Ancillary Mercy
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4.5 • 359 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Breq and her crew must stand against an old and powerful enemy and fight for their own destinies in the stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy. A must read for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and James S. A. Corey.
For a moment, things seemed to be under control for Breq, the soldier who used to be a warship. 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.
Breq refuses to flee with her ship and crew, because that would leave the people of Athoek in terrible danger. The odds aren't good, but that's never stopped her before.
"There are few who write science fiction like Ann Leckie can. There are few who ever could." -- John Scalzi
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The breathtaking conclusion to Leckie's much-lauded Imperiald Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice; Ancillary Sword) lives up to the promise and expectations of the earlier books. Breq, the last human body housing the consciousness of the destroyed troop carrier Justice of Toren, must prepare the Athoek space station to survive the civil war spreading through Radch space. The station is overcrowded and badly damaged, and the political situation deteriorates as it becomes clear that the station has already been corrupted by competing factions of Anaander Mianaai, the many-bodied supreme ruler of the Radchaai. Breq has no way to determine the loyalties of the other military ships in the system. Things become even more complicated when station security finds somebody who doesn't belong there and should have died 600 years before. New readers could begin the series here, but they will miss out on the deeply satisfying culmination of early plot points and running jokes. This glorious series summit is suffused with the wit and the skillful eye for character that fans have come to expect from Leckie. Breq and her lieutenants are destined to be beloved giants in the space opera canon.
Customer Reviews
Conclusion of the Original Imperial Radch Trilogy
“Ancillary Mercy” is the third novel in Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch Series, and completes the original trilogy featuring the being known as Breq. It’s a deep dive into her complex and different universe.
It continues to feature the culture and civilization of the Radch. They have built a interstellar empire by conquest, turning conquered planets into new citizens. When doing this they absorb their cultures and religions while imposing their own. They have mainly concerned themselves with other human civilizations, but there are at least three off-screen alien civilizations.
To support this military might, there are large AI controlled starships such as the Justice of Toren which was a troop-carrier with vast numbers of Ancillaries, which others refer to as corpse-soldiers. Each of these mind wiped, augmented, and repurposed human bodies is an extension of the ship. The ancillaries form a sort of a hive-mind with the ship’s AI, and should be little more than tools to be used and thrown away. However, when the Justice of Toren is lost through treachery, only a single ancillary that calls itself Breq remains. The first novel in this series followed Breq’s search for vengeance, and development as a person.
In the second novel, Breq had been appointed a Feet Captain by the Lord of the Radch, and given a military ship, the Mercy of Kalr. Breq was sent to the Athoek System to protect it and maintain the peace. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Radch fights a civil war with herself.
In this third and final novel in the initial trilogy, the Radch civil war comes to the Athoek System. Breq has done all they can to prepare for any possibility. Meanwhile, a translator for the powerful alien Presger has arrived. Can Breq balance the needs of the various humans, AIs, and the alien representative that have converged on Athoek?
This novel is somewhat different from the first two, but I found it equally compelling. Breq continues to become a person, and develops as a character. Vast amounts of tea are consumed, and more details of the Radch Empire are revealed. There are now two additional novels set in the Imperial Radch Series that I’ll have to read at some point, but they seem to be independent stories.
Superb
Just finished re-reading the Ancillary trilogy. Unique, imaginative, extremely well written and one of a kind. Simply one of the finest science fiction works I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot!
Couldn’t get enough of this trilogy
The characters are compelling and unique. The universe is complex, and deeply layered. A wonderful read from the first book to the last. Was sad to see the end of the trilogy