Provenance

By: Ann Leckie

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

An ambitious young woman has just one chance to secure her future and reclaim her family's priceless lost artifacts in this stand-alone novel set in the world of the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Imperial Radch trilogy.

Though she knows her brother holds her mother's favor, Ingrid is determined to at least be considered as heir to the family name. She hatches an audacious plan -- free a thief from a prison planet from which no one has ever returned, and use them to help steal back a priceless artifact.

But Ingray and her charge return to her home to find their planet in political turmoil, at the heart of an escalating interstellar conflict. Together, they must make a new plan to salvage Ingray's future and her world, before they are lost to her for good.

Critic reviews

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

"More intriguing cultures to explore, more characters to care about, more Leckie to love."—Kirkus

"Character-centered space opera from one of SF's brightest stars."—Library Journal

"A perfect follow-up to the trilogy."—The New York Times

"The trademarks of Leckie's talent are on display, with even more worlds for readers to discover and some teasing overlap with her previous series. But what makes this book is watching Ingray overcome her poor self-esteem and discover who she actually wants to be, demonstrating again the genre's capacity to tell compelling, human stories."—RT Book Reviews

"The intricacies and oddities are a delight.... A thrill for fans of heists and capers."—Washington Post

"A careful look at how no one's immune from politics, even if they think themselves outside the fray . . . A story about the necessity of exploring the edges of the known."—NPR

"An entertaining, thoughtful, and clever entry that both Leckie's new and returning readers can delve into and enjoy."—The Los Angeles Review of Books

"[Leckie] raises provocative questions about identity, family and self-esteem. By the end, both neophytes and longtime Leckie fans are likely to be pleased."—The San Francisco Chronicle

"The trappings of widescreen sci-fi, and the attention to character, to the small moments, to the inner lives of those living through outsized events . . . Just read it."—B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

"Complex and beautiful."—SYFY Wire

"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 on Ancillary Mercy

"This trilogy will stand as a classic of SF for the ages."—Library Journal on Ancillary Mercy

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

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

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

"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

Worth it as an audiobook

Adjoa Andoh's narration is unbelievable, among the best I've ever heard. I loved Ancillary Justice (as a printed book, have not heard the audio version), but all the followups were only okay. The story here is also only okay, kind of repetitive and political, meaning it makes a whole lot out of very small actions and events. But it's a very interesting, original universe.

I did find the monologue from the Geck ambassador very moving. I'm not sure whether or not I would have in print. I'm still thinking about it days later.

A lackluster followup

The first chapter drags. It doesn't get any better from there on out. The story is thin and the characters unmemorable. I would like to see something more from the author of the Imperial Radcht trilogy.

Found the book rather boring

I found this book rather boring, predictable and flat. The narrator character accents were unappealing and strange and personally I do no feel they adjusted to the type of story, perhaps if they would have been portrayed in a different way the book wouldn't have been that annoying to me.

I'm sure that some folks will connect better with the character and enjoy the book, but not me.

riveting story, wonderful performance

The story and performance were great! I love the diversity and unconventional romances as side narratives. I like that the protagonist is female, though I wish she wouldn't have been portrayed as being so weepy all the time, or at least have exhibited some growth and gained emotional resiliency by the end. Fun and addictive read!

OK

Characters are good. But the world building was complicated and served little point to story