A Memory Called Empire

Teixcalaan, Book 1

De: Arkady Martine

Narrado por: Amy Landon

Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel
A Locus, and Nebula Award nominee for 2019
A Best Book of 2019: Library Journal, Polygon, Den of Geek
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
A Guardian Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2019 and “Not the Booker Prize” Nominee
A Goodreads Biggest SFF Book of 2019 and Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee

"A Memory Called Empire perfectly balances action and intrigue with matters of empire and identity. All around brilliant space opera, I absolutely love it." (Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice)

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident - or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion - all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret - one that might spell the end of her station and her way of life - or rescue it from annihilation.

A fascinating space-opera debut, Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire is an interstellar mystery adventure.

"The most thrilling ride ever. This book has everything I love." (Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky)

©2019 AnnaLinden Weller (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

While I enjoyed the book...

While I enjoyed the book, the story was predictable with one twist that I did not see coming.

Wonderful atmosphere

Loved the book, the story, its character and above all the atmosphere of immersion into that world. Binged for 4 hours at one point

Diplomacy as high drama in space

I love this book. Mahit is a girl just trying to be the best diplomat for her people in the big city of the large galactic empire next door, but runs afoul of plots and intrigue that almost see her...well, no spoilers. Very smart story with great characters and world building Definitely some new ideas here - not your usual space opera.

mispronounciations were distracting

Lagrange not Lag Range
Pluhtoon not Plah-toon
there were others but these stood out and distracted from the excellent story.

Great anthropological/social hierarchical world build.

The narrator feels like AI. Improper pronunciations (for the ostensibly US English language) and humdrum sentence inflections. When the writing is tight and the story engrossing, you don’t notice. In the repetitively phrased or tedious passages, it becomes quite distracting.

What Audible and the author will be interested in, however, is that I enjoyed the characters and the story universe enough to purchase the next installment. I won’t rush to buy the paperbacks for my collection, though.

Not trying to be negative despite the above! Fun story, good pacing overall, some intriguing concepts and mostly interesting characters. I’m looking forward to the next book.