A Memory Called Empire
Ratings362
Average rating4.2
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.
This was a tough book for me to get into. i would get pulled in then, then lose interest. The amount of focus of the language that was spoken was a bit much for me. I enjoyed the names of the characters until i didn't. it was a unique naming but there didn't feel like a lot of substance behind it. any number and a thing. just didn't work for me.
I liked the ending, i thought it was good. I didn't predict it, but it was still plausible.
Good book, but not great
I finished this a few days ago, and was going to give it a 4-star review, but how much I keep thinking about it and how many times I've recommended it tells me it's really 5 stars for me! This is...just an epic space opera! I think part of the reason it also resonated so much with me right now started with the dedication: “This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever fallen in love with a culture that was devouring their own.” I've been reading/thinking a lot about modernity and its perils recently, and Martine has a lot to say about culture, how it defines us and others, self-perpetuates, but also self-destructs. There's just so much stuff here about selfhood as well - what is memory, what parts of it are shared and what cannot be, and what do our stories mean to us. I haven't ordered her second book yet, but certainly will.
I found the idea of politics expressed as poetry fascinating but something I wouldn't want to be tested for comprehension. I did enjoy the mystery, some tidbits left unanswered, and the character relationship-building.
I'm not eloquent enough to review this properly. But I'll give it a clumsy go: I haven't read anything like this before and I really love it ??? even if the names are annoyingly difficult to pronounce. Count on me to dive into the sequel very soon.
*4.5
The language and world are too inventive for any story to keep up with. Despite that, the pieces are well woven and a satisfying conclusion is reached.
Wow, what a fun fun novel. Murder mystery, poetry, espionage, blood sacrifice and all in the guise of a space opera that isn't yet, but it certainly sets the scene for one. Now, I will say if you don't like books where the characters are chatty - well this isn't for you because oh my goodness - let's just say the characters spend a lot of time just sitting around talking. The author makes it work because these times allow the reader to follow the thoughts and the discoveries that come from the thoughts and these not only explain the characters but the world of the novel. Some might find these parts slow, I don't - in fact I found them thrilling. Well, to sum up - engaging and interesting mash up of various cultures to make new and interesting societies, peoples, and situations. Recommended.
I think this was my third attempt at this book and it still took me more than 3 months to finish it. I can appreciate what the author was doing, hence the third try at it, but it just didn't click with me. I felt like the plot was meandering a lot and the characters didn't stand that well on their own to be enough to carry the story for me.
I would still recommend it to people that enjoy reading high-concept and theme-oriented stories. I just wish it worked for me.
This was a surprise favourite for me... mostly because if this book wasn't shoved into my hands I never would've picked it up. When I finally decided to crack it open, I was rewarded with elegant and immersive prose that drew me into a vividly realized universe filled with memorable characters and relevant thought-provoking themes. E.g. The idea of imperialism that's conquering through a culture that's so persuasive that you'll trade your own away to be a part of it... the pull, and guilt, and lie of assimilation. Despite the weighty subject matter, it's a also a pretty thrilling page turner with stakes that start relatively small and work their way up to the fate of humanity. There's a bit of romance here as well, but despite loving both characters involved it felt a little tacked on. Maybe I was just missing the signs? Don't let that stop you from picking this up though!
4.5 Stars!
This book starts with a woman who has just become the ambassador for her station after the death of her predecessor. She has had the conscience of her predecessor implanted into her brain, but it is 15 years out of date. When she arrives on this planet, mostly unprepared, she is shocked at what she finds. The story follows her journey in uncovering the mystery of the death of her predecessor, as well as navigating this planets customs while it falls apart around her.
I went into this book knowing nothing about the plot. I was presently surprised. This book was incredibly fast paced. I could hardly keep up. My favorite parts were the interactions between Mahit and the 2 friends she made along the way. They were very fun and relatable. The biggest downfalls to me were how difficult I found following the politics to be, as well as how quickly the plot moved. Normally a fast paced plot is a good thing, but this book only spans like a week or so. I feel like Mahit is able to gain trust from so many people in such a short amount of time. People risk their professions and even their lives for a foreigner who they think is barbaric. It was hard to accept.
