Ancillary Mercy

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.