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allison_reader's review against another edition
4.0
Book club book plus I wanted to read it anyway. Yes, the whole naming & pronoun system is a little hard to grasp but I just decided to not fight it. It made reading much better and eventually I just got it. I’m a big Star Trek fan and the style was very Star Trek-esque: less action, more thought, more emphasis on detail, contemplation of ethics. The ancillary Justice of Toren One Esk 19 (aka Breq) is not human but not machine, an A.I. Intelligence that has no memory of who it was when human yet has echos of its humanity: singing, empathy, love, desire, despair, but it is not an emotional being. It does what it is told but it also knows when those commands are wrong. There were some nit-picky issues (I mean, I love tea but it’s not the ONLY thing I drink), wasn’t too sure about Seivarden- was that character even necessary? He slept most of the book. Overall I enjoyed it but wasn’t overly excited to find out what was going to happen. I would like to read the next two in the trilogy but am not waiting with baited breath.
mkl_dvd's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
hjswinford's review against another edition
4.0
2023 reread: I enjoyed not having to struggle my way through orienting in this world this time around. It was nice to just enjoy the complexities of the worldbuilding and character. This time, I'll be continuing onto book 2!
2021 read: My brain is flooded to overflowing with thoughts, but they feel difficult to grasp after closing this book. I'm not sure that this book made a statement about anything so much as presented some complex ideas and said, "Here, reader: consider the existence of the self. What does 'I' mean?" The narrator believes that they are mostly dead...however they are viewed as "human" by even those who come to discover their identity because even in a society with "corpse soldiers" who have no thought or feeling (wink wink), anyone can be a *person* who shows humanity in their actions. The book was fascinating, but difficult to really get immersed in at first because the POV was so dang confusing. It was unique and in retrospect, I totally understand what's going on, but it was difficult to get into at first with no ability to get oriented. I did really like the development of the plot, though, and found the end very exciting. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
2021 read: My brain is flooded to overflowing with thoughts, but they feel difficult to grasp after closing this book. I'm not sure that this book made a statement about anything so much as presented some complex ideas and said, "Here, reader: consider the existence of the self. What does 'I' mean?" The narrator believes that they are mostly dead...however they are viewed as "human" by even those who come to discover their identity because even in a society with "corpse soldiers" who have no thought or feeling (wink wink), anyone can be a *person* who shows humanity in their actions. The book was fascinating, but difficult to really get immersed in at first because the POV was so dang confusing. It was unique and in retrospect, I totally understand what's going on, but it was difficult to get into at first with no ability to get oriented. I did really like the development of the plot, though, and found the end very exciting. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
bugsbunny495'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
4.5
smalefowles's review against another edition
challenging
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Is One Esk just a more complex Murderbot? Perhaps not precisely, but I'm definitely here for it.
jenamanda1228's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.25
sonjaha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
georgethom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mauricekofi's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Slavery, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism