Ancillary Justice

I started The Imperial Radch series based on the review on Mandy’s site. And Ann Leckie is a great writer. In the first book, Ancillary Justice we meet Breq, and it’s quite unclear exactly who she is. But as you read, you are taken into a world of a large empire that slowly takes over various civilizations to expand its reach.

And Breq, who we aren’t always sure who she is, slowly tells a story of her now and her past. As she travels, looking for a mystery item, we travel with her and see where she came from, along with how the empire functions. The last third of the book is so fantastic, the back story comes together, and I was cheering on Breq as not only revealed who she really is but as she helped others she encountered in her quest.

What is startling and amazing about the world Leckie creates is that everyone is referred to as she. It is rare, and only in certain languages and cultures, do we ever see anyone referred to by a male pronoun. This small detail, which isn’t that small, sets up a world where the language is one that I could relate to and understand. It was both enlightening about how my mind works as much as what I expect and associate with the pronouns we use in English.

Choose my aim, take one step and then the next. It had never been anything else. (loc 4690)