However, the plot is a intense and I didn't want to put it down. The characters were all unique and fun to read, while also being incredibly complex. The themes throughout of colonization and imperialism created a story that was frustrating and powerful, in a good way. I am excited for the next one. I'm interested to see where we go from here.
TW: blood, chronic illness, confinement, cursing, death, grief, gun violence, medical content, medical trauma, murder, panic attacks/disorders, police brutality, racism, suicide, violence, vomit, xenophobia
Think Star Wars TV series Andor's subplot with Mon Mothma for linguistics nerds, but with more queer yearning.
A remote mining station that sits in an asteroid belt sends Mahit, a new ambassador, to the seat of the empire. On arrival she finds that her predecessor is dead, but nobody will tell her the manner of his death. The emperor is old and there is a growing political instability as senior politicians maneuver themselves into positions of power.
Mahit is anything but compliant and as she moves between levels of power in the capital she has two dominating thoughts. First, her predecessor was more than he seemed. And second, the people who targeted him are also after her. If only she could figure out why.
Mahit's home station is virtually invisible to the empire and similarly, Mahit is invisible to most of the people of the capital. As she finds herself becoming friends with two locals, so the mining station rises in significance to the story. The author has cleverly blended Mahit's visibility in the capital with the steady reveal that the mining station held something valuable. And it was that certain valuable thing that put Mahit at the centre of the action.
Arkady Martine has given us a masterful work of political intrigue. She has served up a world of power and suspicion, of privilege and discrimination, of subtle language and, I kid you not, poetry.
There are a few things that took me some time to get used to. First is the names of members of the empire. They are all formed from a number and a noun. For instance, Six Direction, Three Seagrass, and Twelve Azalea. I found this convention very distracting. Second thing is the Aztec influenced spelling. It's the Teixcalaanli Empire, and there are many instances of similarly Aztec sounding words, cuecuelehui, ahachotiya, ezuazuacat. They were not a problem in themselves but my 'English only' brain would stumble on them. The quality of the story was worth laying aside these distractions and letting Martine's writing beguile me.
It doesn't matter how clever a hook, or how wonderfully-developed a world or universe is, if the author starts streaming a vulgarity (you know the one) as a “normal” conversational outlet, especially from the protagonist, I'm done. This book is no exception, and a great disappointment as it had a lot going for it....until.
DNF 194
The only good thing I can say about this book is the cover is gorgeous.
This book is slower paced than The Talisman by Stephen King and I loatheeee that book. Absolutely nothing happened after almost 200 pages. Nothing about the politics or culture was very interesting either. Idk how the rating is above 4 stars when most of the people I follow gave it 1-3 stars. I've noticed that I'm not a fan of most Hugo award winning books so I might just stay away from those from now on.
Read this at your own risk
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.
The 2020 Hugo Award winner. The setup is interesting, a new ambassador arrives at the center of the ruling empire. In her head she carries a neurological implant with the previous ambassador's memory. On arrival she learns that her predecessor is dead, a political murder mystery ensues, while she immerses herself in the empire's court built on bureaucracy, poetry and tradition.
In principal I liked this, but it didn't fully live up to my expectations, and the plot could have been tighter.
3.5, rounding down
giving this five stars because it is very much a title i would acquire for my otherwise very minimal hard copy collection, i'm excited to bundle up and walk to my little village library and read its sequel, and because i didn't think i would like a space politics book if it weren't for the personalities and sass in a second language. makes me want to rewatch the expanse (which i watched all of) and altered carbon (which i watched most of one season of). and also, the buffy episode with willow and tara's first onscreen kiss, because there is very much a sort of “mad reaching-out for comfort” (440), tender desperation throughout the book that i quite enjoyed.