A Memory Called Empire

by

464 pages

English language

Published June 10, 2019

ISBN:
9781760785987
Goodreads:
51895027

View on Inventaire

4 stars (3 reviews)

A Memory Called Empire is a 2019 science fiction novel, the debut novel by Arkady Martine. It follows Mahit Dzmare, the ambassador from Lsel Station to the Teixcalaanli Empire, as she investigates the death of her predecessor and the instabilities that underpin that society. The book won the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

3 editions

reviewed A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

A great mix of space opera and court intrigue, with an upbeat tone

No rating

A Memory Called Empire might be my favourite  book this year (so far). It took me a while to settle in to the naming conventions, and (as usual) I didn’t envisage the setting too clearly, but overall a great read.

Highlights included the undercurrents of political and diplomatic intrigue, and that uncertainty about whether anyone was genuinely trustworthy. (Or rather, which actors’ motivations happened to align with the main character’s, and which were maybe a bluff…) I enjoyed Mahit’s ongoing sense of being an outsider/other, how she used that role, and the challenges to her loyalties when she didn’t know what was going on.

There’s peril and injury and death, but the tone was generally upbeat. Perhaps that’s not terribly realistic, but since I’m not a fan of grim and gritty, it suited me just fine.

Highly recommended.

reviewed A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Review of 'A Memory Called Empire' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

On of the best sci-fi novels I've read in some time. Accomplishes the stellar feat of making a story which takes part almost entirely within a single city feel like it has galaxy spanning consequences. Reads as much like medieval court intrigue as it does full on space opera, and is all the better for it.

The last big space opera I read was Saga of the Seven Suns, and while that is a huge story full of fantastic imagination, I enjoyed the writing style of this novel so much more.

Can't wait to read the followup, and hopefully many more to come. Bravo.

reviewed A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

The slow-burning love-child of House of Cards and The Expanse

4 stars

If I'm honest I first picked up this book because of the image on the cover but once I picked up the book I remained interested and the aesthetic remained pretty cool throughout and gave me vibes from the "Coup" and "The Resistance" board games.

The book really focuses in a lot on the political manoeuvrers of the central character Mahit and her allies (and enemies). There's a fair amount of political theatre and description of Mahit's internal monologue which reminded me of House of Cards. The world building meant that the plot does take a little while to really get going but once it does get going, there's a fair amount to be excited about. The last few chapters were pretty gripping and more reminiscent of something like The Expanse.

There is a lot of description of the culture and language used in the Teixcalaanli Empire which for me, …