Book Review: Translation State by Ann Leckie

• Title: Translation State
• Author: Ann Leckie
• Year: 2023
• Type: Fiction

As far as I can tell, this is the first work I’ve read by Leckie. Despite that, somehow I thought I knew what I was getting into. Specifically, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it. I was wrong.

I spent the first few chapters wondering what in the hell was going on. Was it just the way this story is written, or was it relying on you having read the other books in this universe? It was the former, combined with my preconceptions of how stories should start. Once I got over that, reading went more smoothly.

The main characters in this book appealed to me. They were likeable, even if I couldn’t relate to all of the challenges they faced. Those challenges included a lot of questions about identity, which I really appreciated. Too few authors even acknowledge these matters, let alone feature them so prominently in a story.

The story also featured a fair bit of intergalactic politics, which usually would irritate me but didn’t in this case. The politics were important to the plot, but not the focus of it.

Overall, I liked it rather a lot. I may look up some of her other novels now.