A Memory Called Empire

I really enjoyed this. The setting Martine creates is fascinating, playful and strange, and the booksmart but beleaguered Mahit is a great main character through which to explore its intricacies. I loved the concept of passing memories down from person to person via an implant, and it's a rich vein for intrigue and skulduggery here.

It took me a while to acquire a taste for the writing, which still niggled frequently; Martine is an eloquent writer who undermines her own prose with fuckloads of italics. Once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it, until you just want to shake the author by the shoulders and shout, “Your writing's good! You don't need these!”

The pacing is languid in places, but the book builds up to a third act that impressed me. I wasn't always sure if it would, but it left me really looking forward to reading the next one.