ish-i-ness reviewed A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
A Memory Called Empire is a 2019 science fiction novel, the debut novel by Arkady …
Review of 'A Memory Called Empire' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Rounding up to five stars because
1) the ending was way better than I expected
2) poetry used several times for political purpose
3) amazing discussion of the way language and culture, even imported culture, influence our personalities
4) in depth analysis of the complications of translating verb tense, idioms, and literary allusions between two very different cultures
5) unexpected exploration of the nervous and endocrine systems’ impact on personality and identity (yes really)
6)sneaky romance elements I didn’t see coming and, despite my general distaste for such, didn’t annoy me
7) I could keep listening stuff but that seems sufficient
I see some weaknesses here and there but with how elegantly all these elements come together and play important roles in a plot that delivers several exciting moments, I feel obligated to rate it highly. I’ve really gotta get to the second one because there’s a few other things I didn’t mention that I definitely want to see explored.