Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York : Orbit, 2014.
Description
What if you once had thousands of bodies and near god-like technology at your disposal? And what if all of it were ripped away? The Lord of the Radch has given Breq command of the ship Mercy of Kalr and sent her to the only place she would have agreed to go -- to Athoek Station, where Lieutenant Awn's sister works in Horticulture. Athoek was annexed some six hundred years ago, and by now everyone is fully civilized -- or should be. But everything is not as tranquil as it appears. Old divisions are still troublesome, Athoek Station's AI is unhappy with the situation, and it looks like the alien Presger might have taken an interest in what's going on. With no guarantees that interest is benevolent.
User reviews
LibraryThing member stefferoo
Looking back at my review of Ancillary Justice, it seemed that while I liked the book, it and I didn’t actually hit it off as well as I’d hoped. Mind you, I’m most definitely in the minority there. And despite not falling in love with the novel, I did appreciate its many merits and was
And lo and behold, we have Ancillary Sword, the second installment of the Imperial Radch series which picks up from the end of book one.
However, it is also very different novel. But hey, “different” can be good! “Different” changes things up. And “different” keeps things fresh. It’s tough to follow up a book like Ancillary Justice which took the SFF scene by storm, and Leckie definitely took a few risks here by greatly streamlining the story as well as departing from the first book’s distinctive style.
Did it pay off? I feel a bit torn on this, personally. On the one hand, the biggest challenge I had with the first book was the style of narration. Breq was formerly one of thousands of corpse soldiers all linked up as part of a massive starship, and the resulting “omniscient effect” was not only confusing but also a source of distraction. Now that she is a single mind in a single body, I found the story in this book so much easier to follow. Add to that, we’re no longer shifting back and forth in time, and there’s a lot less information to digest. On the whole, I would say simplifying the narrative and making it more linear worked wonders for me. It addressed a couple of the major issues I had with the first book, and I didn’t feel as overwhelmed.
However, the changes also affected the scope of the story, whittling what seemed to be a massive space-opera-in-the-making down to more modest proportions. Ancillary Sword almost reads like a character study, offering a more intimate and personal look into the mind of Breq. While the character development is superb, the pacing suffered. Compared to the first book, this one is far slower, and there’s almost no action at all. Furthermore, I’m not sure it contributed all that much to the overall story arc; this felt a lot like a “middle book”, a nice little detour to get a chance to better acquaint ourselves with the main protagonist.
I’m fine with the slower, tamer direction of Ancillary Sword. What I’m not so keen on though, was the lack of a sense of purpose. I wasn’t sure what I expected from the sequel, but it certainly wasn’t this. After all that effort and time working up to the jaw-dropping conclusion in the first book, I wanted the momentum to continue, and I wanted to see what the next big thing was for Breq. Most of all I wanted to see where Ann Leckie is taking this series, and unfortunately, I’m still none the wiser.
I wanted to like this book more than its predecessor, but in the end I think the pros balanced out the cons and I ended up liking it just the same. To sum up, I loved how much easier this book was to read and how it put me more in my comfort zone, and I appreciated the deeper look into Breq’s life and thought processes now that she is separated from the hive mind. On the downside, the story didn’t hold my attention too well, and certain parts dragged.
That said, Ann Leckie is a talented author with a way with words, and what I wouldn’t give to see what other creative ideas she has up her sleeve. If these books are any indication, the next Imperial Radch novel will be just as deep-seated and cerebral. I hope the third book will strike more of a balance for me, but as the author is clearly not averse to changing things up, I’m curious to see what it’ll bring regardless.
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pleased to see it win many awards and garner so much praise – all seriously well-deserved. In fact, I was so impressed with the concepts in the book and the sheer innovation that went into it, I knew that I would read the sequel if Ann Leckie were to continue with Breq’s story.And lo and behold, we have Ancillary Sword, the second installment of the Imperial Radch series which picks up from the end of book one.
However, it is also very different novel. But hey, “different” can be good! “Different” changes things up. And “different” keeps things fresh. It’s tough to follow up a book like Ancillary Justice which took the SFF scene by storm, and Leckie definitely took a few risks here by greatly streamlining the story as well as departing from the first book’s distinctive style.
Did it pay off? I feel a bit torn on this, personally. On the one hand, the biggest challenge I had with the first book was the style of narration. Breq was formerly one of thousands of corpse soldiers all linked up as part of a massive starship, and the resulting “omniscient effect” was not only confusing but also a source of distraction. Now that she is a single mind in a single body, I found the story in this book so much easier to follow. Add to that, we’re no longer shifting back and forth in time, and there’s a lot less information to digest. On the whole, I would say simplifying the narrative and making it more linear worked wonders for me. It addressed a couple of the major issues I had with the first book, and I didn’t feel as overwhelmed.
However, the changes also affected the scope of the story, whittling what seemed to be a massive space-opera-in-the-making down to more modest proportions. Ancillary Sword almost reads like a character study, offering a more intimate and personal look into the mind of Breq. While the character development is superb, the pacing suffered. Compared to the first book, this one is far slower, and there’s almost no action at all. Furthermore, I’m not sure it contributed all that much to the overall story arc; this felt a lot like a “middle book”, a nice little detour to get a chance to better acquaint ourselves with the main protagonist.
I’m fine with the slower, tamer direction of Ancillary Sword. What I’m not so keen on though, was the lack of a sense of purpose. I wasn’t sure what I expected from the sequel, but it certainly wasn’t this. After all that effort and time working up to the jaw-dropping conclusion in the first book, I wanted the momentum to continue, and I wanted to see what the next big thing was for Breq. Most of all I wanted to see where Ann Leckie is taking this series, and unfortunately, I’m still none the wiser.
I wanted to like this book more than its predecessor, but in the end I think the pros balanced out the cons and I ended up liking it just the same. To sum up, I loved how much easier this book was to read and how it put me more in my comfort zone, and I appreciated the deeper look into Breq’s life and thought processes now that she is separated from the hive mind. On the downside, the story didn’t hold my attention too well, and certain parts dragged.
That said, Ann Leckie is a talented author with a way with words, and what I wouldn’t give to see what other creative ideas she has up her sleeve. If these books are any indication, the next Imperial Radch novel will be just as deep-seated and cerebral. I hope the third book will strike more of a balance for me, but as the author is clearly not averse to changing things up, I’m curious to see what it’ll bring regardless.
