Mahit is deputed as ambassador from the tiny Lsel Station to the mighty Teixcalaanli Empire when her predecessor, Yskandr, dies in mysterious circumstances. More curious still is the fact that Lsel Station possesses a secret and unique technology: the imago machine. Imago is essentially a bio-chip that carries the endocrine memory of a person, and can be embedded and integrated into the brain of another person. (Phew, hope I got the description right!)
The trouble just keeps on piling up from there. Mahit finds that Yskandr’s imago in her brain has been sabotaged! Also, it seems imago technology isn’t so hush-hush after all — and several people are fighting over it… And the city where Mahit has been posted is an AI hive-mind which is malfunctioning… Oh, and there are new monstrous aliens at the gate…
What I liked about the book
Martine has created a unique world here, with undertones of Central Asian, Byzantium and Aztec influences. There’s a complicated nomenclature system and elaborate cultural norms of the ruling kingdom. Mahit greatly admires the erudition of the Empire, and has studied their literature, poetry and art forms for years. We see it all through the eyes of Mahit and there’s so much affection and respect there.
At the same time, Mahit is a diplomat from another country. So we also feel that initial displacement, the feeling of not belonging as a true citizen but only as a misfit subject of an annexed kingdom. Martine captures all of that really well.
What I didn’t like so much
To be honest, I never quite warmed up to the whole bio-memory chip embedding. It works a lot like tissue re-engineering and seemed very intrusive and mind-control-ish. I didn’t quite buy into the patriotic justification given for the process. Mahit has very fixed notions about how imago should work. I feel she’s going to discover some unsavory truths about it in the next books.
I also found the events increasingly implausible. Geopolitics is never an easy game, and here, inexperienced Mahit seemed to handle it with too much ease. She even makes friends with potential enemies far too easily, in my view. I struggled at least till Chapter 5 to just simply believe in the wild chain of events. After that, the pace and the intrigue did pick up satisfyingly.
Overall
A Memory Called Empire is a solid good read, but it may require suspension of disbelief at times. You can read it as a standalone. But there are so many pending plotlines that it may feel incomplete without the sequels.
12 replies on “A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine”
Wow there’s a lot going on in this one! Did it read fast for you, or a bit slow?
The first 25% was very slow, but after that it zipped along really fast. The first book is really a trailer of all disasters yet to come.
Thank you for your review! I’ve never felt drawn to reading this book, and you highlight some things that just confirm that decision for me. If you read the sequel, I hope you enjoy the resolution to those pending plotlines!
Yes, I am hoping the next book ties-up a few more loose ends and ups the ante, so to speak.
I’m with Nicole – for some reason this one has never really appealed to me which is odd because I’ve read quite a few positive reviews.
Glad you enjoyed it with some slight reservations.
Lynn 😀
I don’t read much scifi, so possibly I’ve missed out on a few important cues here. Overall, thought it was a decent book but not as powerful as I’d hoped. Maybe the sequels will correct that impression *cross fingers*
I’m kind of unsure about this one. On the one hand I have anted to try this author a little, but on the other- I don’t know, I have some reservations and your thoughts sorta reinforce those. I’ll have to keep debating this one I guess haha! Good to know more about this though! The cultural influences have me kinda intrigued…
Well, the author has clearly put a lot of thought into world- and culture-building. Just that, there were so many dangerous situations, yet the MC overcame them through the actions of *other* people around her… Seemed a bit too easy in my eyes? I guess I’ll have to read the sequels to see how it pans out in the end.
That’s a pretty cool cover and the premise is actually kind of interesting too. Too bad it took you a while to get into it but hopefully the next read will tie up some of those pending questions.
That’s what I’m hoping too… but perhaps I’ll wait for all the books in the trilogy to be out, before I dig into it.
Sounds very tempting, though these days I hesitate in launching into a very long book from an author I have never read before. Stupid, I know, especially when recommended by you!
Completely understand the wariness of starting longer books from unknown authors. My own choice was simply based on the fact that this one won the Hugo. I *am* trying to read more scifi, can’t say it’s going very well…