Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mburnamfink 's review for:
Ancillary Sword
by Ann Leckie
Sequels are always tricky, balancing what made the first book good while doing something different. Ancillary Sword is a much more generously paced book that Ancillary Justice, a diversion of force before the greater struggle we all know is coming. Torren/Breq is dispatched to distant Athoek Station to hold it for Anaander Mianaai, and finds herself trying to fix the troubles of an unhappy world.
The first part of the story, focusing on the new Lt. Tisarwat, and the lengths to which Anaander will go is quite interesting, if mostly prelude. However the middle sags and drags, as Breq investigates abandoned areas of the station, labor exploitation, racism, and abusive relationships. The Raach is an appropriately exotic and alien society, and one actually feels feudal as opposed to a veil of monarchy pasted over 21st century American sensibilities, but you don't need to sell the idea that a feudal empire ruled by a 3000 year old distributed intelligence with schizophrenia might be unjust, even if it nominally provides food, clothing, and shelter for all citizens. The plus side is that the conclusion is explosively tense and fulfilling, it just takes too long to get there.
Ancillary Justice was a race, every plot point building to the climatic attack on the palace, where this book wanders and pauses to enjoy the ornamental gardens. But I'd say that the biggest weakness is actually the psychology of our narrator. Torren/Breq is not human, and the first book did a great job showing how strange and traumatic it is to be the sole remaining part of a Ship in the universe. Here, she is camouflaged by her position as Fleet Captain and assumed House Name, people mostly treat her like she's human and she acts like one. There's a lot of anger and tight control, but only a few scenes that authentically reveal how strange our narrator is.
And I know that the Ancillary series is somewhat of a deconstruction of milSF, with it's David Weber style wanking over acceleration curves, beam coherence, and megaton missile salvos, but at some point there's going to be a war, and all this stuff matters. I wish that Leckie would sit down with a war nerd and figure out the tactical and operational limitations of her ships, because it'll make the posturing for planetary influence matter.
The first part of the story, focusing on the new Lt. Tisarwat, and the lengths to which Anaander will go is quite interesting, if mostly prelude. However the middle sags and drags, as Breq investigates abandoned areas of the station, labor exploitation, racism, and abusive relationships. The Raach is an appropriately exotic and alien society, and one actually feels feudal as opposed to a veil of monarchy pasted over 21st century American sensibilities, but you don't need to sell the idea that a feudal empire ruled by a 3000 year old distributed intelligence with schizophrenia might be unjust, even if it nominally provides food, clothing, and shelter for all citizens. The plus side is that the conclusion is explosively tense and fulfilling, it just takes too long to get there.
Ancillary Justice was a race, every plot point building to the climatic attack on the palace, where this book wanders and pauses to enjoy the ornamental gardens. But I'd say that the biggest weakness is actually the psychology of our narrator. Torren/Breq is not human, and the first book did a great job showing how strange and traumatic it is to be the sole remaining part of a Ship in the universe. Here, she is camouflaged by her position as Fleet Captain and assumed House Name, people mostly treat her like she's human and she acts like one. There's a lot of anger and tight control, but only a few scenes that authentically reveal how strange our narrator is.
And I know that the Ancillary series is somewhat of a deconstruction of milSF, with it's David Weber style wanking over acceleration curves, beam coherence, and megaton missile salvos, but at some point there's going to be a war, and all this stuff matters. I wish that Leckie would sit down with a war nerd and figure out the tactical and operational limitations of her ships, because it'll make the posturing for planetary influence matter.