Second part to the novel A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
Read: Jan 2025
I think part of why I like these two books so much is because they are different. Different to anything else I’ve read before. The writing is complex, slightly foreign and sometimes twisted within itself, so that I’m not always 100% sure what’s going on; ever so slightly over my head sometimes. And I love that! It feels like I’m challenging myself a little bit by making sense of the story and chaining the half-sentences together that are broken up by thoughts, references, and interjections by implanted imago technology, and I come out the other end with the sense that I’ve experienced something more than just reading a sci-fi novel. It’s so well written!
A long time ago Tarat’s voice might have been silky, but all the weft had worn away, and the warp of the sound was harsh.
Anyway, the story is also great, even better than in the first part. This time it’s more set in space, the stakes are higher, there is more tension. The main characters are the same, which is nice, and their relationships get developed. One part of the story is told through the eyes of the 11-year-old heir to the throne of Teixcalaan, which is a clever way of allowing the narrator to be a bit naive and either getting stuff explained by adults or chewing it through in the mind of a - very clever - child. It’s got weird, sinister aliens, a conspiracy/intrigue, a civilzation-wide threat, fungi, xenobiology and linguistics. Arkady Martine writes in this very visceral way that makes you feel the oppressive heat of Peloa-2, makes you feel your head vibrate with nausea when listening to the alien sounds.
It reminded me, in the best way, of Star Trek TNG episodes, when all they do in the whole hour is discuss with some crystal entity if they can pass or if it’s going to destroy the ship, while at the same time trying to not upset some alien ambassador who is visiting on the ship. That, mixed with a bit of Arrival-like trying-to-find-common-communication. I like that the book has a quite contained timeline, and doesn’t try to rush through the story and try to pack too much in.
Would definitely recommend this to sci-fi lovers with a very good grasp of English (otherwise I think the confusing language could become too tedious).