A Memory Called Empire: Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel
Apr 2019 · Teixcalaan Book 1 · Pan Macmillan
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About this ebook
Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel
'I absolutely loved it' – Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
In a war of lies, she seeks the truth. An epic, queer space opera, A Memory Called Empire is the astonishing debut novel from Arkady Martine.
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next.
Now Mahit must navigate the capital’s enticing yet deadly halls of power, to discover dangerous truths. And, while she hunts for the killer, Mahit must somehow prevent the rapacious Empire from annexing her home: a small, fiercely independent mining station.
As she sinks deeper into an alien culture that is all too seductive, Mahit engages in intrigues of her own. For she is hiding an extraordinary technological secret – one which might destroy her station and its way of life. Or it might save them from annihilation.
A Memory Called Empire is the first in the Teixcalaan duology. It is followed by A Desolation Called Peace.
‘Contender for debut of the year’ - SFX Magazine
Shortlisted for the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award
Shortlisted for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
Perfect for those who loved Ann Leckie's epic space opera Ancillary Justice, Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth and Iain M. Banks’s Culture novels.
'I absolutely loved it' – Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
In a war of lies, she seeks the truth. An epic, queer space opera, A Memory Called Empire is the astonishing debut novel from Arkady Martine.
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next.
Now Mahit must navigate the capital’s enticing yet deadly halls of power, to discover dangerous truths. And, while she hunts for the killer, Mahit must somehow prevent the rapacious Empire from annexing her home: a small, fiercely independent mining station.
As she sinks deeper into an alien culture that is all too seductive, Mahit engages in intrigues of her own. For she is hiding an extraordinary technological secret – one which might destroy her station and its way of life. Or it might save them from annihilation.
A Memory Called Empire is the first in the Teixcalaan duology. It is followed by A Desolation Called Peace.
‘Contender for debut of the year’ - SFX Magazine
Shortlisted for the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award
Shortlisted for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
Perfect for those who loved Ann Leckie's epic space opera Ancillary Justice, Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth and Iain M. Banks’s Culture novels.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
46 reviews
Ika Chan
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December 28, 2021
This is a gem of a book. I'd say it's a sci-fi political thriller, but that makes it sound boring instead of action packed like it is. Not only the story is riveting, it also has super rich world building, great characters that you'll love and it will make you think a lot about language, imperialism and assimilation.
Thom Ashworth
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November 3, 2019
I enjoyed this a lot, with the third act being particularly strong. The large-ish number of characters means that picking it up between reading sessions can be tricky, as it's easy to forget who is who. Tip - the glossary at the back has all the characters named. Bookmark it before you start!
1 person found this review helpful
Michael Holzleithner
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November 19, 2022
I read around 10-12 books per year, and this book has impressed me, and drawn me in, like nothing in the last 5 years or so. Subtile, intriguing, warm, moving, clever, believable. Thanks, dear author!
About the author
Arkady Martine is a speculative fiction writer and, as Dr AnnaLinden Weller, a historian of the Byzantine Empire and an apprentice city planner. Under both names she writes about border politics, rhetoric, propaganda and the edges of the world. Arkady grew up in New York City and, after some time in Turkey, Canada and Sweden, lives in Baltimore with her wife, the author Vivian Shaw. A Memory Called Empire is her debut novel, which is followed by A Desolation Called Peace.
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