Name: Jessica Smith's review of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
Item: A Memory Called Empire
Rating: 5
Author: Jessica Smith

Arkady Martine

Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire is one of the hottest science fiction debuts around. For those who loved Ann Leckie's epic space opera Ancillary Justice, Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth and Iain M. Banks’s Culture novels. Shortlisted for the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Shortlisted for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards. In a war of lies she seeks the truth . . . Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next. Now Mahit must navigate the capital’s enticing yet deadly halls of power, to discover dangerous truths. And while she hunts for the killer, Mahit must somehow prevent the rapacious Empire from annexing her home: a small, fiercely independent mining station. As she sinks deeper into an alien culture that is all too seductive, Mahit engages in intrigues of her own. For she’s hiding an extraordinary technological secret, one which might destroy her station and its way of life. Or it might save them from annihilation. A Memory Called Empire is followed by A Desolation Called Peace in the Teixcalaan duology. 'A Memory Called Empire perfectly balances action and intrigue with matters of empire and identity. All-round brilliant space opera, I absolutely loved it' – Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice ‘Contender for debut of the year’ - SFX Magazine

Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel

A Memory Called Empire

In a war of lies she seeks the truthAmbassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire's interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn't accidental - and she might be next.Now Mahit must navigate the capital's enticing yet deadly halls of power, to discover dangerous truths. And while she hunts for the killer, Mahit must somehow prevent the rapacious Empire from annexing her home: a small, fiercely independent mining station.As she sinks deeper into an alien culture that is all too seductive, Mahit engages in intrigues of her own. For she's hiding an extraordinary technological secret, one which might destroy her station and its way of life. Or it might save them from annihilation.An extraordinary science fiction debut, Arkady Martine's first novel in the Texicalaan series, A Memory Called Empire is perfect for fans of John Scalzi, Becky Chambers and Frank Herbert's Dune.

Emily McMeans

“She’d say "barbaric," if she was speaking a language where that would be an intelligible sequence of words to describe a Teixcalaanli religious practice.”

Jessica Smith

Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel A Locus, and Nebula Award nominee for 2019 A Best Book of 2019: Library Journal, Polygon, Den of Geek An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 A Guardian Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2019 and “Not the Booker Prize” Nominee A Goodreads Biggest SFF Book of 2019 and Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee "A Memory Called Empire perfectly balances action and intrigue with matters of empire and identity. All around brilliant space opera, I absolutely love it."—Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court. Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation. A fascinating space opera debut novel, Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire is an interstellar mystery adventure. "The most thrilling ride ever. This book has everything I love."—Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky And coming soon, the brilliant sequel, A Desolation Called Peace! At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

What a fantastic sci fi political drama! Really enjoyed all the set up and mix of characters, it's hard not to feel for Mahit as she stumbles through a world that considers her barbarian. The characters are the highlight of this book (I love Twelve Azalea the most!). The middle part does get somewhat sluggish, but the ending ramps up and the conclusion is satisfying and intense!

Max Riley

2nd reread and just as revolutionary to me as it was the first time around. This is one of my all-time favourite books -- my version has plenty of notes commenting on allusions to postcolonial and linguistic theory both of which I adore even outside of fiction, for it to be wielded as a plot weapon the way it is in here is just so gratifying. This is one of those books where nobody does anything wring because everyone is smart - and I like that! I love an author who is smart enough to write smart characters!

shaye

I’m really struggling trying to find the right rating for this book and reserve the right to change it later.

Let’s start with what I didn’t love. I feel like the world was so expansive and complex, but we were TOLD too much about it instead of getting to experience it. I would’ve loved to have explored the world more because I feel like the author actually fleshed it out in her mind.

Also, the pacing was off. I was genuinely intrigued by the political maneuvering and the commentary on colonization; however, it took so long (like 55% through) to get to the parts I deemed exciting. And then, it took another hundred pages to get to the very exciting things. The front half of the book had a worse pace than the second half, and I just wish it was more evenly distributed.

Finally, most of the character’s names were nonsensical, and it was hard for me to take them seriously.

I think the technology is fascinating. I liked the main character and how she moved around in this new world, trying to solve a mystery but also remain within the political confines of her role as an ambassador. I enjoyed the book demonstrating not just the violent aspect of colonization but how seductive it can be. Sometimes, the people oppressed and affected by these colonizers don’t realize it’s happening to them and fall into a trap, and we see some of that in the book.

