Ancillary Mercy

by Ann Leckie

eBook

English language

Published Oct. 11, 2015 by Orbit.

ISBN:: 978-0-316-24667-5

(155 reviews)

For a moment, things seemed to be under control for Breq, the soldier who used to be a warship. Then a search of Atheok Station's slums turns up someone who shouldn't exist, and a messenger from the mysterious Presger empire arrives, as does Breq's enemy, the divided and quite possibly insane Anaander Mianaai - ruler of an empire at war with itself.

Breq refuses to flee with her ship and crew, because that would leave the people of Athoek in terrible danger. The odds aren't good, but that's never stopped her before.

7 editions

Daniel Darabos reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)

Review of 'Ancillary Mercy' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I loved [b:Ancillary Justice|17333324|Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)|Ann Leckie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg|24064628]. I was disappointed by [b:Ancillary Sword|20706284|Ancillary Sword (Imperial Radch, #2)|Ann Leckie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413464739s/20706284.jpg|40026175] and [b:Ancillary Mercy|23533039|Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch, #3)|Ann Leckie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424479056s/23533039.jpg|43134689]. From the reviews I've seen a lot of people feel the same way. I should have read them before deciding to read the books. But Ancillary Justice was so good!

Why was it good? The first half is just introducing you to a brand new viewpoint, a new universe, more than one new cultures, interesting characters. You can really only do this in the first book, but the second and third books don't even try. The first book hinted at a lot of untold stories, like what the Presger are, what the Radch is like, what caused the split in Anaander Mianaai, what's this Itran Tetrarchy, etc. Do we get any more hints at untold stories? No. Are any of these untold stories explored? No.

The masterful non-linear storytelling, the original viewpoint of a ship AI? Just repeating this would fall flat, since it would no longer be as fresh. So it is mostly dropped. Replaced by nothing interesting.

The first book had a grandiose arc: starting with a woman in the snow of a backwater planet (and a lieutenant on another backwater colony) the story sees us arrive at assassinating the immortal ruler of humanity and breaking her empire apart. How do you top that? Maybe get out into the galaxy, figure out the intentions of the omnipotent aliens? Build a new empire on top of the ruins? Find a dark secret that changes everything? No. We're off to a backwater space station, doing nothing of consequence.

But what I really loved about the first book was none of the above. It was how you had to piece a lot of things together from subtle clues in the conversations that were mostly interesting in their own right. This is a really subjective thing, and it already failed to entertain some of the readers of the first book. But it really worked for me. In the second and third books I found the dialog not interesting on its own, and also there are very few subtle clues. It's no longer like a spy's game where you drink tea while pointing guns at each other under the table.

Calling the third book a "stunning conclusion" is a lie. The character of Seivarden was introduced under very unlikely circumstances in the first book, and he had very little role in the story. But just a few pages after the most unlikely meeting we're told that "nothing happens by chance". So I thought I was guaranteed an explanation for at least this character if nothing else. But even he is not explained.

Still books two and three got a lot of positive reviews, and I read them until I started to understand what is going on here. They are all about the characters. It's like Gilmore Girls or Downton Abbey. You have to like the characters enough to enjoy stories about them no matter what those stories are like. This is very surprising to me, given that the characters don't even have names or genders. But I suppose this makes it more interesting in some ways.

I liked the character of Breq well enough in the first book. But I think I mostly liked that she was kicking ass. She figured everything out and accomplished what she wanted against all odds. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say I was let down on this front as well. I can understand that it would be boring for her to just be awesome all the time and win at everything, but I think I would have enjoyed it nevertheless.

I still don't understand how the second and third books could be so different after the first. The most likely explanation is that they are not that different, and all the things I loved about the first book were a misunderstanding on my part and they were not intended to be the focus. Well, I still love it anyway.

loppear reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)

Review of 'Ancillary Mercy' on Goodreads

4 stars

Good continuation and growth of the identity-exploring space adventure series.

Yashima reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)

Review of 'Ancillary Mercy' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is the third - and final? - installment of this utterly fascinating space-opera trilogy. When I read [b: Ancillary Justice|17333324|Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)|Ann Leckie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg|24064628] I was still new to the world and the characters, and the pronouns tended to confuse me. By the second and this third book I had no more of those troubles and could concentrate on the beautiful story, fascinating technology and the characters.

Despite what some people may say, the use of only female pronouns - at least while people talk in the language of the Radch - does not dominate this series. It's just one of the myriad choices Leckie made when creating the Radch culture around which this plot revolves. Much more fascinating to me is the concept of the ancillaries and how Anander Minaai is fighting with herself. The way AIs can see into people is scary, and how Breq uses this for quite some time in conjunction with both Ship and Station. In Mercy "Station" really comes into its own as a character.

If you enjoyed the first two, you are going to like this one. It's a quick read, and a beautiful return to the Radch. But why no 4 stars ... a minor spoiler: The ending is kind of sudden. One moment the fight goes on, then everything resolves into shiny happiness, at least for the local system, and they live happily ever after. But of course the war is not over ... it tastes wrong as if the author wanted it to be done and over with. But up to those last pages it's a very enjoyable story.

Lord of Candy reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)

Review of 'Ancillary Mercy' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I have mixed feelings about the resolution. The psychological breaks, recovery, and climax. It was good but maybe I was tiring of everyone's melodrama. It was needed I suppose.

This was a neat series and I did enjoy it. I would have liked a little more pacing, a little less tea but otherwise it holds a unique place in all of the sci-fi I've ever read.

Old_Tim reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)

Review of 'Ancillary Mercy' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

So I can't give this six or seven stars? Oh well...

This is the best book I've read this year, and I feel like I've read some really good ones.

Not only did she stick the landing, but this may be the best of the series.

betty reviewed Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #3)

Review of 'Ancillary Mercy' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

You know when you're not quite sure if a book was really good, or if you just really liked it? I think I liked this book more than it was good, but I really liked it.