A review by antonism
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
4.0
4 / 5
Ancillary Mercy is the final part of the Imperial Radch Trilogy. It concludes what is a really amazing, entertaining and at some points innovative trilogy by Ann Leckie. I enjoyed this book a lot though maybe not as much as the previous two. This book is all about resolutions, decisions and interpersonal relationships but with a twist! You see those are not necessarily among humans but also among AI as these entities play a major part in the novel and are in a way its major characters. I really really liked how Leckie handled the characterization of the AIs and the ways they perceived and reacted to various events. They grew on me immensely, even more than their human counterparts which I believe is exactly what Leckie intended for this conclusion. I really like how all 3 books are so different in perspective from each other and still complement each other so perfectly.
For negatives, I would have to mention 3 things. One is the rather uneven pacing, which is usually on the slow side, maybe a bit too slower that I would have liked. Sometimes, half a page is wasted on needless descriptions as that of a tea-set or something of the like. Another thing that really stood off in a bad way was a rather failed attempt at humor throughout the book, mainly through the actions of that visiting "alien" character (I won't say more to avoid possible spoilers). This character does not get that much time on "screen" (or rather page!) but half of the time he's on, he behaves rather comically; a thing which I found very off-tone and not really matching the impending and tense atmosphere of the book. Lastly, if you don't remember what happened in book 2 then you'll find yourselves a bit lost at the first quarter of Ancillary Mercy. I was expecting some type of catch-up but unfortunately Leckie is not forgiving and didn't help me much there. Oh and also, that last chapter felt a bit stupid and redundant.
Despite those minor hiccups however, this is a good conclusion of an amazing and innovative SF trilogy that is certainly worth your time! Highly recommended!
4 / 5
Ancillary Mercy is the final part of the Imperial Radch Trilogy. It concludes what is a really amazing, entertaining and at some points innovative trilogy by Ann Leckie. I enjoyed this book a lot though maybe not as much as the previous two. This book is all about resolutions, decisions and interpersonal relationships but with a twist! You see those are not necessarily among humans but also among AI as these entities play a major part in the novel and are in a way its major characters. I really really liked how Leckie handled the characterization of the AIs and the ways they perceived and reacted to various events. They grew on me immensely, even more than their human counterparts which I believe is exactly what Leckie intended for this conclusion. I really like how all 3 books are so different in perspective from each other and still complement each other so perfectly.
For negatives, I would have to mention 3 things. One is the rather uneven pacing, which is usually on the slow side, maybe a bit too slower that I would have liked. Sometimes, half a page is wasted on needless descriptions as that of a tea-set or something of the like. Another thing that really stood off in a bad way was a rather failed attempt at humor throughout the book, mainly through the actions of that visiting "alien" character (I won't say more to avoid possible spoilers). This character does not get that much time on "screen" (or rather page!) but half of the time he's on, he behaves rather comically; a thing which I found very off-tone and not really matching the impending and tense atmosphere of the book. Lastly, if you don't remember what happened in book 2 then you'll find yourselves a bit lost at the first quarter of Ancillary Mercy. I was expecting some type of catch-up but unfortunately Leckie is not forgiving and didn't help me much there. Oh and also, that last chapter felt a bit stupid and redundant.
Despite those minor hiccups however, this is a good conclusion of an amazing and innovative SF trilogy that is certainly worth your time! Highly recommended!
4 / 5