I would say if you are more interested in political intrigue than actual action beats, you’ll enjoy this. If you want those big action moments, I would avoid.

Nik ✨

I’m really struggling trying to find the right rating for this book and reserve the right to change it later.

Let’s start with what I didn’t love. I feel like the world was so expansive and complex, but we were TOLD too much about it instead of getting to experience it. I would’ve loved to have explored the world more because I feel like the author actually fleshed it out in her mind.

Also, the pacing was off. I was genuinely intrigued by the political maneuvering and the commentary on colonization; however, it took so long (like 55% through) to get to the parts I deemed exciting. And then, it took another hundred pages to get to the very exciting things. The front half of the book had a worse pace than the second half, and I just wish it was more evenly distributed.

Finally, most of the character’s names were nonsensical, and it was hard for me to take them seriously.

Now onto what I like —

I think the technology is fascinating. I liked the main character and how she moved around in this new world, trying to solve a mystery but also remain within the political confines of her role as an ambassador. I enjoyed the book demonstrating not just the violent aspect of colonization but how seductive it can be. Sometimes, the people oppressed and affected by these colonizers don’t realize it’s happening to them and fall into a trap, and we see some of that in the book.

I would say if you are more interested in political intrigue than actual action beats, you’ll enjoy this. If you want those big action moments, I would avoid.

This book had so much that mirrors my interests and really began to scratch an itch that I’ve had for a satisfying space opera for a long time. BUT, the rushed unraveling and abrupt ending of the book felt entirely out of place and unsatisfactory. I am holding out hope this is a case of needing to split the storyline across two books, but still the jarring change in pace felt like such a disservice to the build up of the first 2/3rds of the novel.

Kevin Cole

I feel like I should have liked this more, since it has so many elements I enjoy, but that wasn't the case.

I did very much like the writing, characters and the Teixcalaanli culture, but for a story where so much of the tension was driven by the plot, I wanted to see a lot more of the characters that were driving the politicl conflict, and these characters were mostly in the background and didn't have much dialogue or on scene presence.

It's a nice book though, and the final sequence has some very evocative images. I'm considering reading the sequel, but not right away

Eduardo Sorribas

I feel like I should have liked this more, since it has so many elements I enjoy, but that wasn't the case.

I did very much like the writing, characters and the Teixcalaanli culture, but for a story where so much of the tension was driven by the plot, I wanted to see a lot more of the characters that were driving the politicl conflict, and these characters were mostly in the background and didn't have much dialogue or on scene presence.

It's a nice book though, and the final sequence has some very evocative images. I'm considering reading the sequel, but not right away

Audacious central idea with a storyline not quite to the same standard. Or maybe it catches up in book 2?

Ronan

Part political thriller, part whodunnit, in a space opera setting. Tons of fun to read.

Craig Jellick

This book made me use a lot of my brain cells and after I took the first few chapters to jumpstart my brain into absorbing all the terms and concepts, I really appreciated it. The political intrigue was well done and it asked meaningful questions about imperialism, memory, language, power and identity. I loved how much it explored power being negotiated not through epic battles and futuristic technology (which I somehow expected going in) but through language, literature, and wordplay.

Yaffa

I would honestly say that this is the best book i've read this year.

A space political thriller set in a galactic empire based on Ancient Rome mixed with Aztec culture ??! with a diplomat as the main character???!! and is actually a meditation on imperialism and perception of outsiders in a vast empire??!?!!? it's almost as if this is written exactly for me??!?!?!??

And then more details add up to hook me in. Like how they weaponize language, semantics, and poetry in their politics, the expansive world building, and most importantly the confusing-struggle-of-identifying-with-your-own-culture-while-completely-being-enamored with-another-culture-which-actively-attempts-to-devour-yours trope as very much the central theme of the whole story. I'm sorry if that was way too long.

I love it when sci-fi gets NOT boring (also thankful for Becky Chambers' Wayfarer series for making sci-fi fun and complex) and I feel lucky for finding out about this one.

I loved so much of the first half, where Mahit's initial confusion with Teixcalaan reminded me of my own when I set foot in London for the first time (as someone all the way from Southeast Asia). The self-consciousness, double-identity, paranoia would resonate with anyone who has consumed Western media all their life, has fallen in love with it, and is now coming to grips with the brutality powering the entire engine. 

