Ancillary Mercy

It was fun, but I hope this is the last in the Justice of Toren series. [b:Ancillary Justice 17333324 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1) Ann Leckie https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg 24064628] was groundbreaking, brilliant, exceptional, stunning, I could go on. But Leckie has painted herself into a corner with some of her initial world setup and I think she's just coasting now: Breq is now a Mary Sue, all-knowing and all-wise; her one too-brief moment of self-doubt resolved unsatisfyingly. The Lord of the Radch is a shallow and disappointing caricature; Tisawat starts off with some hope of growth but ultimately remains Breq's puppy. Seivarden flails. Nobody really develops.Leckie is capable of much, much better. She clearly ponders deep ethical questions, and wants her readers to do so. I'm eagerly looking forward to more of that.

I can't believe that it took me so long to read this series! I had tried the first book some time ago, and got stuck somewhere in the first 20 or so pages - it just hadn't grabbed me.

Once I tried again, and got past that section, I fell right into this world.

Very much enjoyed, and hoping to get a sequel at some point. More with Presger translators!

This whole trilogy has been a bit weird for me. I had heard so many good things about it from some of my favorite authors, so I couldn't resist buying all the audiobooks. And I can't say that I didn't enjoy them, but they also aren't my favorites. It's just that I found them compelling enough to continue.

I didn't remember much of what happened towards the end of Ancillary Sword, and I never checkout the blurb for this finale, so didn't at all realize that the proceedings would still remain in Athoek station this time as well. While a significant part of the book was about being ready in case of any attack on the station or on Breq, I felt that this book was mainly about the characters and their relationships. We get to see Seivarden in her most vulnerable moments, while also getting to maybe understand her snobby privileged behavior. Tisarwat is still struggling to separate her own thoughts with that of Anaander Mianaai but is making progress and is generally a great asset in troubling situations despite being pretty high strung. We have significant appearances from all the previous side characters and it's fun watching them again. And Breq is just trying to take one step at a time.

It's mostly still a slice of life kinda story but with the characters' lives in some kind of danger. But there are no elaborate battles or shrewd strategizing here - it's just a group of people (and non humans) trying hard to do the right thing and save as many innocents as possible. There's also quite an understated theme about what what it means to be human, the feelings of ships and AIs and if they all should respect each other's agency and coexist peacefully. I was quite surprised to see how the author used these themes to kinda resolve the story towards the end because I didn't see it coming. But I'm also not used to open ended trilogies, so this felt a bit unsatisfactory. However, on thinking a bit more, I think it's the perfect climax for this trilogy but I wouldn't mind knowing what happens to these characters in the future.

I'm not particularly sure what to say about this book.

Leckie is a fine writer and this series was rich in its world building and concepts, but man, were there pacing issues galore. The first book started off at a slow crawl, but when it picked up it was fun to read. The second book sort of slowed down with time and this third one had one of the slowest opening first acts that I've seen in a while.

I'm all for setting the tone of a book and an author taking his/her/their time to get things rolling, but in a third (and final) book in a series, the scene has already been set, the players and their plans are already in motion. To be frank, I wasn't enjoying the book very much early on, which is saying a lot for a third book in a series where I'm already hooked into the plot and the characters. I put this book aside for about two months before returning to it.

The first book set up the world and the struggle between the Lord[s] of the Radach and Breq. The second book scaled things back to just one planet and its accompanying space station, debates over tea sets, birthrights and a look at how Radach society was so broken. It sort of feels like somewhere along the way Leckie changed her mind as to the scope of this story and became enamored with this planet/station and its inhabitants.

So this giant, sprawling empire drama is scaled back to just having one system that matters and magically everything just kind of happens there and the main focus moves on to the morality of artificial intelligence and humanity. Breq is, of course, essentially an unshackled AI, so it wasn't exactly a jarring transition, but that focus led to a lot of loose strands in the story that were never resolved.

