Ancillary Mercy

By: Ann Leckie

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

Breq and her crew must stand against an old and powerful enemy and fight for their own destinies in the stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy. A must read for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and James S. A. Corey.

For a moment, things seemed to be under control for Breq, the soldier who used to be a warship. Then a search of Athoek Station's slums turns up someone who shouldn't exist, and a messenger from the mysterious Presger empire arrives, as does Breq's enemy, the divided and quite possibly insane Anaander Mianaai -- ruler of an empire at war with itself.

Breq refuses to flee with her ship and crew, because that would leave the people of Athoek in terrible danger. The odds aren't good, but that's never stopped her before.

"There are few who write science fiction like Ann Leckie can. There are few who ever could." -- John Scalzi

Critic reviews

"If you don't know the Ancillary series by now, you probably should. Ann Leckie's sociopolitical space opera almost singlehandedly breathed new cool into the stereotype of spaceships trundling through far-off systems amid laser battles. ... [Ancillary Mercy] earns the credit it's received: As a capstone to a series that shook genre expectations, as our closing installment of an immersively realized world, and as the poignant story of a ship that learned to sing."—NPR Books

"This trilogy will stand as a classic of sf for the ages."—Library Journal

"No science-fiction series as descriptive of our current political and cultural moment or as insistent that we open our eyes to it."— Slate

"A magnificent capstone to this promising trilogy."—RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars)

"Powerful."—The New York Times on Ancillary Sword

"The sort of space opera audiences have been waiting for."—NPR Books on Ancillary Sword

"Fans of space operas will feast on its richly textured, gorgeously rendered world-building."—Entertainment Weekly on Ancillary Sword

"Breq's struggle for meaningful justice in a society designed to favor the strong is as engaging as ever. Readers new to the author will be enthralled, and those familiar with the first book will find that the faith it inspired has not been misplaced."—Publishers Weekly on Ancillary Sword

"Leckie proves she's no mere flash in the pan with this follow-up to her multiple-award-winning debut space opera, Ancillary Justice."—Kirkus on Ancillary Sword

"This follow-up builds on the world and characters that the author introduced in the first book and takes the story in new directions. There is much more to explore in Leckie's universe, one of the most original in SF today."—Library Journal (starred review) on Ancillary Sword

"An ambitious space opera that proves that Justice was no fluke.... a book every serious reader of science fiction should pick up."—RT Book Reviews on Ancillary Sword

"A gripping read, with top-notch world building and a set of rich subtexts about human rights, colonialism -- and (yes) hive mind sex."—io9 on Ancillary Sword

"Leckie investigates what it means to be human, to be an individual and to live in a civilized society."—Scientific American on Ancillary Sword

"Unexpected, compelling and very cool. Ann Leckie nails it...I've never met a heroine like Breq before. I consider this a very good thing indeed."—John Scalzi on Ancillary Justice

"Superb... Sword proves that [Leckie]'s not a one-hit wonder. I look forward to the rest of Breg's tale."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Ancillary Sword

A complex, engrossing story with drama

This story was much faster moving than the second novel in the trilogy , with a number of very interesting plot twists and a great deal of further character development . those who are interested in the philosophical speculation of the series, about how artificial intelligences will relate to others , will be intrigued by not only the story but the way that it resolves .

Great story and performance by Ms. Andoh. Listen!

The author brings insight from numerous disciplines though I was most intrigued by what I learned about ancient Roman society included, perhaps, to highlight the immutability of human nature: nice is not always the same ad good. The core of the work is well written, very character-driven, very satisfying and an extraordinarily good read or listen.

rewarding finish to a great series

I wish there was so much more in this universe! Such a great finish to a great series, and yet still not exist enough! Narration really makes all of the characters feel unique and separate!

Very interesting and truly fabulous characters

Truly clever and well developed handling of a classic sci-fi theme from a kind of different point of view.
Those “translators” had me rolling on the ground laughing.

Fantastic story and narration

I really love this series, but part of what I love is the mindbending ungendered world, and I was a little worried that I'd lose that by listening to a narrator that sounded specifically male or female. Andoh's version was really incredibly good, and her pronunciation of names that I don't think I'd ever completely sounded out ("Ana-ander Mia-na'ai") made them sound surprisingly manageable?

I'd like to hear the book read by a male narrator as well, just to see how the gendered voice influences my mental image of the characters, but really Andoh is so good that I think I'd miss her Translator voice too much to switch. She somehow made the popping, trilling Translators sound truly non-human compared to when I read about them on the page - neat trick!

The story was less involved than the previous two books, but I wasn't let down. A great ending to a one-of-a-kind series.