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LibraryThing member AnnieMod
And just like that, I start liking "Ancillary Justice" a lot more. No, this is not a review of the wrong book. But reading the Sword made me reevaluate some of the things that really bothered me in the Justice. In a good way. I wish Leckie had actually published the two books as one novel or made
But back to the book at hand. Breq now has a ship (so a lot of eyes to look out from - giving us the multiple perspective), stays in Radchaii space (so does not need to think about gender and the few times she had to, it was handled nicely without the reminder of the peculiarities of the Radch language) and she is sent to the system where Lieutenant Awn's sister lives. And there she finds a mystery (a gate that supposedly leads to nowhere but is a bit too active), a captain of a Sword that she immediately dislikes and a station populated by people for which you are human only if you have influence. Add to that Anaander's attempts to control her (via other people), an oppressed population and Breq's ability to always get in trouble and the novel is a pretty fast moving adventure that shows glimpses into the Radch (handled a lot better than some of the ones in the first book), showing just how "just" a Radch society is. There will be a space battle of course, an explosion (or three), a few near dead experiences, a bad guy that need punishing (a few of them) and a big disaster that can obliterate the station.
Of course the bigger conspiracy is not forgotten and if there is a weaker part in the novel, that's it. Being away from everyone else, being in a single system and having enough things makes this book almost a filler in the mail story of identity and self-understanding. On the other hand it allows Breq to grow and find her way so it was necessary. But as I said, these 2 first novels would have worked as a single novel a lot better (despite some of the repetitions Leckie had to put in this book for people that had forgotten the first one.
Leckie's style is so much better suited to that kind of story than to the broad scale storytelling of Justice that I wonder why she did not do something similar in the first book. Yes - the world had to be introduced but we learned a lot about it in this book as well. On the other hand, maybe it would have taken a lot more than 2 books to get us where we are.
I cannot wait to see where the third book is going to lead us.
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it clearer just how much of a one single whole they will - the way Hamilton's space operas tend to be or the way Blackout/All Clear is. Yes - the first book told its own story and could have finished there but it was uneven - too much buildup. Add that second one to it and the balance is shifting. But back to the book at hand. Breq now has a ship (so a lot of eyes to look out from - giving us the multiple perspective), stays in Radchaii space (so does not need to think about gender and the few times she had to, it was handled nicely without the reminder of the peculiarities of the Radch language) and she is sent to the system where Lieutenant Awn's sister lives. And there she finds a mystery (a gate that supposedly leads to nowhere but is a bit too active), a captain of a Sword that she immediately dislikes and a station populated by people for which you are human only if you have influence. Add to that Anaander's attempts to control her (via other people), an oppressed population and Breq's ability to always get in trouble and the novel is a pretty fast moving adventure that shows glimpses into the Radch (handled a lot better than some of the ones in the first book), showing just how "just" a Radch society is. There will be a space battle of course, an explosion (or three), a few near dead experiences, a bad guy that need punishing (a few of them) and a big disaster that can obliterate the station.
Of course the bigger conspiracy is not forgotten and if there is a weaker part in the novel, that's it. Being away from everyone else, being in a single system and having enough things makes this book almost a filler in the mail story of identity and self-understanding. On the other hand it allows Breq to grow and find her way so it was necessary. But as I said, these 2 first novels would have worked as a single novel a lot better (despite some of the repetitions Leckie had to put in this book for people that had forgotten the first one.
Leckie's style is so much better suited to that kind of story than to the broad scale storytelling of Justice that I wonder why she did not do something similar in the first book. Yes - the world had to be introduced but we learned a lot about it in this book as well. On the other hand, maybe it would have taken a lot more than 2 books to get us where we are.
I cannot wait to see where the third book is going to lead us.
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LibraryThing member andreablythe
The second book in the trilogy is in some ways more character focused than the first. There are secrets and threats and sudden violence and action sequences, but at the heart of the story are characters seeking their own redemption. Breq, a single ancillary AI from a destroyed ship, goes to this
Meanwhile, a young lieutenant must deal with her anger at being a victim of having her mind invaded, while desperately trying to prove her worth, and Seivarden is trying her best to shake off her past addition to drugs, which becomes more difficult as the situation and stress builds.
Again, Ann Leckie presents fantastic world building layers, with the plot intricately bound up in the complications of culture and politics presented in this carefully wrought universe. The sequel delves deeply into the class-based inequality and the way colonization attempts to erase other cultures through homogenization and margenization. The Radechai's believe in Justice, Propiety, Benefit are explored, leaving the questions: Who's justice? Who's benefit?
Another utterly fantastic book from Anne Leckie, and I will be immediately picking up the finale.
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planet seeking to provide some kind of comfort to the sister of her beloved fallen captain. Meanwhile, a young lieutenant must deal with her anger at being a victim of having her mind invaded, while desperately trying to prove her worth, and Seivarden is trying her best to shake off her past addition to drugs, which becomes more difficult as the situation and stress builds.
Again, Ann Leckie presents fantastic world building layers, with the plot intricately bound up in the complications of culture and politics presented in this carefully wrought universe. The sequel delves deeply into the class-based inequality and the way colonization attempts to erase other cultures through homogenization and margenization. The Radechai's believe in Justice, Propiety, Benefit are explored, leaving the questions: Who's justice? Who's benefit?
Another utterly fantastic book from Anne Leckie, and I will be immediately picking up the finale.
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LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
Excellent science fiction. More limited in scope than the first book, but all the more focused for it. Leckie combines the scope and pace of Iain Banks with the societal insight of Le Guin. Great stuff.
LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: fascinating characters, interesting narrative approach, develops new world-building aspects
Cons: character driven
A week after the events of Ancillary Justice, Breq, now fleet captain and assigned to Mercy of Kalr, departs on Anaander Mianaai’s orders to Athoek to make sure the system stays
As with the first book, the real aspect of interest is in how Breq sees the world. You don’t get flash backs to when she was Justice of Toren, though that’s often in her thoughts, instead you get her trying to keep up with frequent run downs of the sort of information she would have have had instantaneously as a ship, sent to her by her ship, Mercy of Kalr. It’s an interesting way of seeing things, and allows Breq to pretend she’s still one part of a larger whole while also being a narrative means of showing the reader what’s happening in places outside Breq’s physical sphere. There is a plot, but in many ways this feels like a character driven novel because Breq’s presence is so overpowering. If you don’t like her unique way of seeing the world, you won’t enjoy this book.
