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Comments (32)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 32 items
Feb 19, 2024baeldaeg rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Really enjoyed it. Interesting theme/setting, and exciting pacing.
Jan 13, 2024NedSu rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
When this book arrived, I started reading it immediately. After 2 pages, I realized that I had read it years ago. I enjoyed it then, and after skimming a few more pages at random, I remembered the story, the world building, and the…
Nov 25, 2023AMB_4 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This just wasn't my thing. I really wanted to like it. I love the idea of a space-faring colonialist empire built around Mexican belief systems, but this felt half-done. And there were some enormous plot-logic holes, like the Emperor not…
Oct 22, 2023Evelyn_b0Ok_Reviews rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘦𝘪𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳…
Aug 07, 2023skyekilaen rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I love science fiction with tangled political conspiracies, and if you do too, I strongly recommend you try this out. Lots of queer characters, diplomats trying to uncover secrets and make audacious deals to save worlds, a culture that…
Jan 30, 2023Gareldb rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This was an interesting book in that it combined science fiction with a murder mystery, and political infighting. The main character comes from a people who are selected for their future jobs and then giving general training before being…
Dec 02, 2022IndyPL_SteveB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a far future science fiction novel; but it is also a mesmerizing political thriller with the breathless pace of books like *Six Days of the Condor*. It is the first of a highly successful series. The sequel, *A Desolation Called…
Nov 02, 2022IndyPL_RyanL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
“Released, my tongue will speak visions Released, I am a spear in the hands of the sun.” Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel, A Memory Called Empire is a brilliant debut space opera filled with fascinating world-building, court…
Nov 02, 2022rlaferney rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
“Released, my tongue will speak visions Released, I am a spear in the hands of the sun.” Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel, A Memory Called Empire is a brilliant debut space opera filled with fascinating world-building, court…
Jul 31, 2022Checomick rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I found this book to be "hard work" to read. Too many nuances that did not connect. I ended up leaving it half read as I could not get into the story at all. The writer could have made it easier to follow if she had left out a lot of…
Jul 25, 2022walls187 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
This book seemingly put quite a bit of emphasis on the characters titles and how the society worked with social nuances that I felt rather disconnected from the plot moving forward. I think an anthropologist, sociologist, or even linguist…
shawksie
Jun 27, 2022shawksie rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant world-building & a gripping mystery made this one of the best contemporary SciFi books I've read in a long while. I hope the series continues!
Jun 24, 2022xiaojunbpl12 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
https://www.torforgeblog.com/2021/02/15/whats-in-a-teixcalaanli-name/ My Taxicalaanli name: Two Aurora. Imago machine is a clever concept, widely valuable when applied properly, and story-worthy with complications.
May 24, 2022studiousnake rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Martine is skilled in setting up little dominos that fall into an addictive spiral of events and political intrigue, resulting in a beautifully completed image at the end. This is all thanks to the amount of detailed care given to every…
Jan 26, 2022Keeper_of_the_Book_Hoard rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A clear and compelling story set within an interesting far-future universe. Not a mad dash, gripping narrative, but one in the tradition of Ursula Le Guin's Hainish books where the conflict of cultures is as important as the conflict of…
Jan 25, 2022Kimthereadingqueen rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Effective worldbuilding, precisely consistent for each world, and with just enough familiarity to keep the reader comfortable.  There are naked moral lessons here about imperialism/colonialism, xenophobia regarding peoples and cultural…
May 21, 2021ATEN_DNAR rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Why did this book fail to be compelling to me? The plot and character simply did not grip me. I appreciate the design behind this book, the word-building and the language creation (which is the main reason I picked up this book in the…
Dec 05, 2020
p175 - Dec. 2020
Nov 07, 2020ChrisMcMil rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Outstanding plot and character development. Highly engaging and believable. Fascinating and sophisticated cultural and artistic elements but somewhat weaker on speculative science/technology/future-casting aspects.
Sep 24, 2020Everyoneelses rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is a very sweet, immersive debut. If you liked the Imperial Radch books, this one is in similar vein.
Aug 20, 2020
http://www.thehugoawards.org/
Jun 27, 2020atidball76 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This was a very solid 4 stars for me up until the perfect, powerful ending that tipped it up to 4.5. Absolutely a phenomenal book, recommended to those who enjoy intrigue, political theater and in-depth world-building. As a comparison to…
Jun 23, 2020JLMason rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A Memory Called Empire is an impressive debut novel well deserving of its Hugo and Nebula nominations. What stands out is the complex diplomatic maneuvering, which forms the basis for the plot, carried out in a richly detailed culture…
May 31, 2020
Loved this work of political science fiction and excited about learning more about the universe it's set in. Martine has obviously put a lot of thought into building this world, and I feel confident she could spend her career writing books…
May 10, 2020Hillsboro_RobP rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Humans are aliens among ourselves in a political sci-fi culture clash with a high-minded mystery at its heart. The plot is excellent, if a bit simple, but the bulk of the creativity is spent on the science fiction technology and…