A Memory Called Empire - May 2024 Book Club Reading

[Falselogic]

A Memory Called Empire is a 2019 science fiction debut novel by Arkady Martine. The book is centered on Mahit Dzmare, the ambassador from Lsel Station to the Teixcalaanli Empire, as she investigates the death of her predecessor and the instabilities that underpin that society. The book explores ideas of past and future selves, language, customs, conquest, expansionist politics and settler culture.

Arkady Martine is the pen name of AnnaLinden Weller, an American author who lives in New Mexico. Weller obtained a BA in religious studies at the University of Chicago in 2007, a Masters in classical Armenian studies at the Oxford in 2013, and a PhD in medieval Byzantine, global, and comparative history at Rutgers in 2014. She's been a visiting professor.

The book and it's sequel, A Desolation Called Peace, won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

This book was nominated by @Sarcasmorator. If he feels like it, I know I'd love to hear why he nominated the book.

(Asking the nominator to share some thoughts is a new thing I'm trying. If ya'll hate it I'll not continue it. Though I have plans to share my thoughts on next's month's nomination regardless as it is my nomination and I'd like to share why I've asked all of you to read it with me.)

 

[Violentvixen]

(Asking the nominator to share some thoughts is a new thing I'm trying. If ya'll hate it I'll not continue it. Though I have plans to share my thoughts on next's month's nomination regardless as it is my nomination and I'd like to share why I've asked all of you to read it with me.)

I like this idea!

 

[Sarcasmorator]

I'll chime in! I really enjoyed this book and its examination of worldview through language and perception of who "counts" as a person in the eyes of a civilization. There's a real strong political thriller here, with all that as a key element, and the sequel pushes the idea even farther. The main character also has to wrestle with having a second personality in her head, a cultural practice for her people.

It also has an unusual setting (our lead is a fish-out-of-water ambassador to a space empire sprung from South American culture; per the author, the language is inspired by Nahuatl) and is just a real good, meaty read all around. Intrigue, peril, romance, etc.

 

[John]

Looking forward to it! We have a Kindle Unlimited subscription mostly for our kids to read the Warrior(s) Cats books, and this is on there, which was a nice surprise.

 

[lincolnic]

(Asking the nominator to share some thoughts is a new thing I'm trying. If ya'll hate it I'll not continue it. Though I have plans to share my thoughts on next's month's nomination regardless as it is my nomination and I'd like to share why I've asked all of you to read it with me.)

I'm a fan of this as well. I certainly tried to do it for my picks last year, and I was hoping folks would be doing it all along.

Anyway, there were no holds ahead of me at the library, so I'll be ready to go with this one probably within the week! (edit: the book's listing said there were two copies available, but when I look at my account I'm somehow #2 in the hold list. What the hell, library.)

 

[Rascally Badger]

I read this a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed it. I don't know that I have time to reread, but I'll try to participate in discussion.

 

[Paul le Fou]

I picked this up to participate! I'm currently mid-way through a relatively short book, so I'm debating whether to put that one aside for a bit or to power through it so I can get to this one.

 

[Baudshaw]

Looking forward to it! We have a Kindle Unlimited subscription mostly for our kids to read the Warrior(s) Cats books, and this is on there, which was a nice surprise.

Kindle Unlimited is an incredible deal... although it's still ever so slightly worse than the library

 

[Olli]

I'm also in the middle of another book (The Only Good Indians from a previous book club, in fact), but I'll try to get a copy after I'm done with that one.

 

[Violentvixen]

Only on chapter two, but introducing the city by having a character recite a poem about it and adjust during the tour informs the reader of so much about the world of the book. I'm very intrigued and excited to continue.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

In an incredible stroke of serendipity, someone left a (signed!) copy of this very book in the little free library down the street.

 

[Falselogic]

In an incredible stroke of serendipity, someone left a (signed!) copy of this very book in the little free library down the street.

Nice.

I've got this at the library and want to pick it up by am trying to finish my current read first!

 

[lincolnic]

I'm somewhere between a third and halfway through, and I'm sorry to say this one isn't really grabbing me. I'm not disliking anything, but something about the writing style just hasn't really clicked. I'm sticking with it for now but it may end up a DNF.