People either seem contented with the rather subdued ending or upset at how the scope was scaled back so much. I didn't mind it and thought that it was clever enough, but that it really sort of came out of nowhere. Breq is an amazingly all-seeing, all-knowing AI-ship-in-a-human-body yet the reader sees very little of what goes on inside of her mind at times. This means that for some of the plot the reader will have a clear idea of what Breq is trying to accomplish, while at other times it's obfuscated for what appears to be the reason of keeping the reader in suspend. The reader is just to understand that Breq is great at everything and will just kinda figure stuff out without much insight or foresight.

That could be why the ending felt so sudden and convenient. As a reader I wanted insight into what was being planned, for tension to be created by what was happening, instead I was left in the dark and – SURPRISE – most of it didn't really matter. Weird AI cores that seemed integral to the plot? Who cares who left them there, what they were programmed for, why they were hidden and what the Lord of Radach had in store for them? Sigh.

Once this book got going it was easy to keep reading it, but man, did it take forever to get to that point. Leckie's writing style is clean and accessible, with some of the awkwardness of the first book no longer there (although I did chuckle at the return of “gestured” near the end of this book), making it a fun read once the initial slog of tea sets and tea and tea and tea are over from the first act. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and any complaint that I have is simply because I was expecting more and truly do believe that we'll see better from Leckie in the future.

The fact that this trilogy is now complete makes me very very sad.

As a final part in this trilogy, though, the book makes me very very happy.

I fell in love the Leckie's Radch trilogy almost three years ago, and the first book changed the way I read. Leckie's sense of language and culture make her novels unique among science fiction. She gets compared to LeGuin a lot, which is fair as she tackles some of the same social issues, but I would also compare her to Joe Haldeman for her sense of scale or Heinlein's take on artificial intelligence. There's a lot of science in her fiction as well as a lot of social awareness. That combination makes her my favorite discovery this decade.

Mercy has everything I love about the previous two books: Snarky Seivarden (lots of it!), Breq tormenting people with song, petulant ships and stations. It also features some of the sweetest non-romantic bonding I've read in ages, which is always a plus in my book. What really makes this installment stand out, however, is the Presger who play an even bigger role than before. Our new translator, who may be Dlique or may be Zeiat, provides a heaping serving of humor as well as tension. I was lucky enough to hear Leckie read Zeiat's introduction at a signing a few weeks ago, and the entire audience was laughing, even ones who were only there for fellow signer, Greg Bear.

Side note, Leckie brought a bag full of memorial pins to give out to fans. Spoilers apply for books one and two, but there's one for Leiutenent Awn and one for Translator Dlique and a third one which she handed out in a manila envelope with “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETELY FINISHED ANCILLARY MERCY” holding it shut. It made me read the book very quickly. Inside was a Republic of the Two Systems pin and SEIVARDEN IS STILL ALIVE SO I DON'T HAVE TO BURN ALL THE BOOKS LIKE I EXPECTED!.

I imagine a lot of people will find the ending a bit harried, but to me it fit with Breq's quick thinking nature and the themes of personhood Leckie has been building all along. It's really nice to see a Singularity in which AI really does want to protect people and not in an “I will trap you in suspension pods so you can't hurt yourself” way either. A little rosy, but an enjoyable change of pace.

The entire Radch trilogy changed they way I think about gender, artificial intelligence, and tea. If you are interested in science fiction on any of those topics, you really should read it. If you're a fan of the first two books, you're doing yourself a disservice to skip this one. I know there's a lot more story in this universe, and I can't wait for Leckie's promised exploration beyond the Justice of Toren.

I found this, surprisingly, the weakest part of the trilogy. Perhaps that's because it doesn't explore anything particularly new in comparison to the previous two volumes, making the slowness of the initial build-up rather more apparent. Having said that, it's such a good trilogy that being the weakest of the three still results in something that's effective and enjoyable.

