What I thought of it?Īnd it’s not JUST a political thriller. If you’re not willing look up or accept not understanding some technical poetry-analysis words, some neuroscience terms, and some linguistic terms then that might be a turn off.īasically, people that don’t like this book seem to have a pretty narrow view of science fiction, in my opinion. I suppose I should also say that the novel gets intellectual in parts. Others didn’t like that the most interesting scifi element is mostly background.

I guess some people on goodreads didn’t like the author’s prose style. The plot runs like a greyhound and there is the interesting twist of the galactic empire being based on the Aztecs. Other than that, it’s beautifully written, with engaging and relatable characters. It is a political thriller, so if that’s not your thing, then this isn’t your thing.

This is usually the part where I tell you what’s imperfect and annoying, but I find no flaws in A Memory Called Empire. Although there IS a pronunciation guide in the back. I guess if you don’t like political thrillers or if you’d be annoyed by difficult to pronounce Aztec words scattered throughout, then this is going to be a rough read. I’ve been trying to think what to compare it to, but I don’t read many political thrillers so the best I got is that it’s like if there was a dramatization of the Cuban missile crisis that was focused solely on an ambassador from Cuba, but Cuba is a fiercely independent space station and the United States is the Aztec Empire and the Soviet Union is an alien menace. Also there’s all kinds of nuanced imaginings of what it’s like to adapt to a culture other than your own. It’s this fish out of water story with a dash of murder mystery. So you know how there’s all kinds of science fiction with galactic empires that are just a rehash of Rome, or the British Empire, or the Third Reich? So check this out, it’s a political thriller set against the backdrop of a galactic empire inspired by the Aztecs. “Fantastic! Reporting your death to the Emperor would be incredibly embarrassing and possibly end my career and also I think I’d be upset…” A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine Who’s going to love this book? There was blood in her mouth now, despite Three Seagrass’s efforts to smear it away.

A memory called empire plot