More than the story itself (character-driven, heavy political intrigue with touches of humor), the entirety of the novel was a fantastic rendering of the ways empire uses symbolism through literature, art, language, and ceremony to preserve and expand itself. All of it relevant, considering that colonialism is not at all a thing of the past but a continuing ache perpetuated in every bit of media we consume. 

The serious events and subject matter were lightly counterbalanced by its immediately loveable characters (Three Seagrass and Twelve Azalea were instant favorites for me!). The entire novel bristled with the constant stream of Mahit's internal monologue - especially with the inflection of imago-machines - so much so that even the supposedly quiet parts felt urgent. 

Loved this book, and I highly recommend for anyone searching for a deeper understanding of how empires function, both in the systems that govern our lives and our very own minds and hearts.

Celina Gacias

 

"Nothing empire touches remains itself."

I loved so much of the first half, where Mahit's initial confusion with Teixcalaan reminded me of my own when I set foot in London for the first time (as someone all the way from Southeast Asia). The self-consciousness, double-identity, paranoia would resonate with anyone who has consumed Western media all their life, has fallen in love with it, and is now coming to grips with the brutality powering the entire engine. 


More than the story itself (character-driven, heavy political intrigue with touches of humor), the entirety of the novel was a fantastic rendering of the ways empire uses symbolism through literature, art, language, and ceremony to preserve and expand itself. All of it relevant, considering that colonialism is not at all a thing of the past but a continuing ache perpetuated in every bit of media we consume. 

The serious events and subject matter were lightly counterbalanced by its immediately loveable characters (Three Seagrass and Twelve Azalea were instant favorites for me!). The entire novel bristled with the constant stream of Mahit's internal monologue - especially with the inflection of imago-machines - so much so that even the supposedly quiet parts felt urgent. 

Loved this book, and I highly recommend for anyone searching for a deeper understanding of how empires function, both in the systems that govern our lives and our very own minds and hearts.

George

You know, I wasn't sure but I think I might read the sequel now. This was so well written, though the political stuff was a bit confusing. I didn't mind that it was short on action.

Gillian Rose

The weird kind of sci-fi story I love. Fun characters, an interesting premise, just all-around a yes.

lisa roeling 

"Nothing empire touches remains itself."

HOLY SHIT this was incredible
fascinating and well fleshed out characters, interesting plot with political court intrigue and murder mystery, incredible world building (the book includes a pronounciation guide with IPA at the back)
i love mahit, 3seagrass, yskandr, 19adze and 12azelea!!!!!!!!!!!
and the end, holy fuck
i'm excited for book 2!!!!!

shout to 36all-terrain-tundra-vehicle, the funniest citizen in all of teixcalaan

Sade A

🖤
This is a clever book and the author uses a lot of words and pages to tell you, show you just how clever this book is.
I have to say, i did get sick of the whole cleverness but then it's all for a purpose. The light bulb in your brain starts to flicker, the pain staking cleverness of the book starts to bear fruit, the political machinations that was just a shadow begins to play out boldly on the pages of A Memory Called Empire and suddenly without seeing it coming, you're reading a bloody damn good book.

 All in all, a clever book that far exceeded my expectations. Looking forward to book 2. 
 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

Ryan LaFerney

“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 intrigue, and really crazy tech. It's a flawless and fascinating debut that also feels quite timely in its discussion of politics and it is one of my favorite novels from the past few years. It blends elements of cyberpunk aesthetics (seriously, the tech in this is wildly immersive) with the political maneuvers of the best space operas into one unique package. With that being said, I think you have to be a fan of politics, mysteries, and world-building/culture-building to enjoy this novel.

