#A Memory Called Empire

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 2

Book summaries below:

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.

Science fiction, time travel, multiverse, epistolary, adult

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (Teixcalaan series)

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.

Science fiction, politics, mystery, political thriller, series, adult

[boitterfly]

really loving the weird naming conventions in A Memory Called Empire and i can’t stop thinking about how 30 Rock would be a perfectly common name in the teixcalaanli empire

[aroaessidhe]

Sci-fi books where a queer woman has the ghost of an annoying dead guy in her head

*Misery is nonbinary (she/they) and who’s in her head is not dead or a guy but I’m counting it, okay

[explodingsilver]

Just started A Memory Called Empire and unfortunately I have to disagree with these ladies: I think Thirty-Six All-Terrain Tundra Vehicle is a banger of a name for a person to have

[monsterfactoryfanfic]

My latest essay is on "Dialect," by Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalıoğlu! I compare the game's inevitable language death to Arkady Martine's "A Memory Called Empire," and discuss how both texts are interested in the ways hegemonic culture consumes everything, even without violence.

Transcript here.

[beartrice-inn-unnir]

10. What is your favorite genre book to recommend to someone who doesn’t usually like that genre?

Usually when people ask me for a rec for a genre they don’t usually like, they are asking for sci-fi, and I start by trying to figure out different access points based on what they already like. I’m not much of a hard sci-fi person, tending more to the space opera and political thrillers, so here’s a few “if you like x, maybe try y”:

If you like romance, give Everina Maxwell’s Winter’s Orbit a try. It’s definitely sci-fi in setting and plot, but it also hits nicely in the formulaic patterns of a arranged-marriage, strangers-to-lovers story that will help you through it even if the sci-fi elements are throwing you off. The author has another similar book that increases the sci-fi elements and is enemies-to-lovers as well, so if you like Winter’s Orbit, Ocean’s Echo is a good next step.

If you like non-fiction, The Martian by Andy Weir is a great pick. I have multiple friends who got into reading again as adults via The Martian. It’s well-written, well-grounded, funny, and very sci-fi. If you’ve already read it, then maybe give To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers a try. It can be described with all the same adjectives, plus it’s a short novella, so if you’re hesitant, it’s less intimidating.

If you like mysteries or political thrillers, boy is there a lot of great sci-fi out there for you. The crux of a lot of sci-fi is space or high-tech settings with a plot that asks questions about personhood, and that mixes really well with detectives and spies wandering around trying to solve problems and find truths. Try Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (it’s partway through a series of great books and novellas, but that one’s the most traditional mystery plot) or A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (ambassador solving her predecessor’s mysterious death while trying to do his job)(I’d also recommend this one if you read a lot of classics) EDIT: just realized I mistyped - book 1 by Arkady Martine is A Memory Called Empire.

If YA/ Bildungsromanen/ New Adult figuring the world out through trial and error is often your jam, try Provenance by Ann Leckie (for the kid who really wants to do things right) or The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (for another kid who wants to do things right, but is also a high-energy chaos gremlin).

If you like fantasy, you probably already have read some sci-fi; it’s all under the speculative fiction umbrella and genres are vague anyway. All the same, I know this is the Locked Tomb Website, but give Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir a shot (it’s got magic and mayhem and an epic locked-room whodunnit mystery). The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord is also good - it has a team of people traveling together and thinking about morals and discovering new abilities, plus some romance.

I’m sure there’s lots of genres I’m forgetting right now, but feel free to send me another ask for any specific one!

[wildmint]

i love them so much <3

[andmaybegayer]

A Memory Called Empire is so good.

It sells the feeling of foreignness in that weird way that exists where it's fine that you are foreign but important things are happening now well, getting you to side with Mahit despite the fact that you get almost no background on what Lsel life is like. I also appreciate that it leans hard in on the allure of the Empire, even from the perspective of an outsider. It would have sucked if Mahit wasn't a huge nerd who loved Teixcalaanli poetry and wasn't at some level interested in integrating.

It does not really show the empire operating which is unusual, I guess? The sequel might cover that.

I like how it handles switching between the moments of high political intrigue and horribly domestic life. Twelve Azalea eating instant noodles on his couch and watching the news (after you have both done a murder oops) is perfect.

Threaded the needle on showing how weird it is to have an imago and how weird it is not to have an imago when you're expecting one neatly. Also reminds me that the handling of the less-glittering towns on the periphery of The City was great.

I gotta read more space opera it's such a good genre. Or just political thriller I guess? I like political thrillers fine but the advantage of sci-fi is that you get the fanciful exoticism without the occasional spectacular racism of such things done in the modern day.

Actually this reminds me I should read Baru Cormorant. There's a few old web space operas that I remember reading too.

[riseandfallofsecunit]

Everyone should read “A Memory Called Empire”

[lakecountylibrary]

HAPPY PRIDE and may I say, I am so happy you're here reading this 💖

Welcome to my yearly 5 Fav LGBTQ+ Reads post, where I tell you about the top 5 books with queer characters that I've read in the past 12 months. These aren't necessarily recently published, they're just what I personally liked and happened to read - and maybe you'll like them too.

