It’s probably the book with the greatest sense of peril for Breq because she’s hiding who she is, she’s so much less than she once was, her enemy is literally the Lord of all civilization. As it unfolds, there are long flashbacks which slowly reveal the terrible event that ignited Breq’s quest for justice. We don’t always know what this goal is, but she has something that is pushing her on. In Ancillary Justice, Breq is moving towards a goal. This review contains spoilers for the earlier books, Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Swordĭiscussion: In my mind, Ancillary Justice (book 1) is the “quest for revenge” book, Ancillary Sword (book 2) is the “social justice bridge” book, and Ancillary Mercy is the “Breq has friends now” book. The odds aren’t good, but that’s never stopped her before. Then a search of Athoek Station’s slums turns up someone who shouldn’t exist, and a messenger from the mysterious Presger empire arrives, as does Breq’s enemy, the divided and quite possibly insane Anaander Mianaai – ruler of an empire at war with itself.īreq refuses to flee with her ship and crew, because that would leave the people of Athoek in terrible danger. I kept reading the series because I wanted to find out where the quest was going to take her.įor a moment, things seemed to be under control for Breq, the soldier who used to be a warship. And I was caught up by the mystery - what exactly happened to Breq and who is the enemy? Basically Ancillary Justice drew me in with the set up for Breq’s quest, and with the introduction of Breq as an unlikely, diminished hero. The details of this existence were so good too: Breq trying to not to draw attention, but not being able to distinguish genders, acting a little too emotionless, and being noticed anyway. I was delighted that this was a first person POV of a thousands of years old spaceship who was once a many-bodied being now having just one. Why I Chose It: I have to admit that when I read Ancillary Justice (the first of this trilogy), I got kind of obsessed with the idea of a sentient spaceship seeking justice. Series: Book Three of The Imperial Radch trilogy

Ancillary sword by ann leckie