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.