A Memory Called Empire follows Mahit Dzmare, the new ambassador to the Teixcalaanli Empire from small independent Lsel Station. The former ambassador, Yskander, died under suspicious circumstances and Mahit is hastily sent to replace him, armed with Yskander’s imago, a secret Lsel technology that allows an imprinted memory to be passed between generations. To make matters worse, the imago in question is an atrocious fifteen years out of date. What follows is a tale of political intrigue as Mahit attempts to rapidly understand Yskander’s years of work, and advocate for the continued safety of her station in the face of the powerful colonizing empire. ⁣
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This is Martine’s debut novel, and I think it’s overly bulky at nearly 450 pages. While I would hesitate to call this book fast paced, it did hold my attention. I especially enjoyed the world building, heavy with history and linguistics, and the cast of (queer!) characters, and plan to pick up the sequel, which promises to continue the story in intriguing new directions.