Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch, #3) in The Alternative Worlds

Dec 26, 2014 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sf

The first book was brilliant, the second a delightful change of pace. How many authors have the confidence to tell a story in a sequel that diverges so drastically from its predecessor? I loved the first, loved the second for being its own thing. And this third book? Not only do the translator and Sphene provide unexpected and excellent comic relief, but it weaves the events of the first and second books into a completely satisfying conclusion.

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Oct 31, 2015 Nicky rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, queer

For a while, I wasn鈥檛 sure how this book would or could wrap everything up, given the scale of the struggle that we began to see in Ancillary Justice. But I think, in the end, that comes down to the fact that the story isn鈥檛 actually about that struggle; this isn鈥檛 a never-ending epic struggle, it鈥檚 about one person 鈥� one fragment of a person, even, slowly becoming a person. It鈥檚 about Justice of Toren, and Breq, and then also about the people she interacts with: Seivarden, Ekalu, Ship, Station, For a while, I wasn鈥檛 sure how this book would or could wrap everything up, given the scale of the struggle that we began to see in Ancillary Justice. But I think, in the end, that comes down to the fact that the story isn鈥檛 actually about that struggle; this isn鈥檛 a never-ending epic struggle, it鈥檚 about one person 鈥� one fragment of a person, even, slowly becoming a person. It鈥檚 about Justice of Toren, and Breq, and then also about the people she interacts with: Seivarden, Ekalu, Ship, Station, Sphene鈥� It鈥檚 about people and tangled loyalties and learning.

This makes the small stuff 鈥� the tea, the bureaucracy, Tisarwat鈥檚 purple eyes, Medic鈥檚 attempts to help Seivarden 鈥� all-important. So it鈥檚 great to see the bit where Seivarden and Breq negotiate mutual comfort; great to see the part where Seivarden struggles to apologise to Ekalu 鈥� and then later manages to really apologise to Ekalu. This passage was just so important, because it鈥檚 such a sign of how far Seivarden鈥檚 come, and such an important thing for people to realise:

鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking about it, and I still don鈥檛 understand exactly why what I said hurt you so much. But I don鈥檛 need to. It hurt you, and when you told me it hurt you, I should have apologised and stopped saying whatever it was. And maybe spent some time trying to understand. Instead of insisting that you manage your feelings to suit me. And I want to say I鈥檓 sorry. And I actually mean it this time.鈥�
Now that鈥檚 the way to apologise, sincerely, even when you still don鈥檛 understand.

Also, this book does include glimpses of the wider world, beyond the Radch 鈥� mentions of the aliens, the presence of another Presger translator, etc. If you鈥檙e in this to see Anaander Miaanai go down, then I think you鈥檒l be disappointed with the way the trilogy ends; if you鈥檙e in this for Breq and Seivarden and the people gathering around them, then this is an excellent ending.

Well, not an ending, but a good place to stop. You know that Breq will carry on, Seivarden will carry on, and they will still struggle and Anaander will still scheme and Tisarwat has a long way to go. But, 鈥淚n the end, it鈥檚 only ever been one step, and then the next.鈥�

...more

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Dec 06, 2015 Kara Babcock rated it really liked it

Shelves: artificial-intelligence, posthuman, space-opera, science-fiction, from-library, 2015-read

It feels like just yesterday that Ann Leckie took the science fiction scene by storm with Ancillary Justice. I enjoyed her debut novel for what it was鈥攁 ripping good story set in a universe with just enough originality to make it fun and familiarity to make it conceivable. Now, suddenly, here we are at the conclusion of the trilogy with Ancillary Mercy. I'm all a-tingle!

Breq has come a long way since she was just an ancillary of Justice of Toren. Now an independent entity in her own mind, she st ...more

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Jun 26, 2015 Wealhtheow rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, queer-characters, pocmaincharacters

Years ago Breq was a military ship's AI, the watchful master of hundreds of bodies and systems. Now she controls just one body--but she controls it utterly. There are no secret access codes, no programming, that can force her to do anything. Freed, Breq first pursued vengeance, then realized that the rot within the Radch empire went far deeper than she'd ever suspected.

As the civil war within the Radchaii disrupts more and more solar systems, Breq devotes herself to protecting the Athoek system ...more

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Jul 15, 2017 Nicky rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

If there鈥檚 a place that this trilogy disappoints me a little, it is with this book. There鈥檚 plenty of action and character development, and if it were the middle book I鈥檇 probably be perfectly happy. But it isn鈥檛; this is the end, and it鈥檚 unsatisfying in the sense that we have no idea how things will turn out. It makes sense as a decision, when you see it in the context of the second book in particular 鈥� this is really about Breq and her relationships with those around her, and less about the R ...more

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Oct 27, 2015 Nils rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, weltenfluestern

Der schw盲chste Roman der Reihe, der sich wieder auf das Athoek-System konzentriert. Es scheint fast, als w盲ren Leckie nach dem ersten Teil die Ideen ausgegangen, sodass Teil zwei und drei dagegen abstinken.

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