Ancillary Justice

I enjoyed thinking about this novel more than I enjoyed reading it. Since I'm no fan of complex novels of international intrigue, this tale of intergalactic intrigue, involving races and politics spread over millennia, got to be heavy going. The issues were laid out and gone over in extended dialogues where each participant was seconding guessing or lying to whomever she was talking to. These passages alternated with twisty internal monologues where a character struggled to make sense of what was really at stake, who to trust, and the ramifications of whatever next move she made. There were also action-packed moments of pure space opera.

Not until I had finished the book could i appreciate Leckie's thorough and fascinating world building. And her story involves issues of imperialism, race, the nature of consciousness, and gender that offer the intellectual buffet readers look for in literary science fiction.

This is Leckie's first novel and the inevitable first book of trilogy. Ancillary Justice cleaned up at the various SF awards, and there is enough here to think that she will get nothing but more accomplished.