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Ancillary Sword
Imperial Radch (Related to this series)
- Author
- Ann Leckie
- Narrator
- Adjoa Andoh
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Publish Date
- 7 October 2014
- Run Time
- 11 hours 43 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Rating
- 4.3 (3 reviews)
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What to expect
Breq - the soldier who used to be a spaceship - is serving the emperor she swore to destroy. She's been given her own warship, her own crew and ordered to the only place in the galaxy she would have agreed to go: to Athoek Station, to protect the family of the lieutenant she murdered in cold blood.
Athoek was annexed by the Empire some six hundred years ago, and by now everyone is fully 'civilised'. Or should be - but everything is not as tranquil as it appears. Old divisions are still troublesome, Athoek Station's AI is restless and it looks like the alien Presger might have taken an interest in what's going on. With no guarantees that their interest is benevolent.
Critics Review
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Leckie proves she's no mere flash in the pan with this follow-up to her multiple-award-winning debut space opera, Ancillary Justice
Kirkus Reviews
-
So good, and so unexpected - at once a first-rate space opera and the best science fictional exploration of gender since The Left Hand of Darkness.
Weekend Herald
User Reviews
Book 4.3
Narration 5.0
-
3.0 5.0
This was a solid and thoughtful continuation of the series that I’m glad I read, but it never quite rose above “good” for me. Ann Leckie’s prose is excellent, precise, controlled, and quietly effective and her world-building continues to draw me in. Breq remains an interesting and increasingly three dimensional protagonist, and the pacing is steady throughout.
However, compared to Ancillary Justice, this book feels more contained and less expansive. The shift toward local politics, while interesting, lacked the sense of scale and momentum I enjoyed in the first book. The overall tone is very calm, and I found myself wanting more urgency or emotional peaks to fully engage me. The reduced focus on Seivarden, a character I particularly liked in the previous book, was also felt.
Overall, Ancillary Sword reads like a holding pattern middle book: well-crafted, intellectually engaging, but more something I followed along with than felt excited by. I’m still interested enough to continue the series, but this wasn’t a standout for me.Craigreadsbooks 2025-12-17
Details
- Author
- Ann Leckie
- Narrator
- Adjoa Andoh
- Duration
- 11 hours 43 minutes
- Release Date
- 7 October 2014
- ISBN
- 9781405532396
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Genre
- Science fiction, Science fiction: military, Science fiction: space opera
- Rating
- 4.3(3 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(3 reviews)
Synopsis
JUSTICE FOR ALL Breq - the soldier who used to be a spaceship - is serving the emperor she swore to destroy. She's been given her own warship, her own crew and ordered to the only place in the galaxy she would have agreed to go: to Athoek Station, to protect the family of the lieutenant she murdered in cold blood. Athoek was annexed by the Empire some six hundred years ago, and by now everyone is fully 'civilised'. Or should be - but everything is not as tranquil as it appears. Old divisions are still troublesome, Athoek Station's AI is restless and it looks like the alien Presger might have taken an interest in what's going on. With no guarantees that their interest is benevolent.
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