Tag Archives: Hard Science Fictiob

The Ancillary series had been recommended to me years ago, so when I came across the boxed set, I took a chance, and bought it.  And it just as good as the awards make it out to be—the first book, Ancillary Justice won the Hugo, Nebula and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. There is no mid series slump, and the action keeps going. The story is what is considered “hard” science fiction, occurring on planets, stations, ships and space.

Breq is an ancillary, the human form of an artificial intelligence that ran a troop carrier star ship, of the Radch military fleet.  She’s alone now, and in the first book comes across a body in the snow on the planet she’s currently on, identifies it as male, and a former lieutenant of hers from the ship Justice of Toren) This is Seirvarden, who had been lost a thousand years ago. His escape capsule had been found and he had been awakened—to find his family, and his world gone, a person out of place.  The first book sets up the situations that lead to the rest of the series, in forward motion, and in flashbacks.

The Radch is a human culture that doesn’t have genders—the author uses she to refer to everyone, rather than using zie or he.  Clothing, jewelry, positions, are all gender neutral.  It does disorient at first. But there are occasional hints. I and at least one reviewer got over the need to gender everyone.  The author also based the Radch Empire on the Roman Empire, and a reviewer saw resemblance to the Greeks spreading out and conquering “uncivilized” groups of humans.  All human civilizations that aren’t Radch are uncivilized. But conquering civilizations and occupying them is as bloody thousands of years in the future, as it was in the past. 

The idea of an imperial culture isn’t new, but an emperor who takes over, clones himself, and spreads clones of himself (herself) throughout the empire, is a new idea. In many ways, the technology is much like what is used for making an ancillary, except that the clone grows up connected. And, of course, is one person. Until there is a split.

Enter the Presger, an alien race that enjoys taking apart ships and space stations (and people), in the most destructive, bloody way possible.  Plus they can’t be stopped.   Eventually there is a treaty with the Presger and the Radchaai, (with actually the human race, but the Radchaai don’t really understand this…), but there are two incidents that make waves and cause a split in the emperor’s minds. The Presger sell a civilization guns with ammo that travels 1.11 meters.  (Spoiler alert–the gun can destroy Radchaai military ships.) In addition, the discovery of humans with another alien race.  That’s not exactly the problem, but there’s so much packed in three volumes!

Not only is there politics on the grand scale but also on the personal scale.  The characters are well drawn, and often sympathetic.  The plotlines tie up neatly, and there are even nods to other authors—Anne McCaffrey’s The Ship Who Sang, Ursula le Guinn’s The Left Hand of Darkness, and C.J. Cherryh’s the Foreigner series. There is even a grumpy medic who reminds me of McCoy.

In addition, if you are interested in the military view of the book, there is a review  by a site called DEFENSE.info, with a  take from a current military viewpoint, including ship sizes, crews, and officers in graphics.  He also covers some thoughts on AI developing feelings and personalities.  (Remember, this book is thousands of years in the future…) My only complaint, it looks like he forgot the medical teams.   The Imperial Radch Trilogy | Defense.info