A Memory Called Empire

a fun read with beautiful, full worldbuilding and compelling politicking, and plenty of space opera to keep you from putting it down. for me, I didn't find it very striking as a plot or character book, though there's plenty of both, and didn't get much out of it as an ideas book (compared to other SF I've read that plays with self, empire, and language) that said, I do love books that know how to interact with language! linguist-me was left satisfied!

This was not the normal type of sci-fi story I read and I didn't think I would enjoy it at first. But the more I read, the more I fell in love with this story. It's very rich, deep, symbolic, and full of meaning. The characters are deep and very interesting, and the elaborately detailed world/universe of the story is incredibly thorough and stimulating. This story had a great pace and evolved from a story of planetary politics to political inrigue and thriller-type pace. I finish this book feeling like I have experienced something profound and yet sad that it's over - and yet I've already downloaded the sequel! Arkady Martine is masterful and a bit like the Stephen King of the genre. Maybe my top book of the year!

I'm so pleased with A Memory Called Empire. It's rare to have a pairing of both a really rich, engrossing world and characters that I cared about so much. It felt like not a decision or phrasing was done without careful consideration. I could feel the pull Mahit felt between her home and the empire, and her exhaustion as the book stretched on. An absolute force and I can't wait to read the next one.