The Presger ambassador is particularly well done, both humorous and deeply alien in its inability to fully understand human life. And there are some great moments in the action scenes and a suitably high stakes ending. It's beautifully written, and the characters well-drawn, even if it takes quite a while for anything to happen - although it's dramatic once it does. Although its the concluding volume of the trilogy, the ending is left open, with some major changes having taken place and the future uncertain. Life goes on for the characters without the finality that fiction, but not reality, usually provides. So, perhaps not one for those who want everything neatly wrapped up, although, if you've read the first two books, the ending we do get is by no means disappointing.

I blew through this book in just under a week, it was so good. The characters are coming into their own, there's humor, and Breq's manipulation of everyone is fun to read. The Presger translator may be my favorite supporting character in the book, but I also have lots of love for Kale Five and her tea sets.

If goodreads would let me, my rating would be 3.5 stars. I think Imperial Radch #2 is my fave of the trio, but this was still an enjoyable read in many respects. It's easily the funniest book of the set, with the introduction of an intergalactic translator providing some absurdist social commentary on her new surroundings. I appreciate how Leckie's close to this series had a pleasing sense of finality regarding the plot without closure of the universe she created, if that makes sense, and the narrator, while still beloved, becomes more morally ambiguous as she reflects on her transition from ancillary to no-longer-exactly-an-ancillary, which her culture has no real framework for understanding. I think the only reason this wasn't a complete knockout for me is that although this end to the series is deeply focused on relationships, which I appreciated, I could have also used a little more space drama. Not that there wasn't! I'm just a drama queen.

Executive Summary: A nice conclusion to the trilogy, albeit a long way from what I expected after [b:Ancillary Justice 17333324 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1) Ann Leckie https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg 24064628].Full ReviewI really enjoyed [b:Ancillary Justice 17333324 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1) Ann Leckie https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg 24064628]. It was very different from most sci-fi I've read. I should note though, that I'm not nearly as well read in science fiction as I am in fantasy.I liked [b:Ancillary Sword 20706284 Ancillary Sword (Imperial Radch, #2) Ann Leckie https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413464739s/20706284.jpg 40026175] too, but not nearly as much. The larger galactic issues presented in Justice seemed to take a backseat to smaller issues of a single space station.This book was a bit of both, though more the latter than the former. I wondered how a book so short could wrap things up. The answer is, it can't. Not really. There are a ton of big issues largely ignored by this book, much like they were for the previous book.That doesn't mean I was unhappy with the conclusion though. It's all about expectations. I think Ancillary Sword helped to prepare me for a much smaller resolution than I originally hoped for. This books wraps up most of the issues of that book nicely, to the detriment of the larger issues presented in Ancillary Justice.If you're someone hoping for resolution of the galactic conflicts, you'll probably disappointed by this book. If like me however, you've come to love Breq as a protagonist, there is a lot to enjoy here. I think while not concluding her story by any means, it comes to a nice stopping place.Ms. Leckie hits on the idea of there being no such thing as a true ending in her final chapter, which while true, I personally felt like a bit of excuse making to the people hoping for resolution to the larger conflicts that never come.Still, after winning both the Hugo and the Nebula, there is a lot of expectations to live up to. You can't please everyone. For me personally I enjoy Breq enough and the way Ms. Leckie does other AI characters so much to not care so much. It was a fun book. I never expected I'd be cheering for a Space Station, but somehow I was. And that's to say nothing of Translator Zeiat who absolutely steals every scene they are in. All of the best quotes of the book can be attributed to them.I really hope that Ms. Leckie does more books with this universe. I hope it's not the last we see of Breq either. If it is however, I think that's OK. I'd like some kind of conclusion to the larger issues of Ancillary Justice, but I'm content with where Breq's personal story leaves off here.

Schal de klaroenen! Het laatste deel van de Imperial Radch-trilogie is er!

Ik was absoluut niet zeker of Ann Leckie er zou in slagen om het verhaal tot een degelijke conclusie te brengen in één boek, en hoboy, 't is helemaal gelukt.

