Reviews with content warning for Gore - Translation State

Listen. You can plop me down anywhere in or around Radch space and I'm going to have a good time. Ann Leckie imagines a sci fi future that's unlike anything else I'm reading currently. On audio this is paired with Adjoa Andoh's evocative narration, who honestly manages a vast array of wild accents. (Welsh-adjacent seems to be the go-to?) It's so enjoyable - I'll read anything Leckie writes.

This book felt structured similarly to Provenance but seemed to avoid whatever pitfall made the "unlikely protagonist gets out of sticky situation" section in Provenance drag for me. I also appreciated the nods to Provenance and made me hope those unlikely protagonists were doing well. I don't consider myself a political intrigue girlie, but whatever Leckie's doing works for me, so kudos to her. More please!

PS I do wish

we got to find out more about Reet's ~progenitor~. Sequel?

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batesbarb's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I deeply love Leckie's Radch books, and this one is a great addition to the universe. It provides a glimpse into the internal workings of the society that has formed the boogeyman threat that unites much of humanity in the other books, while also expanding our understanding of some of the human and non-human societies that we've seen the periphery of the other stories. Some of the POV characters are easier to relate to than others at first, but by the end I was fully invested in all of them. It also has the sly humor that I've come to expect in her books.

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woweewhoa's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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anna_hepworth's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved it. Leckie does such fascinating things with aliens, identity, biology, family, and gender. Also complicated things with pronouns, which are sometimes the only indication that the language has changed/changed register.

There are some convoluted viewpoint shifts, although they were interwoven skillfully, and the early stages were sufficiently discrete that by the time the plot got twisty, I had each of the viewpoint characters as separate in my head. Some of the worst of the twisty plot was dealt with by sections happening off page, and that was good for keeping the plot moving without unnecessarily complicated scenes. In particular, the multiple viewpoint characters was important for this.

All of Leckie's books that I've read do amazing things with world-building, while also presenting a range of complex and nuanced characters, with plots that build in a satisfying manner. And all of this done with beautiful prose.

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btrz7's review against another edition

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adventurous dark

3.0

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bkwrm1317's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Leckie does it again (zero surprises there).

Another installment in the Radch universe that has kept SF fans happy for the last number of years, Translation State brings the reader together with three seemingly incredibly disparate characters: Enae, Qven, and Reet.

Qven, sweet but complicated and mildly terrifying Qven, created to become a Presger Translator, and whose future is forever changed by the behavior of one of their peers from another clade.

Reet, adopted by loving parents, and without direction in life nor knowledge of where they come from gets some answers they were seeking, but he's unsure he likes the answers.

And Enae, thrust into the world of diplomacy after the death of hir grandmaman, and on the hunt for a fugitive who disappeared two centuries previous.

Across the stars, and the course of this novel, the reader becomes enmeshed in their lives, and gets to see how and why they intersect. Some of our previous friends show up as well, in the form of other species and people with their own interests in the future of the Treaty as a Conclave approaches. This novel asks us what is family? How do we determine and define where we belong? Are we our genes or are we something greater if we choose? How do we fight back against those who would push us towards decisions that serve only themselves, and not us?

As usual, Leckie had me turning pages late into the night, through the afternoon, and devouring another Imperial Radch universe novel in this gripping and delightful standalone.

CWs in no particular order but from most to least severe: gore, colonization, emotional manipulation/abuse, death, dismemberment, cannibalism, blood.

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prijks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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caryndi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I'm always excited for new Ann Leckie, and Translation State did not disappoint! This book used a background of interpersonal and family drama to tackle questions about the politics of personhood and belonging. I was fascinated by the glimpses we got into the Presger translators (and the subsequent sort-of look at the Presger themselves) and now want more books going into more detail regarding that society.
On the one hand, there was rather more vivisection than I was expecting. On the other, I'm more likely to not care about romance subplots than to get into them, but Leckie wrote one I came to adore. And, like any book in this universe, it was fun to see the mentions of characters we'd come to know and love in previous installments, even if they were only side players to the main plot.
If you're a fan of Ann Leckie's existing work in the Imperial Radch extended universe, definitely read this book. If you're not familiar, I think Provenance is still my recommended starting point for the universe.

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