Breq comes across as a tough as nails captain. Sometimes she’s too tough, pushing her crew beyond what she should, something I suspected would eventually cause her problems, but her extensive experience means she’s able to pull back at just the right moment. Even knowing what Breq was trying to do, I thought she was too hard on Tisarwat at times. Not only had the lieutenant been through a traumatic experience with little recovery time, she’s given little to no positive reinforcement when she does things right. So while Tisarwat was an interesting character, seeing her through Breq’s eyes made her less sympathetic than she probably deserved to be. It was fun seeing her grow up and mature.
I was a little surprised at the number of secrets she kept from her crew, her true identity as Justice of Toren and what happened with Tisarwat being the main ones, but it does make sense that the crew might balk at such things, so keeping them secret probably made sense.
There’s more information about how the military works and there’s a unique supporting cast. I enjoyed learning more about the military and political politics, both between the ships but also how it applies to a station and planet once they get to Athoek. I’m hoping we learn more about the Presger in the next book. What little was revealed here merely whet the appetite.
Cons: character driven
A week after the events of Ancillary Justice, Breq, now fleet captain and assigned to Mercy of Kalr, departs on Anaander Mianaai’s orders to Athoek to make sure the system stays
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safe. In addition to her experienced lieutenants, Seivarden and Ekalu (of the Kalr), she has a new 17 year old one, Tisarwat, to train. Once they arrive at the station, they find a suspicious captain, disturbed by the lack of communication after the attack on Omaugh Palace and the destruction of several gates, racial tensions, and minor issues covering larger problems that need to be addressed. As with the first book, the real aspect of interest is in how Breq sees the world. You don’t get flash backs to when she was Justice of Toren, though that’s often in her thoughts, instead you get her trying to keep up with frequent run downs of the sort of information she would have have had instantaneously as a ship, sent to her by her ship, Mercy of Kalr. It’s an interesting way of seeing things, and allows Breq to pretend she’s still one part of a larger whole while also being a narrative means of showing the reader what’s happening in places outside Breq’s physical sphere. There is a plot, but in many ways this feels like a character driven novel because Breq’s presence is so overpowering. If you don’t like her unique way of seeing the world, you won’t enjoy this book.
Breq comes across as a tough as nails captain. Sometimes she’s too tough, pushing her crew beyond what she should, something I suspected would eventually cause her problems, but her extensive experience means she’s able to pull back at just the right moment. Even knowing what Breq was trying to do, I thought she was too hard on Tisarwat at times. Not only had the lieutenant been through a traumatic experience with little recovery time, she’s given little to no positive reinforcement when she does things right. So while Tisarwat was an interesting character, seeing her through Breq’s eyes made her less sympathetic than she probably deserved to be. It was fun seeing her grow up and mature.
I was a little surprised at the number of secrets she kept from her crew, her true identity as Justice of Toren and what happened with Tisarwat being the main ones, but it does make sense that the crew might balk at such things, so keeping them secret probably made sense.
There’s more information about how the military works and there’s a unique supporting cast. I enjoyed learning more about the military and political politics, both between the ships but also how it applies to a station and planet once they get to Athoek. I’m hoping we learn more about the Presger in the next book. What little was revealed here merely whet the appetite.
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LibraryThing member knotbox
Before getting deep into this story, which quickly resolves some concerns about alliances made at the end of the previous book, I read a couple reviews saying that this books lacked the adventure of the previous and seemed to linger on insignificant characters. While in the end I could see this
That is to say, I feel like Breq is already three moves ahead of everyone else. She might believe herself to be dispassionate, but when things go very, very wrong, she’s the first to react, not necessarily because she’s ‘already thought of that’ but because she’s used to having the mind of a computer, even if she is only a shadow of what she once was.
The personal, more intricate drama depicted here didn’t bother me. I love Breq as narrator and the world Ann Leckie has crafted, and feel this epic, though relatively narrow, storyline is only a chip of the iceberg. The brief, yet darkly hilarious look at the Presgr, the main adversaries to the expansion of the Radch, was like pulling back the corner of a very large window.
In fact, after having let this book sit, and taken my time with this review, I feel as though the first book is the one which is less urgently concerned with the real shadow plot behind everything, not that I’ve figured it out. This book dealt with a ‘Ghost Gate’, a gate beyond which lay an empty system. Notes about the aliens and machinations between factions in a cold civil war seem more relevant than talk of revenge and the death of one lieutenant, but that is of course how this grand adventure got started. Like the death of Ferdinand, I doubt any of the players knew just how much would be triggered by the event. My dreams are filled with thoughts about Ships driven mad millennia ago, and the fate of one empire at the edge of another.
And once again, at the end, Breq made me cry.
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being problematic and I read the scenes in question while waiting for the shoe to drop, only after the revelations of the last few chapters do I think I truly appreciated the politics and intrigue on display by a chessmaster.That is to say, I feel like Breq is already three moves ahead of everyone else. She might believe herself to be dispassionate, but when things go very, very wrong, she’s the first to react, not necessarily because she’s ‘already thought of that’ but because she’s used to having the mind of a computer, even if she is only a shadow of what she once was.
The personal, more intricate drama depicted here didn’t bother me. I love Breq as narrator and the world Ann Leckie has crafted, and feel this epic, though relatively narrow, storyline is only a chip of the iceberg. The brief, yet darkly hilarious look at the Presgr, the main adversaries to the expansion of the Radch, was like pulling back the corner of a very large window.
In fact, after having let this book sit, and taken my time with this review, I feel as though the first book is the one which is less urgently concerned with the real shadow plot behind everything, not that I’ve figured it out. This book dealt with a ‘Ghost Gate’, a gate beyond which lay an empty system. Notes about the aliens and machinations between factions in a cold civil war seem more relevant than talk of revenge and the death of one lieutenant, but that is of course how this grand adventure got started. Like the death of Ferdinand, I doubt any of the players knew just how much would be triggered by the event. My dreams are filled with thoughts about Ships driven mad millennia ago, and the fate of one empire at the edge of another.
And once again, at the end, Breq made me cry.
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LibraryThing member pwaites
I found Ancillary Sword to be an enjoyable sequel to Ancillary Justice. I think this is a series that needs to be read in order – there’s too much you’ll miss otherwise. If you’re looking for an entertaining but thoughtful space opera, I would give Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Sword a
In Ancillary Sword, Breq has been sent to the planet Athoek, where Lieutenant Awn’s sister lives. Breq has orders to keep the planet safe and peaceful, but she soon stumbles into a plethora of problems and injustices that have gone unrecognized by the planet’s rulers.
For me, one of the ongoing threads of interest of Ancillary Sword was that practically no one Breq encountered knew she was an ancillary. Breq’s past as an AI controlling a spaceship and ancillaries gives her a different perspective from the characters she encounters. There’s also the knowledge that other Radchaai don’t consider ancillaries even worth thinking about. Obviously an AI can’t have an thoughts or feelings worth bothering with, right?
“For my part,” I replied, “I find forgiveness overrated. There are times and places when it’s appropriate. But not when the demand that you forgive is used to keep you in your place.”
Ancillary Sword has all the twists, intrigue and character development that made me love Ancillary Justice. At it’s heart it’s a story about power, justice, and atonement. Is it possible for Breq to ever find atonement for the death of Awen? Is there any such thing as perfect justice?
“And it’s so easy to just go along. So easy not to see what’s happening. And the longer you don’t see it, the harder it becomes to see it, because then you have to admit that you ignored it all that time.”
I would highly recommend Ancillary Sword to anyone who enjoyed Ancillary Justice. It is everything I hoped for as a sequel.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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go.In Ancillary Sword, Breq has been sent to the planet Athoek, where Lieutenant Awn’s sister lives. Breq has orders to keep the planet safe and peaceful, but she soon stumbles into a plethora of problems and injustices that have gone unrecognized by the planet’s rulers.
For me, one of the ongoing threads of interest of Ancillary Sword was that practically no one Breq encountered knew she was an ancillary. Breq’s past as an AI controlling a spaceship and ancillaries gives her a different perspective from the characters she encounters. There’s also the knowledge that other Radchaai don’t consider ancillaries even worth thinking about. Obviously an AI can’t have an thoughts or feelings worth bothering with, right?
“For my part,” I replied, “I find forgiveness overrated. There are times and places when it’s appropriate. But not when the demand that you forgive is used to keep you in your place.”
Ancillary Sword has all the twists, intrigue and character development that made me love Ancillary Justice. At it’s heart it’s a story about power, justice, and atonement. Is it possible for Breq to ever find atonement for the death of Awen? Is there any such thing as perfect justice?
“And it’s so easy to just go along. So easy not to see what’s happening. And the longer you don’t see it, the harder it becomes to see it, because then you have to admit that you ignored it all that time.”
I would highly recommend Ancillary Sword to anyone who enjoyed Ancillary Justice. It is everything I hoped for as a sequel.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
In Which... Breq is sent to a somewhat-remote part of the Radch (am I the only one who keeps wanting to pronounce that "Radish"?) Empire. In pursuit of closure regarding a personal matter, Breq encounters Grave Social Injustice, and tries to make things better. Obstacles are Encountered, and Action
If you haven't already read 'Ancillary Justice,' some aspects of the setting might feel a bit bewildering to a new reader. However, the story itself works pretty well on its own - it feels like an 'episode.' If you've already read the first book, this one might not feel as startlingly original.
However, I wholeheartedly loved it. This is superlative sci-fi adventure that should appeal to both genre purists and more venturesome readers. The 'feel' of the writing and the themes of the book are both very similar to Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga - I'd very much recommend this to fans of that series.
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and Intrigue happen...If you haven't already read 'Ancillary Justice,' some aspects of the setting might feel a bit bewildering to a new reader. However, the story itself works pretty well on its own - it feels like an 'episode.' If you've already read the first book, this one might not feel as startlingly original.
However, I wholeheartedly loved it. This is superlative sci-fi adventure that should appeal to both genre purists and more venturesome readers. The 'feel' of the writing and the themes of the book are both very similar to Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga - I'd very much recommend this to fans of that series.
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LibraryThing member Lyndatrue
It's unusual for me to be caught up in a book. I'd guess it's because I've read so many, and there's really only so many ways to say something, at least for most of the authors out there. Every once in a rare while, someone comes along and startles me. Leckie has done so, twice, now. I'm looking
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forward to reading the last book in the trilogy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
On the surface, this is a more straightforward narrative than Ancillary Justice; it's is more linear, set on a smaller scale both chronologically and geographically, and its narrator is only ever one person. So no more flashbacks, no more Justice of Toren.
However, because Breq was an ancillary, she
Ancillary Sword is a more character-driven story. It's about identity, and justice, and the ramifications of empire building. It continues to explore what it means to be civilised - or perhaps what it means to be considered civilised. The Radchaii used to essentially mind-wiped conquered peoples in order for them to become AI-controlled ancillaries; now they expect those they colonise to conform to their idea of civilised.
I like that the Radchaii see tea as being an important part of their civilisation and that Ancillary Sword looks at the situation of those who grow tea. (I read a review which complained that there was too much tea in these books. Me: "Too much tea? Not possible!")
The book also explores what it means to be an ancillary: through Breq, who was an ancillary but no longer has a ship, through Mercy of Kalr who no longer has ancillaries but whose crew pretend to be ancillaries, through the Sword of Atagaris's ancillaries...
It's all really fascinating and thoughtful, while at the same time being a compelling story about characters I care about. I finished this and I had FEELINGS.
However, because Breq was an ancillary, she
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is capable of requesting more information from her ship than a captain usually could and thus can observe interactions amongst her crew - while she is elsewhere. It's not the same as when Breq was Justice of Toren but it does give Breq's first person narrative an unusually omniscient quality.Ancillary Sword is a more character-driven story. It's about identity, and justice, and the ramifications of empire building. It continues to explore what it means to be civilised - or perhaps what it means to be considered civilised. The Radchaii used to essentially mind-wiped conquered peoples in order for them to become AI-controlled ancillaries; now they expect those they colonise to conform to their idea of civilised.