Een wijvenboek en goede sciencefiction, en grappig en spannend tegelijk. En had ik al gezegd een wijvenboek? Ik ben er zeker van dat het iets is dat mijn dochter van zestien het ook graag zou lezen.

Ik wil zelfs niet beginnen aan een soort van korte inhoud omdat spoilers, maar het was al lang geleden dat ik zo content was op het einde van een verhaal.

A++ would recommend.

Pros: fast paced, shows results of addiction and mental illness, interesting story

Cons: surprised Seivarden kept her position

New problems regarding the undergarden on Athoek Station and Queter's interrogation on the planet occupy Breq, fleet captain, commander of Mercy of Kalr, last ancillary of Justice of Toren, One Esk Nineteen. When she gets word of four ships entering the system she suspects they've been sent by the enemy version of the Radchaai's split ruler, Anaander Mianaai.

Picking up immediately where Ancillary Sword left off, this book begins with Breq trying to clean-up the loose ends of the previous book. When the enemy ships arrive in the system, things heat up fast, with several desperate plots to even the odds and take out this clone of the Lord of the Radch.

While the opening's a bit slow, reminding you of the events of the previous book, things pick up quickly and propel you through the rest of the story. It's a fast read.

I was impressed that the author dealt with more repercussions of Seivarden's addiction and depression and the results of Tisarwat's manipulations. It's great to see a book show that traumas leave scars that take years to heal, and that someone can have good and bad times, depending on circumstances. Having said that, I'm surprised Seivarden was able to keep her position, considering the breakdown she has. It's obvious she's not capable of dealing with the pressures of command.

While this book can't wrap up everything going on in the universe, it does give a sense of resolution for the primary characters of the series.

I read Book 3 before reading Book 2 and I never realized I read the last part because it was so boring. So horrible boring. Just one thing popped up and I was like “when did that happen” but the rest. Boring. Nothing happens. The ending is so … boring that I still thought I am in book 2 and then we get to the good end. But there is no good end. It is just so boring and horrible.

Just don’t bother, read something else.

I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first in the series. It has Bresq in all her awesomeness. She is powerful, intelligent and driven by compassion. I enjoyed it the most, after about half way, when the book directly starts exploring themes of oppression, gender, identity, colonization, survival, and revolution. As with the first two books, the way this book handles gender is to make it impossible to think about gender, in the ways we are used to. Good book, if you liked the first two, you will like this one.

If this review had a title, it would be “too much tea.” There is way too much in this final book about drinking tea, and hurt feelings, and which officer is upset about how someone was mean to them, or what have you. Things finally pick up about a 1/3 of the way through and we get some slightly interesting stuff, about the nature of AIs in general and more on the bigger story of the Emperor of the Radch, etc.

Still, after book #2 was such a small story compared to #1, this one feels only slightly bigger. There's a big galactic story happening, and Leckie is choosing to focus only on a tiny part of it. It's somewhat interesting, but this is a disappointment compared to #1.

In contrast, the Expanse novels keep getting more interesting as they continue (and expand, if you will, in scope.)

So, this was fine but really overall neither this nor Ancillary Sword was as good as Ancillary Justice.

A very good end to a very enjoyable series. I think it says a lot that this book doesn't come to a grand, satisfying ending - that would make it clear it's a story. Rather, you're left with a somewhat unsatisfying realism, a sense that the saga continues to play out long after we've stopped peering into their universe; after all, nothing really ends. It's hard to build a universe that does that, so my hat's off to Ann Leckie.

Well, it was better than the second book. This one has a new Presger (i.e. alien) Translator character, but it turns out to be mostly an oddball with strange eating habits, but you just know this character will have a bigger impact in the story much later on (wasn't wrong). There's still an obsession with drinking tea that happens so often it's weird. And using she for every pronoun (even for men) was only confusing. I knew Seivarden was a man from the first book, but every other character... who knows? Don't read this for the action because it's mostly a lot of talking. But more of interest happened in this book than the weak second book. Could have stopped with the first book.