 

[John]

I just started Chapter 3, and like it a lot so far. It's accessible, but I'm liking the culture clash, reminds me of the few Le Guin or Jack Vance novels I've read. It's not just protagonist as fish out of water, the fish here is also the reader getting brought up to speed on both Stationer and Teixcalaanli cultures, not to mention identities. I was surprised and happy to see that Imago personalities are unknown to the big bad empire (so far), but it looks like that won't last forever.

I won't complete this by the month's end with my slow reading pace, but I'm going to keep going.

 

[Violentvixen]

Finished it! I liked it, the use of poetry, linguistics and intent here was fascinating.

That said, I think the book could be trimmed down by 20-30%. I wanted more detail in some of the more pivotal scenes and a lot less in others. I specifically wanted to know so much more about the details of everything during (spoilers for last third of the book) the neurosurgery, and the Emperor's ending. I really wanted to stop and get more info to the level we had of some of the tea scenes or the details of the party, or just sitting rooms. I get that those two scenes were urgent and the speed and confusion is how the characters were feeling, but I didn't need the level of detail in the other scenes. I dunno, I feel like I'm not quite explaining this right and will keep thinking if there's a better way to phrase it.

Anyway, glad to finally read this one. I had a copy and vaguely remember it being a book for another book club but I must have missed the meeting or something.

 

[Falselogic]

Finished it! I liked it, the use of poetry, linguistics and intent here was fascinating.

That said, I think the book could be trimmed down by 20-30%. I wanted more detail in some of the more pivotal scenes and a lot less in others. I specifically wanted to know so much more about the details of everything during (spoilers for last third of the book) the neurosurgery, and the Emperor's ending. I really wanted to stop and get more info to the level we had of some of the tea scenes or the details of the party, or just sitting rooms. I get that those two scenes were urgent and the speed and confusion is how the characters were feeling, but I didn't need the level of detail in the other scenes. I dunno, I feel like I'm not quite explaining this right and will keep thinking if there's a better way to phrase it.

Anyway, glad to finally read this one. I had a copy and vaguely remember it being a book for another book club but I must have missed the meeting or something.

There is a sequel, A Desolation Called Peace, I think. Perhaps additional details can be gleaned from it?

 

[lincolnic]

I also finished it a couple of days ago, but only because I wanted to find out what happened in the story. The writing style didn't really work for me. I thought the dialogue was all very good, but everything outside of the dialogue felt like I was being told something instead of being shown. Everything is constantly spelled out, like the author doesn't trust her audience. Not a bad book, I just could've done with a bit less handholding.

 

[Violentvixen]

everything outside of the dialogue felt like I was being told something instead of being shown.

This is a great way of putting it.

 

[Falselogic]

Finished this last night. I think this is my second time reading the book but I didn't recall much, or anything (this plays into another post I have to make soon), from the first read (a few years back). For a book and a story that spends a lot of its time talking about the culture of the Teixcalaanli Empire I wish we had actual got some of that culture instead of the narrator's breathless love of it. There is much talk about how intricate the language of these People are how their poetry is vivid and layered and so beautiful. How their society is wrapped around this play and constant reference to existing works. I wish we could have seen some of it in the novel? But no, its just referenced again and again and again.

That was annoying.

I like the themes of how cultural giants can rob a people of their future even when they are independent and what that means to those who cherish their heritage but also feel drawn into that cultural. The central mystery/plot was okay and I felt it fizzled out rather quickly. I did check out the second book which does have Mahit and Three Seagrass return in it.

 

[Violentvixen]

I did check out the second book which does have Mahit and Three Seagrass return in it.

Yeah, I looked up the synopsis and a couple reviews of that one too but it looks like a lot of things are pretty different about the books. Interesting, but I think the changes veer away from what I personally found interesting about this one and toward things that I've already seen.

But for A Memory Called Empire there are definitely specific friends of mine who I'm going to recommend/lend this book to as I think they'll enjoy it very much.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

fwiw I found the second book to be a very good continuation and expansion of the story and setting (and the central conflict is, I thought, very relevant to various current events).

