-
“Martine weaves a dramatic and suspenseful story of political intrigue and alien first contact…Each character is rendered in exquisite detail.”
— Booklist (starred review)
-
“A dizzying, exhilarating story of diplomacy, conspiracy, and first contact in the powerhouse sequel to [Martine’s] Hugo Award–winning debut…This complex, stunning space opera promises to reshape the genre.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
-
A mesmerizing debut . . . it left me utterly dazzled.
— The New York Times Book Review
-
[A] gorgeously crafted diplomatic space opera . . . Readers will eagerly away the planned sequels to this impressive debut.
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
-
Politics and personalities blend with an immersive setting and beautiful prose in a debut that weaves threads of identity, assimilation, technology, and culture to offer an exceedingly well-done sf political thriller.
— Library Journal, starred review
-
This is both an epic and a human story, successful in the mode of Ann Leckie and Yoon Ha Lee. A confident beginning with the promise of future installments that can't come quickly enough.
— Kirkus, starred review
-
Exquisite . . . a compelling journey with a rich world and fascinating characters
— The Los Angeles Times
-
Interesting, detailed, lavish.
— The Wall Street Journal
-
A Memory Called Empire perfectly balances action and intrigue with matters of empire and identity. All around brilliant space opera, I absolutely love it.
— Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
-
In A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine smuggles you into her interstellar diplomatic pouch, and takes you on the most thrilling ride ever. This book has everything I love: identity crises, unlikely romance, complicated politics, and cunning adventurers. Super-fun, and ultra-fascinating.
— Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky
-
An elegant and accomplished example of the subgenre of subtle scheming with a background of stars. A delightful read. I couldn’t put it down.
— Jo Walton, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Among Others
-
A Memory Called Empire is a murder mystery wrapped up in a political space opera, and deeply immerses the reader in a unique culture and society. I very much enjoyed it and look forward to what Martine does next.
— Martha Wells, author of The Murderbot Diaries
-
A cunningly plotted, richly imagined tale of interstellar intrigue that does something new with space opera.
— Ken MacLeod
-
A Memory Called Empire elevates space opera to poetry—clever, deep, sometimes tragic, sometimes violent, always transcendent poetry that shines like the edge of a knife.
— Delilah Dawson
-
An intricate, layered tale of empire, personal ambition, political obligations and interstellar intrigue. Vivid and delightfully inventive.
— Aliette de Bodard, Nebula Award-winning author of the Xuya Universe stories and The House of Binding Thorns
-
A cutting, beautiful, human adventure about cultural exchange, identity, and intrigue. The best SF novel I’ve read in the last five years.
— Yoon Ha Lee, author of the Machineries of Empire trilogy
-
An exceptional first novel recommended for fans of Cherryh, Leckie, Banks, and Asimov.
— Elizabeth Bear, author of Hammered
-
A Memory Called Empire . . . is so frigging good. It's like a space opera murder mystery combined with all the political parts of Dune.
— Dan Wells, author of I Am Not a Serial Killer