A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
[Note: I received this ARC from Tor/Forge through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
Rating: 5/5
So, I have to say: I almost didn't read this book. It's really long. It's pretty dense. I was worried I wouldn't get into it. I'm sure some of you will know the feeling--you're in a bookstore flipping through books, you read the back cover and then you check how many pages it is, and there's this realization you're holding some serious literature in your hands and yes, you're excited, but also there's this dread because it's such an investment if this book's not great and you're stuck for 400 pages of Serious Adult Political Intrigue Science Fiction, right?
And you wonder if it's worth it. At least I do. I'll admit it.
I will also tell you, if you're on that fence: A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE is 100% one of the good ones. This has it all: possible alien invasions, awkward cultural clashings, assassinated ambassadors, blatant sabotage, political intrigue, an insurrection, a possible civil war, poetry, sex, and a dying emperor. I didn't know I needed this book but I'm so thankful I got my hands on a copy.
I can't even pick one thing to start harping on. Martine wrote a friggin masterpiece over here, I tell you what. It's so detailed. It's so intricate, so complicated, so interwoven and mysterious and full of suspense, so well-paced, so well-written. It’s fantastic.
If I could write at even a fifth of this author's caliber I would consider myself successful. This is a must-read for 2019. I’m absolutely blown away.
