Reviews with content warning for War - Ancillary Justice

Reviews tagging 'War'

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

35 reviews

edurnehaeon's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

i think there are some great ideas but i'm not a fan of the writing style or the characters. not a bad book at all but not my cup of tea

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mauricekofi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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 has absolutely blown me away. It is safe to say that this is one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time, and one of the best I've read this year (don't worry, Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy still takes top). Truly though, Leckie masterfully writes a story that exposes the fallacies inherit to law and order, war, and the assumptions of "superior" societies. From beginning to end, she lays out the contradictions obvious to everyone except the Radchaai, but contains it all within a character whose lack of humanity in the eyes of those around her make her the most human of all.

Leckie, in my opinion, is at the level of those such as Frank Herbert and N.K. Jemisin, using sci-fi to communicate elements of the human condition that we often ignore, with the implications of how they shape or societies and define our decisions. Ann Leckie deserves the accolades she has received. My only regret is that it took me so long to pick up this book, despite having heard about it years ago.

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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I have a hard time talking about this book. Some parts of it are simply stunning - the way action is tracked in first person across multiple points of view at the same time! - while I find character actions and motivations to be muddled. So much of the opening present-day section where Seivarden makes a mess of things and is a terrible person and yet Breq continues to keep them around? When even she doesn't understand why? Infuriating. But I think I care enough to keep going and see how the overall plot shakes out.

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shottel's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

What a goddamn amazing book.

Sci-fi has a mold, sets of well-worn tropes that make it comforting and familiar. Leckie is very comfortable with taking you well outside that mold. It somewhat resembles Star Wars in that it presents a world so far off, in time and space, from our own that it has morphed into something with science we simply couldn’t recognize. But while Star Wars smuggles fantasy into sci-fi, Ancillary Justice trades in exotic political systems and societies.

What happens when one person can be many people? When an AI can control numerous bodies? When time begins to become less and less meaningful with medical and technological advancements? Things definitely begin to look a little sideways.

It’s in this world full of unfamiliar, society-defining technologies that Leckie explores several big themes: What does it mean to be civilized, or to exist in civilization? What makes a person? What makes a political system legitimate? What does gender or sex mean when technologically-assisted reproduction is commonplace? Is the self a coherent unity or is it just a useful fiction? Taking on these big questions in less than 400 pages of fiction is a huge ask, one that Leckie handles mostly well; my sole critique of Ancillary Justice is that sometimes it does get a bit in-your-face about its philosophical questions. I love thoughtful fiction, but Leckie does get a little unsubtle at times.

Nevertheless, this is an absolutely genre-defining piece of fiction, innovative and engaging as it comes. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in sci-fi or philosophically-minded fiction.

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gabefish's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? No

4.5

At first a bit difficult to get into as all sci-fi books can be, lots of set up! And. A bit dry because well the main character is an AI! But, after you get settled in you notice the little details of Breq's personality, her snarkiness and pettiness. And once the twist and plot is revealed was so fun and interesting considering the world building! Very fun.

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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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jackie_marion's review

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

4.25

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benji_dw's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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? Yes

3.5

It’s alright. I expected something more gripping from a series I’d heard so much about. I can see why this book was progressive and groundbreaking a decade ago. But in 2024 it needs a better reason to read it. I don’t love the “I’m going to keep you confused about the world instead of creating narrative suspense in the plot” which is why my rating docs points. The Tixcalaan doulogy simply feels like a better version of what this book is.

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julesadventurezone's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Kept me pleasantly confused for a long time and then absolutely delivered with its explanations.

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rystonlentil43's review against another edition

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

4.0

This is like 90% politics, which was fine with me as it's building out a rich, complex world. The audiobook was read very well, including the singing :)

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