Mar 23

Mar 23 A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1)

Author: Arkady Martine
Publisher: Tor
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident — or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion — all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret--one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life — or rescue it from annihilation.

A fascinating space opera debut novel, Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire is an interstellar mystery adventure.

TL;DR Review

A Memory Called Empire is an impressively built space opera, with complex politics, great characters, and lots to say about colonization and culture.

For you if: You like books with intricate world-building.

Full Review

“In Teixcalaan, these things are ceaseless: star-charts and disembarkments.”

It didn’t take long for me to understand why A Memory Called Empire won the Hugo Award. This book is a dazzling, towering display of how worldbuilding can meet cultural commentary. In it, a young woman named Mehit is sent from her home station, which is currently independent from the universe’s massive empire (colonizer) Teixcalaan, as ambassador. She loves her home and culture, but she loves Teixcalaan as well — its dedication to poetry and story and more. To help her in her new role, she’s inherited a form of her predecessor’s consciousness. But when she gets there, her connection is severed, and she finds herself alone and smack dab in the center of several masterfully woven plots.

This book is “soft” sci-fi, which basically means that there’s more emphasis on the fi than the sci — the science doesn't have to be totally plausible, and the emphasis is more on worldbuilding and story. (Think Hitchhiker’s Guide, or The Left Hand of Darkness.) This subgenre is often really great for fantasy readers. This one is a “space opera,” which in the fantasy world would be called epic fantasy.

This was not the fastest-paced book I’ve ever read — there was a lot of time spent on the characters puzzling through information — but it absolutely sucked me in. It’s one of the most impressive political worlds I have ever read; it was basically an action-packed political mystery in outer space, which … yeah. I also LOVED the characters (despite the fact that it’s a little hard to keep track of them at first, with Teixcalaanli names like “Three Seagrass” and “Twelve Azalea”).

I also really appreciated the moral complexity Martine is building here. The dedication says, “This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever fallen in love with a culture that was devouring their own.” Mehit loves Teixcalaan and finds friendship in the Capital. But she also notices and feels hurt by the ways they see her as “other,” no matter how close they become. And she has a fierce love for her home and her own people’s unique culture that she doesn’t want to see swallowed. In the second book/conclusion (which was just published!), I have a feeling we’re going to see her grapple with this even more, as Teixcalaan will fight to save itself from a new threat — but should her beloved Teixcalaan be saved? (I purchased it immediately.)

Bottom line: This book won’t be for everyone, but it’s absolutely a masterpiece.