It's been such a delight to see the number of books I have to choose from grow and grow since I first started writing these posts in 2017. It's now difficult to pick just 5! But I did it. For you. Here we go:

Legends & Lattes/Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree (lesbian rep)

Cozy fantasy that lives up to the hype. Curl up under a blanket with a comforting beverage and read about the retired orc adventurer who finds her people through the power of coffee and baked goods.

Swordheart by @tkingfisher (nonbinary rep)

One woman (in her 30s!!! Not A Teen!) fights for her inheritance and her life with the help of a possessed sword and a nonbinary lawyer. Takes place in the same world as Kingfisher's Clocktaur War, but you don't have to read that first. Swordheart leans more toward the cozy side of fantasy. (There's, you know, some murders. But the stakes are lower than the fate-of-nations plot of Clocktaur.)

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White (gay, trans rep)

Hard left out of cozy fantasy and straight (lol jk) into horror! Hell Followed With Us pulls no punches. It takes place in the aftermath of a viral apocalypse caused by a fanatical religious group. It follows trans boy Benji, the cult's escaped chosen one who has found shelter with a group of queer teens. Content warnings for body horror, religious trauma, transphobia, gore, and misogyny.

Camp Damascus by @drchucktingle (gay, lesbian rep)

Another horror entry, this one about a conversion camp survivor in Montana. Rose grew up in the shadow of Camp Damascus and knows that their success rate is considered near-miraculous. However, when Rose starts asking questions about a few things in her life that don't add up, she discovers "miraculous" isn't quite the right word. Content warnings for gaslighting, indoctrination, emotional manipulation, child abuse, brainwashing, and body horror.

A Memory Called Empire/A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (bi, lesbian rep)

Sci-fi with excellent worldbuilding. Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador from a tiny mining station, tasked with keeping her station independent from the massive Teixcalaanli Empire. She must fully immerse herself in Teixcalaanli culture while still keeping her own culture's secrets - the discovery of which could mean immediate annihilation. Read this one if you prefer character-driven narratives over plot-driven.

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And that's this year's list! Check out my posts from previous years if you're looking for even more: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Happy Pride, and happy reading!

See more of Robin's recs

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries below:

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (Teixcalaan series)

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.

Science fiction, politics, mystery, political thriller, series, adult

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (The Greenhollow duology)

There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.

When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past—both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.

Fantasy, romance, folklore, novella, series, adult

[i-m-b-l-u-e]

[alex-van-gore]

I’ve been doing the draw-everything-June challenge (where you use a pose reference every day, and, no I’m not on time at all). Two of those turned into Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass! Slapped some colour on them for the vibes. Mahit is in her angular white intimidation outfit, and Three Seagrass is encountering a kauraanian Kitten.

[tallysgreatestfan-art]

A Memory Called Empire lineup

Trying to design all these different outfits and character looks was so fun. Spent so much time on this

[darthavocado]

mahit’s dream lol (this part in p2 “if they met at a oration contest AU”)

[theinquisitxor]

August 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I can't believe we're at the end of August already, it feels like I was just writing the July wrap up. Despite that, August was a very good reading month, and was a good recovery for me from how difficult July was. I read six books, and I was able to read some books that have been on my tbr for 4+ years. Overall, I didn't read a large quantity of books, but I read some very good quality books!

1 & 2. Chrestomanci Chronicles volume 1 by Diana Wynne Jones: Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant. 4/5 stars. In my quest to read more DWJ, I finally picked up this series since having it on my tbr since at least 2019. I read both of books on audio, and I plan to continue the series this way. I thought these were both fun children's fantasy stories, and they felt like DWJ books :)

3.Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters 1) by Juliet Marillier, 5/5 stars. This is another series that has been on my tbr since 2019 I believe. I've been so overdue to read this, and I really loved this. The writing was superb, and I loved the setting of Sevenwaters, and all the characters. This felt like such a well crafted and excellent book.

4.Paladin's Grace (Saint of Steel series) by T Kingfisher, 5/5 stars. I devoured this book in about 24 hours, and I loved this fantasy romance murder mystery. T Kingfisher is a favorite author, and this was all parts romance, mystery, politics, angst, as you can get. I feel like I'm addicted to these books and I can't wait to read the next ones!

6.A Memory Called Empire (Texicalaan 1) by Arkady Martine, 5/5 stars. This is a space opera that has been on my tbr since 2020, and I've been daunted by this book for years. It was a little daunting at first, but once I had a grasp of the world and culture, I really enjoyed this book. The second half was phenomenal and this checked a lot of boxes of things I like.

6. Living Resistance : An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness in Every Day by Kaitlin B Curtice. This was my nonfication for the month, and while I've been looking for something to fill the void that Braiding Sweetgrass left me in, this was enjoyable, but not quite the same. It has a good message and was a good read for this this month.

Overall, I'm happy with this month, and I read some new favorites!

September tbr (in no particular order):

Son of Shadows (Sevenwaters 2) by Juliet Marillier

Paladin's Strength (and maybe Paladin's Hope) by T Kingfisher

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie (I want to at least give this a try)

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs