. It's certainly science fiction but reminded me of the high fantasy genre that has captured my heart for so long, in the political/court drama and intrigue. The central theme exploring Mahit's love and hate of the colonizing force of the Empire, and of course viewing the Empire from the perspective of the colonized, was a unique strength – rarely do we see empire structures in SFF treated as “imperial” in an explicitly critical way. (Like usually the king is evil or whatever but we don't get the same critique of the entire empire, the cultural assumption that the imperial model is fine.) This book drew me in similarly to Gideon the Ninth, where watching a big cast play metaphorical chess but in space and with sapphics hit many satisfying spots I didn't realize I wanted. I also thought it was really fun/interesting that the identity crisis in this book does not come from the literal brain-merge Mahit undergoes (or at least, not only from that; the imago is an accepted part of her heritage and if there are identity issues it's because of the malfunction) but from her wrestling with her position in the empire.

I enjoyed the writing, the world building (although honestly I was sometimes skimming over the detailed explanation of language, syllables, verse). I loved the characterization of cast members like Nineteen Adze and the emperor and even Yskandr, these enigmatic people with deep convictions all around Mahit who contrast her frequent internal dialogue. I enjoyed Mahit as a protagonist though agreeing that her personality and development were often obscured by stewing or plot events – enough of her came through to make me like her, root for her, want to know more about what she does next.