Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

no spoilers for Provenance

Thanks, Kate!

I liked this one, interested in rereading it.

I just started this book this morning. So far so good!

Read this in 2021, but I'll be re-reading.

I’m starting as well!

Should be an interesting read.

This will be a re-read for me as well

Rereading as well. Begun this morning. 🙂

I was not that crazy about the first three of these, but I bought this on sale as some point, so maybe I will try again.

I liked portions of the first three books, and I still remember them somewhat, but I had trouble with the pronouns.

Are there shared characters? If so, maybe someone can fill in my ailing memory . . .

I haven't started yet, but I don't think there are shared characters, I think it's a standalone (there might be a cameo).

Also, with the pronouns in these books you just have to throw out any hope of imagining a character's gender in your mind's eye when a Raadchai is speaking.

Same universe, different setting and characters. In the first 50 pages the viewpoint character is “she” but some others are “e”, possessive “eir”.

page 62: “… it might be some time before the Geck ambassador turned up, and even longer before she — he? E? It? — no, the Enforcement official had said “she” — decided to do whatever it was she was going to do.”

I read this in 2018 and I’ve forgotten a lot of detail, in fact I really only remember a sense of the main character, her relationship with her family, and a very general idea of the plot. I’m about a quarter of the way through this reread and I’m enjoying the detail quite a bit.

Stephen wrote: "I read this in 2018 and I’ve forgotten a lot of detail,"

I've read it in Aug 2019 according to GR, but as well I am hazy on details.

Oleksandr wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I read this in 2018 and I’ve forgotten a lot of detail,"

I've read it in Aug 2019 according to GR, but as well I am hazy on details."

Halfway through & while it's ok, it's not making a huge impression on me. Maybe that's why I forgot the detail the first time.

The first time I read it I remember thinking it seemed relatively light, compared to the author’s big “Ancillary” trilogy. This time I’m not making that comparison.

Leckie has some fun with pronouns in this one.

“Her?” asked Ingray.
“Her. Him. Em.” The emissary made an exasperated noise. “Whatever…”

p. 206

Stephen wrote: "Leckie has some fun with pronouns in this one."

Lol

I also read this back in 2019, but can't remember much anything about the story. I remember I didn't like it much, though, and it looks like I only gave it 2*. I can remember that the main character was interesting, but acvording to my review from 2019 I found all the other characters one-dimensional.

I agree, this is indeed a lighter read, but I’m enjoying it. I loved the Ancillary series and enjoyed Translation State.

I’m something over halfway through and quite enjoying the book. The main character is sympathetic and I get a kick out of the complications of the plot.

Finished. I see no reason to change my rating of 4 stars. An enjoyable book.

That’s great, I’m almost half way and enjoying the read as well.

There is something so fundamentally *readable* about Ann Leckie's books, I move through them so quickly. I really like the conflicts that develop in each of her books, and the characters are always sympathetic, this one included.