I like that the Radchaii see tea as being an important part of their civilisation and that Ancillary Sword looks at the situation of those who grow tea. (I read a review which complained that there was too much tea in these books. Me: "Too much tea? Not possible!")
The book also explores what it means to be an ancillary: through Breq, who was an ancillary but no longer has a ship, through Mercy of Kalr who no longer has ancillaries but whose crew pretend to be ancillaries, through the Sword of Atagaris's ancillaries...
It's all really fascinating and thoughtful, while at the same time being a compelling story about characters I care about. I finished this and I had FEELINGS.
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LibraryThing member tottman
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie is the followup to the wildly successful Ancillary Justice. If you have not yet read the first book in this series, beware that this review may contain spoilers for that book.
Justice won just about every award for science fiction there is, and rightly so. It is a novel
The events in Sword pick up immediately where Justice left off. Breq is given command of a ship and sent to Athoek Station in system which was annexed to the Radch empire several hundred years ago and also happens to be home to the sister of the person Breq once cared about, perhaps more than any other.
I found Breq to be a hard character to warm to in the first book, but her continued development makes me like her more and more. Her history as a former AI of a ship who is used to seeing through the eyes of hundreds or thousands of vantage points cleverly leads to a multiple first person perspective. Her motivations and suspicions are closely held as is the chess game she is playing with Anaander Mianaai, the leader of the Radch empire who is literally fighting a civil war against herself. Dancing around the edge of the action is the spectre of the mysterious Presger. An alien race far superior to the Radch whose motivations are almost entirely unknown, but whose power is not.
The characters in this book feel even more fully developed than in the first novel. The characters on Athoek station and the tea-producing planet below are complicated both individually and culturally. Leckie once again poses hard questions not only about gender roles and identity, but about justice. What is justice? Is it ever black and white? How does the perception of what justice is change depending on your perspective? Whose responsibility is it to see justice done?
Ancillary Sword and the Imperial Radch series has the feel of a seminal work of science fiction. This is a story you can lose yourself in and the questions it makes you ask yourself are almost endless. You can enjoy this book on any number of levels. Expect to see this book on the usual list of award nominees this year. Wherever Leckie is going next with this series, I’m going along for the ride. One of the best books of the year. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
Justice won just about every award for science fiction there is, and rightly so. It is a novel
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full of ideas about gender, consciousness, identity, power, and social mores. My only minor quibble with that book was that it could have been a little more exciting. If that is indeed a fault, it is one that has been richly remedied in Ancillary Sword. Sword is exciting from beginning to end and full of the same sort of searching questions that made the first book so popular.The events in Sword pick up immediately where Justice left off. Breq is given command of a ship and sent to Athoek Station in system which was annexed to the Radch empire several hundred years ago and also happens to be home to the sister of the person Breq once cared about, perhaps more than any other.
I found Breq to be a hard character to warm to in the first book, but her continued development makes me like her more and more. Her history as a former AI of a ship who is used to seeing through the eyes of hundreds or thousands of vantage points cleverly leads to a multiple first person perspective. Her motivations and suspicions are closely held as is the chess game she is playing with Anaander Mianaai, the leader of the Radch empire who is literally fighting a civil war against herself. Dancing around the edge of the action is the spectre of the mysterious Presger. An alien race far superior to the Radch whose motivations are almost entirely unknown, but whose power is not.
The characters in this book feel even more fully developed than in the first novel. The characters on Athoek station and the tea-producing planet below are complicated both individually and culturally. Leckie once again poses hard questions not only about gender roles and identity, but about justice. What is justice? Is it ever black and white? How does the perception of what justice is change depending on your perspective? Whose responsibility is it to see justice done?
Ancillary Sword and the Imperial Radch series has the feel of a seminal work of science fiction. This is a story you can lose yourself in and the questions it makes you ask yourself are almost endless. You can enjoy this book on any number of levels. Expect to see this book on the usual list of award nominees this year. Wherever Leckie is going next with this series, I’m going along for the ride. One of the best books of the year. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
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LibraryThing member piemouth
I liked this almost as much as the first, though the story was a little less complex. We see more about ships and stations and their relationships with their officers. The book suffers from middle book problems; some things happen that I suppose will be resolved in the final book. I still am
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fascinated by Breq, though she's almost a Mary Sue: sees all, understands all, knows how to deal with every situation. Is she capable of behaving unethically or cruelly? It would seem not. That's not bad, it just makes her interesting in different ways than most protagonists. I don't think an AI could be an unreliable narrator, either. Show Less
LibraryThing member Awfki
2015-05-04/1.5%: Started this after Goblin Emperor but didn't finish the first book and I'd like to check out one of the Whiny Puppy books. They're supposedly ruining the Hugos because they don't like the books nominated and I'm really curious to see if they've got anything better. I enjoyed both
2015-05-11/1.5%: Picking this one up again as I finished or abandoned all the other Hugo novels.
2015-05-13/38%: Enjoying this much more than I expected to but it's starting to drag. There hasn't been much going on aside from illegal implants.
2015-05-14/61%: Can't imagine what was wrong with Ancillary Justice last year that I dismissed it so quickly. I'm enjoying this one enough that I'll definitely go back to the previous book.
2015-05-14/100%: Good stuff. More action than The Goblin Emperor but still pretty light. Almost more of a mystery, or just a character study.... Whatever, it was enjoyable, though as with all of this years crop, not really deep or thought provoking.
Hugo Summary/1: I'm tempted to swap this and The Goblin Emperor.
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of the shorts from Torgersen last year. The Vox Day book was, meh.2015-05-11/1.5%: Picking this one up again as I finished or abandoned all the other Hugo novels.
2015-05-13/38%: Enjoying this much more than I expected to but it's starting to drag. There hasn't been much going on aside from illegal implants.
2015-05-14/61%: Can't imagine what was wrong with Ancillary Justice last year that I dismissed it so quickly. I'm enjoying this one enough that I'll definitely go back to the previous book.
2015-05-14/100%: Good stuff. More action than The Goblin Emperor but still pretty light. Almost more of a mystery, or just a character study.... Whatever, it was enjoyable, though as with all of this years crop, not really deep or thought provoking.
