A review by biblio_creep
Translation State by Ann Leckie

5.0

Book Review | TRANSLATION STATE by ANN LECKIE 
 
5/5 ⭐’s | PUB DATE: 6 June 2023 
 
Read if you're looking for: 
  • A sci-fi novel with super inventive ideas
  • A very unusual love story
  • Political intrigue & human diplomacy with multiple alien species
  • A single consciousness contained in multiple bodies
  • Relatable & interesting characters
  • A stand-alone story set in the universe of the Imperial Radch series

This was another great sci-fi novel with really inventive and original ideas. The story follows 3 POV’s: Qven, Enae, and Reet. Qven is in training to be a Presger translator, which is a genetic combination of Presger aliens and humans, who can communicate between them. These translators appear human, but can match with another translator and merge their consciousness to exist in two bodies. Reet is a Presger translator, but doesn’t know it, as he was adopted by humans as a baby. And, Enae is a human tasked with finding a missing translator (Reet). The Presger translators may appear human, but are feared as they don’t follow human norms and their behavior can sometimes by violent, or even cannibalistic. They spend their time in training learning how to appropriately interact with humans. As the story unfolds, these three storylines collide, with a ton of political intrigue coming into the picture, and we end up in a multi-dimensional disaster that our main characters must figure out how to solve.
 
Overall, I really loved this book, and really appreciated the diverse gender representation, as many characters used non-binary pronouns. There was also representation of polyamory and pansexuality. The characters were interesting and engaging, and the aliens were different enough from humans to feel really alien. The world building and political intrigue was very well done, and there were also many colorful side characters that added to the story. There are some traumatic events in the story, so check the content warnings before reading. Also, there is a miscommunication trope going on between two of the main characters, which is a trope that I do not enjoy. But, the rest of the story was so interesting, that I could overlook that. I recommend this book for lovers of political intrigue and interesting and bizarre aliens, and for readers of the work of other modern sci-fi writers such as Arkady Martine and Kameron Hurley. 

QUOTES: 
- “You know, your genes aren't your destiny. You in particular. You have what you have, whatever you were born with, but you get to decide what to do with that. There's nobody telling you what those genes mean, what they're supposed to make you.” 
- “When you have decided what you want, remember that what one will not acknowledge is what one cannot properly control.” 
- “I am not a potato.” 
 
CW: Body horror, Cannibalism, Violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Xenophobia