A Memory Called Empire is a multidimensional psychological thriller that tackles heavy themes, but gestures at politics rather than getting deeply involved with them. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare is a young woman dispatched to the Teixcalaan capitol to replace her predecessor, who has died under unclear circumstances. She has a difficult mission ahead, unraveling the deals her predecessor made, while preserving the independence of her home Lsel Station, and dealing with sabotage and terrorism. Mahit's advantage is that the Stationers have a form of memory augmentation, and Mahit has her predecessor in her head. However the memory imago is 15 years out of date, and worse, is malfunctioning, leaving Mahit lost in a fog.

The best parts of the book is the interplay between Mahit and her Teixcalaan assigned companion, Three Seagrass. They're two xenophiles approaching each other from opposite sides, and their relationship is wonderfully drawn. Martine knows that empire as phenomenon is about cultural hegemony, more than fleets and roads and armies. Teixcalaan culture is full of layers and allusions and grand stories.

But empire is also about force, and as this story hinges on the succession of the dying emperor, military invasions, alien threats, and the safety of Lsel Station, I never got the sense that there was any deeper economic or political reality to the situation beyond the needs of the plot. Compared to Dune or the Vorkosigan books, the setting lacked the weight of history. Now, the fact that I'm comparing a debut novel to all-time classics is noteworthy, but for a book which is otherwise so sophisticated, the shallowness of the history and technology is a letdown. Fortunately, the choices made are vague enough that future books might be able to fill in the details.