Hugo Summary/1: I'm tempted to swap this and The Goblin Emperor.
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LibraryThing member iansales
This won the BSFA Award last weekend, and I’ll admit to being disappointed. There were better books on the shortlist, and it’s likely this sequel was trading on the massive success of its predecessor. Now I liked Ancillary Justice and I liked this book too. But where the first felt like a
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much-needed return to progressive space opera, something that had been sadly lacking for several years, Ancillary Sword doesn’t so much feel like more of the same as it does a fellow traveller on previously-trod ground. And if Ancillary Justice let out a slight whiff of Susan R Matthews’ novels, Ancillary Sword reeks of it. This is no bad thing – I’m a big fan of Matthews’ books, and it’s a crying shame she was dropped by her publisher more than ten years ago (and her second publisher went under after publishing just one of her books). But Ancillary Sword… Breq has been given command of a warship and sent to a planetary system that appears to have been cut off. There she discovers inequality and near-slavery, not to mention some nasty little conspiracies, which she resolves. The main plot of the trilogy – the war between the two factions of Anaander Miaanai – is pretty much parked to one side for the bulk of the story. Which also introduces a fresh mystery toward the end. If this is going to be a trilogy, I can’t honestly see any shape to it, and two-thirds of the way in you’d expect one to be visible. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
A readable but surprisingly lightweight entry for the 2nd book in a trilogy. The first book impressed with a narrative razzle-dazzle atypical for space opera, but still chock full of extreme action. Second books are usually darker, have more action factor, and primarily set up the third volume.
Recommended for fans of the first book, with the above caveats. Not recommended as an entry point.
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This reads more like a minor entry in a long running series. Having uncovered the secret of the Lord of the Radch in volume 1, our narrator now leaves that part of the galaxy where all the action is, for a backwater region with some local corruption in play. The action is low-key, the mood is more melancholic, and the character's primary driver is frustration with the way the races in power mistreat those without power. Recommended for fans of the first book, with the above caveats. Not recommended as an entry point.
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LibraryThing member renbedell
In my opinion the book is about individuals, individuality, and importance of culture. Breq goes from an ancillary to a fleet captain stuck on a planet filled with problems. Before she knew everything, was a part of everything, now everybody has an unknown depth to themselves. The political process
The book is really well written. Ann Leckie keeps up the suspense, even though it is mainly fueled by politics. The characters are great. Each of them of their own depth to them, which makes all of them really stick out. It is a great continuation of the series.
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of keeping a system together for the betterment of all is not an easy thing to do, and everybody's definition of what that entails is going to be different. Breq pretty much disrupts the current system utilizing the massive amount of information she has learned for the thousands of years she has lived, but also caring about the individual and using that to make the system work better. The book is really well written. Ann Leckie keeps up the suspense, even though it is mainly fueled by politics. The characters are great. Each of them of their own depth to them, which makes all of them really stick out. It is a great continuation of the series.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Book 2 of this series continues to complicate duty and justice as Breq, now in command of her own ship, arrives in a system filled with tensions between various half-assimilated peoples. Breq’s own experiences make her more sensitive to differences than other Radchaii, but that doesn’t mean
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that she’s at all welcome as just another representative of the conqueror. Palace intrigue and worldbuilding make this a welcome sequel to Ancillary Justice. Show Less
LibraryThing member KarenHerndon
Great SciFi - follow up to her first novel tho able to stand alone.
Liked it, liked the story, characters and style of writing!
Liked it, liked the story, characters and style of writing!
LibraryThing member KLmesoftly
I really enjoyed this, though I would say that it falls short of the first novel - my reading this time was much more character-driven ("I want to see these characters I enjoy having continued adventures") than plot-driven ("I need to know where this is going overall and see the loose ends wrapped
That said, I love this universe and the characters and will definitely be picking up the third installment! I'll be crossing my fingers that it ends on a strong note, or at least on the level of the first novel.
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up"). This was partially because the characters are so interestingly drawn that it was impossible for me to avoid becoming so attached to them and their world, but also unfortunately due to the fact that the plot was rather thin overall, and relied on some frustrating "and then stuff happened offpage so just kidding about the implied direness of that situation!" twists to resolve conflicts. That said, I love this universe and the characters and will definitely be picking up the third installment! I'll be crossing my fingers that it ends on a strong note, or at least on the level of the first novel.
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LibraryThing member blatherlikeme
I like Breq, the main character, which is always a primary driver for a book. The novel also has a lovely weave of themes - the indefinability of justice, gender and civilization being primary, which give it more depth than a lot of sci-fi.
Of course the larger conflict is definitely a complicated
Overall, novel is not as good as the first in the series, Ancillary Justice. It suffers from a lack of (what I call) plot pull. You never feel like you know why the main character is moving forward. What the reasons for her actions are, what the driving plot problem is. There is the larger conflict of the split leader that was established in the first novel which is maybe supposed to be her purpose, but its not really clearly connected. Its too confusing and vague to really make the reader feel the pull of action.
So we have no idea why Breq is acting in the larger arc of the story, sometimes not even why she is acting in the particular scene. And there is no sense of resolution of the problem, because while there certainly problems solved, it wasn't really clear how that pushed us to the end of the novel. I found this frustrating.
Finally - don't read the novel until you've read Ancillary Justice. This is clearly just another step in a series and it relies heavily on assumed knowledge gained from the previous story. And Ancillary Justice is well worth reading.
Of course the larger conflict is definitely a complicated
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idea, which I like. The near godlike leader of this empire is really just a thousand or more clones of herself. And now the clones are at war with each other. A no win scenario for everyone else in the empire. But while this conflict is mentioned, its only a vague cloud in the background.Overall, novel is not as good as the first in the series, Ancillary Justice. It suffers from a lack of (what I call) plot pull. You never feel like you know why the main character is moving forward. What the reasons for her actions are, what the driving plot problem is. There is the larger conflict of the split leader that was established in the first novel which is maybe supposed to be her purpose, but its not really clearly connected. Its too confusing and vague to really make the reader feel the pull of action.
So we have no idea why Breq is acting in the larger arc of the story, sometimes not even why she is acting in the particular scene. And there is no sense of resolution of the problem, because while there certainly problems solved, it wasn't really clear how that pushed us to the end of the novel. I found this frustrating.
