A review by heelturn2
Translation State by Ann Leckie

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.5

Hmm I love… Maybe not strong if you haven’t read the Ancillary books but I have read them so I don’t really care! Lots of interesting world bits in this one - interesting to learn a bit about the Presger translators and satisfyingly clears up some very confusing aspects of translator characters in past books without giving so much detail that the Presger lose all mystery and creepiness. Does its sentimental bits very effectively. Love all these characters and ngl the fact that multiple characters use the same set of neopronouns (in fact multiple characters use the same TWO different sets of pronouns!!) DID make me cry. I don’t think I’ve read many things at all where multiple characters even use they/them pronouns and I’m not a ✨representation✨ Guy but this did actually feel meaningful to me!! Also love human characters attempting to explain gender (& basically going “uhh. I don’t know. Sorry”) and also characters trying a new gender on simply because they saw a cool TV character and thought that it would be awesome to be like em. that is actually exactly how gender works. The distinction between cultures with a third gender and cultures with no genders… yes… and the way everyone’s cultural norms and language intersect and overlap and people attempt to gender/misgender each other culturally, rather than maliciously? (But then it becomes sort of neglectful malice when characters don’t bother to figure it out properly - so good lol!) It’s all a vessel for compelling world building that visibly affects the characters’ lives and outlooks!!! Wow!!! idk this space opera world continues to really do it for me. 👨🏻‍🍳👌 a more successful step outside of the Ancillary books than Provenance was, too, imo. Seems to be setting the stage for a return to Breq & co. in the nearish future (or at least a story in which they are present as characters, if not the focus?) which is very exciting to me. I love… sciance fiction……..