Ann Leckie delivers an interesting space opera read that uses the feminine pronoun she throughout, as a part of its language, not as a descriptor of the people themselves, who are predominantly genderless. It’s a great touch, and really plays nicely with the casting of characters in the mind’s eye.

We are introduced to Breq, the last remaining ancillary of a troop carrier ship’s AI that was destroyed some twenty years ago. The story itself slides back and forth through those twenty years as we are given Breq’s backstory, and her interactions as a ship and an ancillary with the leader of the Radch empire, who has, herself, splintered herself into countless beings and is now at war with herself.

Or rather, they’ve been at war within herself for quite some time, but now, it’s coming to the fore, as contrasting viewpoints, one for inclusivity, and one very xenophobic struggle for dominance. But whichever part of her wins, she still wins.

Breq encounters a previous crewmember, Seivarden, from one thousand years earlier, who has woken to a changed reality, and who joins her on her journey, a journey of revenge for the actions taken twenty years ago, culminating in what may be the biggest civil war to ever occur.

Despite some exciting moments, especially towards the end of the novel, which feels like the first step into a more exciting story, this one takes its time, and while I didn’t struggle to get through the novel, it didn’t catch my attention as quickly as I thought it would.

Having said that, I did like the worlds Leckie created, and the characters she inhabits it with, and I hope in the next couple of volumes that we get to spend some time with the alien species that are mentioned in this novel.

Breq is a fascinating character, and while human-looking, she is not, a reanimated body inhabited by an A.I., but it allows us to look at the human experience through her eyes and allows a sweeping scope of story like we are given here.

I wanted to know more about the alien worlds, the technologies, especially after the reveal of the weapon that Breq was looking for, and plans to use against the ruler Anaandar Mianaai, all of her.

Following the climax of the novel, we get setup for what is to happen in the next two novels, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy. The entire series known as the Imperial Radch trilogy is available from Orbit Books, I’ll be digging into them soon I think.