At its core, A Memory Called Empire is a simple sci-fi murder mystery. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare, is super excited to be the Ambassador from the mining station Lsel to the Teixcalaan Empire (which is basically a giant City-planet). Mahit has a deep affinity for the empire that wants to annex her home and she also literally has someone else’s personality nested in her brain: the former ambassador to the capital of Teixcalann. Dzmare’s internal conflicts correlate with the external ones that drive the novel’s plot. Living within the Teixcalaan Empire has been her heart’s desire since childhood, yet her primary aim as ambassador is to keep Teixcalaan from assuming control of her home, Lsel Station. This same conflict between personal desire and professional duty may have gotten her predecessor Yskandr Aghavn killed. It is Yskandr whose “imago” (an impression of the man built from his recorded memories) is implanted in her head. Imago technology is a Lsel state secret, yet the Teixcalaanlitzlim find it during Yskandr’s autopsy, and this discovery could embolden those who wish for Teixcalaan to consume Lsel. The imago allowed Mahit to communicate with Yskandr recorded memories has gone dead, disconnecting her from her connection to home. Now Mahit truly is alone in a foreign culture and she must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save Lsel. So the goal of the story’s hero is rather straightforward: Mahit and her long-outdated, malfunctioning imago must find out how and why Yskandr was killed before forces inside and out overtake Teixcalaan and Lsel. Will she accomplish her task? Can she keep the imago technology from the Teixcalaanlitzlim and the Emperor?

The simple plot, mixed with the complex, unique byzantine world-building really makes this a smart space opera. And this is the best kind of scifi: the kind that weaves together questions about identity, and how technology affects societies, politics, individual relationships, and an individual’s sense of self. For instance, what does it mean for Mahit to feel incomplete when her imago goes silent? What is it like to live with the memories of another implanted in one’s head? 

On top of the mystery, the main charm of the book lies in Mahit’s challenges in navigating the unfamiliar culture of Teixcalaan; it’s a book heavily centered on politics. If that isn't your cup of tea, you might not be thrilled with this book but I found it to be fascinating.

This is an immersive space opera that is daring, beautiful, profound, and often violent. For fans of Yoon Ha Lee, Ann Leckie, John Scalzi (particularly the Interdependency Series), and old school sci-fi masters: Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert. 

I look forward to purchasing a copy of this book for our bookshelf and I look forward to the sequel.

March 10, 2021: Reread in anticipation of reading the sequel. It's still AMAZING ya'all.

Henry Bearn

Wonderful world-building, interesting flawed characters, twists and turns, this book has it all. A great story with characters i got invested in in a world that is beautiful and different, There's palace intrigue, political machinations, space opera , all rolled into a great story. I can't wait for the next book...

Evil Lizzard

This book has one of the best first pages I had ever read. So poetic and evocative, setting the scene brilliantly. And then it just kept on being brilliant. I loved the premise, the plot, the twists, the friendship- & love-stories, but above all I loved the underlying themes (of leadership, culture & otherness, self & society, self & technology), and the poetry - the Texcalaanli poetry that was referred to, but also the poetic language in which the book was written. Loved it! And I have just been informed there is another book in the series!! Yay!!! I look forward to revisiting this universe.

Janice Hopper

Holy cow, why did I wait so long to read this book??? It is SO GOOD.

I really enjoyed the story of an ambassador to a world she's long admired. She finds very shortly after arriving that some of the assets she thought she had are mostly gone, or damaged. She has some allies too, and maybe some enemies as well. 

What follows is an interesting and exciting trip through court politics, outside threats, and the poetry.

Very good, can't wait to read the sequel. Lucky for me, it just came out!!!

Natalie

Holy fuck, this is a good book. Going on my 2020 Hugo nominating ballot. 

It’s about empire and the corrosive and seductive nature of empire, about memory and how to define you and we and us, about love and loss, about diplomacy and the boundaries of diplomacy. 

I loved every page of this book. I can’t wait to read what happens next. This book made me feel like I did when I read Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice and NK Jemisin’s The Fifth Season and Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit—like I was witness to something extraordinary.

Elisa Bieg

I’m exhausted and really need to go to bed so I’m going to keep this short:

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book, much less read the whole thing. I expected it to be cumbersome, because the title made it sound that way to me, and I expected that I’d want to set it down relatively early on. But the e-book was available on Kindle Unlimited and the audiobook on Scribd, so I figured Why not.

The audiobook helped me get past a slightly confusing beginning, and I found myself quickly pulled into the story, connecting to the characters, and wanting to hear more.

This is basically a murder mystery with a science fiction setting, and heavy on the political intrigue. Not “heavy” in a bad way, not in an “unbearably dense” way, more like chock full with it, interwoven with the aforementioned murder mystery and then growing larger than it, but by that point we are way into the story and we 
  care
, we want to hear it all.