Finally - don't read the novel until you've read Ancillary Justice. This is clearly just another step in a series and it relies heavily on assumed knowledge gained from the previous story. And Ancillary Justice is well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member zjakkelien
I loved it. The best thing about Ancillary justice was Breq, and in Ancillary sword we see what she does with her life after her mission is over. We also get a closer look at other ships and stations through their interactions with Breq. I like the way the ships love: although it is hardly ever
I have no doubt that here will be more books about Breq: this book is clearly a setup for more, and moreover, the issues from book 1 are not resolved here. So there is plenty of room to continue the story. Which I think is excellent news!
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spoken aloud, their actions speak louder than words. They take care of their lieutenants, and although they have to obey, they find ways to express their approval or disapproval nonetheless. Also, I liked the descriptions of the Station with its Undergardens. It strikes me that Breq reacts very similarly to Lieutenant Awn: she too took up residence with the underdogs, the lower side of society, and managed to find her strength there. I have no doubt that here will be more books about Breq: this book is clearly a setup for more, and moreover, the issues from book 1 are not resolved here. So there is plenty of room to continue the story. Which I think is excellent news!
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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
I liked Ancillary Sword even more than Ancillary Justice; partly I think it's that Breq has become a friend, and it's comforting to spend time with her. But partly I think it's the way Breq has reached a level of done that is just beyond tolerance, and it's great to watch. Her utter apathy about
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what other people think is fantastic, and slightly problematic, and I love that. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
This is the sequel to Leckie's multi-award-winning SF novel [Ancillary Justice], and, I believe, the second book in what's intended to be a trilogy Like the first one, I enjoyed it greatly. Admittedly, the plot is perhaps not very thick, and much of it seems a bit tangential to the main conflict of
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the series. But I don't mind, because it continues to hit lots and lots of my buttons, with its thoughtful world-building, its fascinating and easy-to-feel-for main character, its pointed-but-not-preachy take on the evils of imperialism, and the original and interesting things it does with POV and language. Plus, my interest in what's going on in the larger story arc hasn't diminished any. I'm now very much looking forward to the next volume. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
Note: There will necessarily be spoilers for Book One in this series, but none for this book.
This is Book Two of a series which began with Ancillary Justice, a book that won just about every big award for science fiction and fantasy in 2013, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the BSFA
In this universe far into the future, there are a number of beings who are massive entities with hive-minds that reside in multiple bodies at once. This is true of the Lord of the Radch Empire, a being who goes by the name of Anaander Mianaai. It was also once true of Breq, who used to be an “ancillary” or segment of the Justice of Toren, a massive starship. The Justice of Toren was destroyed by Anaander Mianaai, with only Breq escaping. Because Breq occupies just one body now, Breq can pass for human.
[I should note, as I did in the review of Book One, that in this future galaxy, gender is maybe a matter of choice, or maybe of convenience; it’s unclear. We don’t know what gender anyone is, but everyone is universally designated as “she” except in the case of children, who are noted to be “sisters” or “brothers.”]
In Book One, we learned that the Lord of the Radch is at war with “herself” over the destruction of an entire solar system some thousand years previously. The Lord has now divided into two factions, one good and one evil. It is of course pretty difficult to figure out which is which, and to support either one is treason, as far as the other is concerned. This puts citizens of the Radch in a very difficult position. Occasionally it is possible to infer which is which from the relative justice of the act being ordered by the Lord. When Breq was still part of the Justice of Toren, Anaander Mianaai ordered Breq to shoot her beloved superior, Lieutenant Awn, in the head. Awn had discovered the split in Anaander Mianaai, and refused to obey the orders of the faction she concluded was evil. Breq had no choice; Awn would die in any event, and she thought she would die as well. Indeed, the Lord destroyed the Justice of Toren; it was an accident that Breq escaped. Breq loved Awn, and never recovered from what she had to do.
In Ancillary Sword, Breq has been sent by the Lord of the Radch to Athoek Station as Captain of the starship Mercy of Kalr. This assignment dovetails with Breq’s own needs, because she wants to find the sister of the late Lieutenant Awn, and offer her support. But the sister, Basnaaid, will have nothing to do with Breq. While at the station, however, there is plenty to keep Breq busy: she gets involved with the station’s management and with the vicious undercurrent of race and class conflict that officially doesn’t exist.
Breq, no doubt because of her own past as a former ancillary, is outraged at the way the underclass is treated by those who think they are better; it is slavery de facto if not de jure. In particular, workers from other planetary systems are used as the elite wishes to use them, including being denied sufficient food and education, and being taken advantage of for sexual and labor exploitation. Once again, the notion of “justice” becomes a critical point for Breq. The political philosophy of the Radch is summed up by the slogan: "Justice, propriety, and benefit."
"No just act could be improper, no proper act unjust. Justice and propriety, so intertwined, themselves led to benefit. The question of just who or what benefited was a topic for late-night discussions over half empty bottles of arrack, but ordinarily no Radchaai questioned that justice and propriety would ultimately be beneficial in some gods-approved way."
But that has always been the problem of course, over all of time, and over the expanse of the known universe. Who gets to decide what is just? And now that the Lord of the Radch can't even agree, the question is more salient than ever.
Discussion: I appreciated the first book for its distinctive innovativeness, but I struggled with all of the “alien concepts.” In this book, the “heavy lifting” of the world building has already been done, and the author can just get on with the story; it is much, much easier to read.
Also, in the first book, Seivarden - a sad case who was rescued and rehabilitated by Breq, here comes into her own as Breq’s most trusted lieutenants. She is not featured as much in the story, but when she is, her character evolution is clear, as is the fact that she thinks of Breq much as Breq once thought of Lieutenant Awn. It's a nice symmetry.
Two digressionary notes:
1. There is a very funny moment in this book when Breq reflects on the “oddness” of the name of a visitor from another place. The person’s name is “Dlique.” Everyone stumbles over this name, which is a riot considering their names are, for example, Anaander, Raughd, Daos, Skaaiat, and so on.