 

[Paul le Fou]

Being timely, as ever, I finally started this! Making slow progress though, we'll see how it develops. I haven't been in much of a reading mood lately, so it will probably take me quite a while to get through unless something happens that really grabs my attention.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Something finally happened to grab my attention! I picked this book back up after not reading anything for a few months, and this time it's sucked me in. I've come to really like the two lead characters, Mahit and especially Three Seagrass, and the development of their relationship. I also found the mysteries intriguing, even though the solution they land on at about the 2/3 or 4/5 point (putting the dead Yskandr's imago in Mahit to replace the fizzled one) is something I thought of immediately and kind of wondered why it took them so long to come around to it; there was a bit of justification but I'm not sure I bought it. But I like the layering of the different political intrigues and the glimpses of the society we get; she very much replicates the feeling of coming into a foreign culture being enamored of it, and slowly experiencing things that give you glimpses between the cracks and behind the curtains. The trip out to Belltown Six was especially evocative for me, despite how brief and economical it is. Makes me think of a weeb moving to Japan...

Anyway, I'm nearing the end, so I'll report back in when I've finished it. Better late than never!

 

[Falselogic]

So glad you kept reading! Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts. If you do enjoy it the sequel is more of the same.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

I wouldn't quite call the sequel more of the same because of the huge cultural and plotting shift in focus involved, but it is very good. Parts of it hit kinda hard in the current political climate.

 

[Violentvixen]

something I thought of immediately and kind of wondered why it took them so long to come around to it

Same, I felt like there was a bit of inconsistency about how secret it was and how taboo (or not) it was to do their solution.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Finished it a day or two after that post. I ended up really liking it! Most of what I said in my first post stands; I really liked the relationship between Mahit and Three Seagrass, the way the plots resolved (even if the final climax/twist and its immediate effect was on the convenient side, with everyone acquiescing almost right away - and what happened to Eight Loop, the other co-heir? I don't remember her even being mentioned), the character moments.

Unrelated, but I always pictured Three Seagrass almost exactly the same way I picture Harrowhark Nonagesimus. Physically almost identical, mannerisms very similar (but without the crushing depression).

But my biggest takeaway was this:

he very much replicates the feeling of coming into a foreign culture being enamored of it, and slowly experiencing things that give you glimpses between the cracks and behind the curtains. Makes me think of a weeb moving to Japan...

It took me a while to make this connection for some reason, but once I did everything snapped into focus. If Martine hasn't spent some time living abroad in a culture she once idolized, I'll eat my hat. There were so many running themes with this: Mahit's consistent feeling of being different and on the outside, including physically (she's taller than everyone and a different skin color; pretty on-the-nose). She wants so badly to be considered one of them, but is also deeply conflicted about that because of her identity as a Stationer as well, and not wanting to feel like she's completely acquiesced to cultural hegemony by simply conforming. She prides herself on how well she understands their culture, but keeps running up on situations where she realizes it takes a literal lifetime of immersion to grasp every nuance of the language and the cultural references, and she likely never will. The crux of it comes in the emotional climax, when she and Three Seagrass kiss, and 3S almost jokingly that she does have a thing for barbarians, but wouldn't care even if Mahit wasn't one. And Mahit takes that (rightfully) as a dagger in the heart, because she knows that nothing she ever does will make her Teixcalaanli, and she'll always be a barbarian, no matter how good her poetry gets, no matter how deeply she's loved and accepted on an individual level.

All of this really resonated deeply with me, because I've experienced every single beat for myself, as a foreigner living in Japan. Like, Martine illustrates very exactly what it feels like to move to the world with the culture you've yearned for and experience the harsh truth of living there as an indelibly-marked outsider. Even the final beat: Mahit goes home because she can't quite handle it and needs to reassert her identity. I think my reasons for going home might have differed slightly; I didn't care about being an American as much as she cares about being a Stationer. But everything else, including going home at the end, was present in my personal journey.

So yeah, the book resonated on a deeply personal level for me, on top of having characters I was totally shipping and intrigue that kept me engaged. I walked right out and bought the sequel that night, although I'm waiting to start it.

Thanks for making me read this book, even if it took me months to finally do it!