This was a ride and a half and I did not expect it to be this good or turn out this serious.

You know everything HAD to have gone to pot for the ship to end in one body, sure. I was ready for an action/adventure sci-fi romp, and in a way, it is that. What surprised me was how hard it goes into the social issues inherent in colonization, how it explores the notion of identity and how it can be more than one thing, going double for entities that work more like a hive. "I'm at war with myself" is a very psychological statement that seems to be a theme for many characters, and ultimately gets very literal in this sci-fi set up.

There is also the constant coming back to the duality system of belief, the idea that fate is as it's tossed, and so you might as well choose your step, one after the other (sounds a lot like Taoist beliefs to me, plus the idea of hitzusen). What I found interesting is how it delves into thoughts and intentions vs actions, and obliquely (or at least, what I took from the whole sample of characters) how in the moment of truth you don't know who will be that will make the selfless choice (because when it comes right down to it, sometimes people don't even realize it was the moment of truth till it passed), but also, that past choices define next ones, but not in the way one would suspect (because sometimes, the feel that you chose wrong might make you very, very set and vigilant to choose differently afterwards)...

Aaaand, yeah, I got right down philosophical. I think it was all that loooong interrupted chat between Toren and Anaander Mianaai. It made me go "oh, shit" in so may directions. Very interesting.

One of the potential pleasures of SF is being dumped in an unfamiliar world and suffering "future shock" - the specifically science fictional equivalent of the bewilderment known to travellers as culture shock. It's fun; you have to figure out what things mean; how this society is organised; what this tech actually does. The puzzle is the fun. Sometimes, though, it can be too confusing, initially, and detracts from being able to properly follow the story. That was the case here, at least for me, but as the more the veils slowly lifted and I retrospectively understood things the more I enjoyed it.

The story is full of surprises and goes down easily and was exactly the kind of thing I needed in the moment.

Full of surprises!

It's the bridge scene! It's been a while since I looked for Imperial Radch trilogy fan art, so it was nice to stumble across this.

Some intelligent writing on a few relevant themes here, namely identity, gender, and civilization. It took me about 150 pages to get used to everyone being referred to as "she" regardless of gender, but by the end of the book it felt more natural. I love that the Radchaai are largely an androgynous people, and that their gender expression is fluid.

"Or is anyone's identity a matter of fragments held together by convenient or useful narrative, that in ordinary circumstances never reveals itself as a fiction? Or is it really a fiction?" (pg. 207)

I like how Leckie handled the idea of what it means to be civilized. It was cool how Radchaai attire involved wearing jewelry with different meanings, and how the type of gloves one wore could indicate class. The "delicate satin gloves," for example, "suggested she never handled anything rougher or heavier than a bowl of tea."

The whole tea thing, by the way, was a great touch. I loved how it was a necessity for Radchaai citizens, and how what was considered "tea" was different on different planets/cultures. As an avid tea drinker, it was interesting seeing the pastime in such a role.

Etiquette was another big motif I noticed. I liked how the deepness of a bow indicated the level of respect, so that when Breq exchanged a shallow bow with someone you could tell they were kind of insulting each other.