One thing I didn’t really enjoy was how much the author geeks out on linguistics in this book, explaining the ins and outs of Texcalaani language and why certain words were chosen instead of others, and how they sounded, and how grammar and syntax worked in different contexts, and a whole lot of other stuff which I personally didn’t feel contributed enough to the world building to be worth the sheer tediousness and the way it sometimes brought the narration… if not to a halt, then to a stand-by, for sure.

Still this is a solid novel — it may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s definitely worth giving it a shot!

4 STARS

Anastasia 

Going into this book like everyone else, I would say the name and THAT cover page drew me in ....I actually didn't read the synopsis...I just found out it had space opera themes in it and I was sold immediately 


I would admit that some of the names made reading very quickly a bit difficult for me at first but it got better eventually 

I really dof enjoy this...the author spins a beautiful tale with a little drop of romance which I absolutely loved ....I think this is one of the most exciting sci-fi I've read in a while ....twelve azelea, three seagrass and nineteen azdea have My heart...I look forward to book 2 

P.S. - if you love star wars, you should definitely check this out

Paige mandia 

i really enjoyed this! the beginning was a bit slow, as are most sci-fi novels for me, and i struggled a bit to pick up on all of the terminology. however, once i began to feel comfortable with the world, i was thoroughly engrossed. 

a memory called empire is, at its core, a murder mystery set in space. it is not only that, however. there are multitudes of layers of politics and court intrigue, as well as a beautiful dissection of imperialism and colonialism. also it’s sapphic, so <3

reading this directly after a series with such vibrant humor and biting narrators, could’ve been a problem. but, i was pleasantly surprised with the narrative voice. mahit was a pleasure to read. she is unapologetic, honest, and insanely smart. it was so much fun to figure out the murder mystery through her eyes and watch as she unraveled the corrupt political world around her. the secondary characters yskandr, three seagrass, twelve azalea, and nineteen adze were all fascinating as well. i am so excited to see how their dynamics evolve in the next book. 

there are so many ways the second book could go, and i am eager to get started!!

also, if i existed in this series, my name would be four hyundai santa fe ❤️

Ava Noreen

Absolutely phenomenal, thought provoking, I loved the combination of sci-fi with a society focused on past histories/literature, such a beautiful construct.

This was a phenomenal book, something of a political thriller combined with ruminations on the construction of historical memory and the seductiveness of empire, particularly how they use cultural output (books, film, etc.) to make themselves sympathetic and attractive even to the very people they threaten to devour. The main character, Mahit Dzmare, represents a small space station of 30,000 people which is at serious risk of being conquered and subsumed by the Teixcalaanli empire… but Mahit herself has been raised on Teixcalaanli media, is entranced by their culture and almost intoxicated by the excitement of being able to go and live in the heart of the empire for real. I found it an interesting internal conflict and that is, of course, only the very beginning of the story.

The other part of the story is the political thriller part; Mahit Dzmare is sent as a replacement ambassador after the previous one died in suspicious circumstances, and immediately has to try to work out what exactly her predecessor was up to and who of the many political players in this book she can trust. This aspect of the book was pretty dense, and I'll admit that I kept notes as to who of the many named characters was who, but it was also effectively maintained suspense and I was completely engaged by the story throughout. The setting is also intricately depicted and fascinating, with an evident Aztec influence. It was another one of those worlds I'd love to see depicted in a movie or TV show, because I think it would be visually spectacular.

There are a number of other things I could praise about this book too; I loved how language actually plays an important role, in that while Mahit is clearly fluent enough in Teixcalaanli to be the ambassador, it still takes effort to speak all the time in a language that isn't her native one and other characters sometimes underestimate her intelligence because she sounds like a foreigner speaking Teixcalaanli, which she is. I thought the imago-machines, and the different perspectives Stationers and Teixcalaanlitzim have on them, were intriguing. I liked the glimpse we got of how working-class and politically subversive Teixcalaanlitzim live (you know, away from the glitz and glamour of the central districts). I appreciated the major characters, and thought they were crafted well. Really, I have nothing to complain about in this book at all.

Overall, if you like thoughtful political thrillers and unique sci-fi settings, I would absolutely recommend this book. I thought it was excellent and will be anxiously hoping that the follow-up next March will be just as good.

Jessica Smith &
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

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