2. In thinking about the hive-mind/multi-bodied nature of the ruler, it strikes me as a brilliant way to solve the problem of administering a vast empire; i.e., if one is able actually to be everywhere at once! This was always a problem in the past, with the Persians, Ottomans, Holy Roman Empire, etc. In our current political systems, we are quick to blame our leaders for not being omniscient, but it really isn’t possible. On Radch, however, the problem is solved!
Evaluation: This is a middle book - definitely not a standalone, but I found that, unlike many middle books, it is a better read than the first book. This is, however, only because I didn’t have to struggle with all the "out-of-the-box" concepts in this one. I know that readers either love these books beyond all reason, or find them “alienating.” I am closer to the former camp than the latter.
This is Book Two of a series which began with Ancillary Justice, a book that won just about every big award for science fiction and fantasy in 2013, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the BSFA
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Award (presented by the British Science Fiction Association), the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Locus Award. There is a lot of love for this series.In this universe far into the future, there are a number of beings who are massive entities with hive-minds that reside in multiple bodies at once. This is true of the Lord of the Radch Empire, a being who goes by the name of Anaander Mianaai. It was also once true of Breq, who used to be an “ancillary” or segment of the Justice of Toren, a massive starship. The Justice of Toren was destroyed by Anaander Mianaai, with only Breq escaping. Because Breq occupies just one body now, Breq can pass for human.
[I should note, as I did in the review of Book One, that in this future galaxy, gender is maybe a matter of choice, or maybe of convenience; it’s unclear. We don’t know what gender anyone is, but everyone is universally designated as “she” except in the case of children, who are noted to be “sisters” or “brothers.”]
In Book One, we learned that the Lord of the Radch is at war with “herself” over the destruction of an entire solar system some thousand years previously. The Lord has now divided into two factions, one good and one evil. It is of course pretty difficult to figure out which is which, and to support either one is treason, as far as the other is concerned. This puts citizens of the Radch in a very difficult position. Occasionally it is possible to infer which is which from the relative justice of the act being ordered by the Lord. When Breq was still part of the Justice of Toren, Anaander Mianaai ordered Breq to shoot her beloved superior, Lieutenant Awn, in the head. Awn had discovered the split in Anaander Mianaai, and refused to obey the orders of the faction she concluded was evil. Breq had no choice; Awn would die in any event, and she thought she would die as well. Indeed, the Lord destroyed the Justice of Toren; it was an accident that Breq escaped. Breq loved Awn, and never recovered from what she had to do.
In Ancillary Sword, Breq has been sent by the Lord of the Radch to Athoek Station as Captain of the starship Mercy of Kalr. This assignment dovetails with Breq’s own needs, because she wants to find the sister of the late Lieutenant Awn, and offer her support. But the sister, Basnaaid, will have nothing to do with Breq. While at the station, however, there is plenty to keep Breq busy: she gets involved with the station’s management and with the vicious undercurrent of race and class conflict that officially doesn’t exist.
Breq, no doubt because of her own past as a former ancillary, is outraged at the way the underclass is treated by those who think they are better; it is slavery de facto if not de jure. In particular, workers from other planetary systems are used as the elite wishes to use them, including being denied sufficient food and education, and being taken advantage of for sexual and labor exploitation. Once again, the notion of “justice” becomes a critical point for Breq. The political philosophy of the Radch is summed up by the slogan: "Justice, propriety, and benefit."
"No just act could be improper, no proper act unjust. Justice and propriety, so intertwined, themselves led to benefit. The question of just who or what benefited was a topic for late-night discussions over half empty bottles of arrack, but ordinarily no Radchaai questioned that justice and propriety would ultimately be beneficial in some gods-approved way."
But that has always been the problem of course, over all of time, and over the expanse of the known universe. Who gets to decide what is just? And now that the Lord of the Radch can't even agree, the question is more salient than ever.
Discussion: I appreciated the first book for its distinctive innovativeness, but I struggled with all of the “alien concepts.” In this book, the “heavy lifting” of the world building has already been done, and the author can just get on with the story; it is much, much easier to read.
Also, in the first book, Seivarden - a sad case who was rescued and rehabilitated by Breq, here comes into her own as Breq’s most trusted lieutenants. She is not featured as much in the story, but when she is, her character evolution is clear, as is the fact that she thinks of Breq much as Breq once thought of Lieutenant Awn. It's a nice symmetry.
Two digressionary notes:
1. There is a very funny moment in this book when Breq reflects on the “oddness” of the name of a visitor from another place. The person’s name is “Dlique.” Everyone stumbles over this name, which is a riot considering their names are, for example, Anaander, Raughd, Daos, Skaaiat, and so on.
2. In thinking about the hive-mind/multi-bodied nature of the ruler, it strikes me as a brilliant way to solve the problem of administering a vast empire; i.e., if one is able actually to be everywhere at once! This was always a problem in the past, with the Persians, Ottomans, Holy Roman Empire, etc. In our current political systems, we are quick to blame our leaders for not being omniscient, but it really isn’t possible. On Radch, however, the problem is solved!
Evaluation: This is a middle book - definitely not a standalone, but I found that, unlike many middle books, it is a better read than the first book. This is, however, only because I didn’t have to struggle with all the "out-of-the-box" concepts in this one. I know that readers either love these books beyond all reason, or find them “alienating.” I am closer to the former camp than the latter.
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LibraryThing member lpetrazickis
Ancillary Sword is Ann Leckie's follow-up to last year's excellent Ancillary Justice. It uses a traditional galactic empire setting -- reminiscent of Asimov, Clarke, and in other respects Banks -- to ask interesting questions about privilege, power, and exploitation.
The plot structure is that of a
Leckie's elision of gender from the book has no direct impact on the plot, but provides a mirror to the soul of the reader.
I could hardly put this book down once I started reading.
The plot structure is that of a
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mystery. Our protagonist solves at least two major ones in the course of the book. The climax of the planetside tea plantation plot is especially reminiscent of an Agatha Christie detective confronting the rogues and an inspector gathered in a room.Leckie's elision of gender from the book has no direct impact on the plot, but provides a mirror to the soul of the reader.
I could hardly put this book down once I started reading.
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Subjects
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 2015)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 2014)
Locus Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2015)
British Science Fiction Association Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2014)
Chesley Award (Nominee — 2015)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
Language
Original publication date
2014-10-07
ISBN
0316246654 / 9780316246651