jopho reviewed Translation State by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch)
Sure, it has its moments, but...
2 stars
I was looking forward to see Ann Leckie return to Ancillary universe, but in the end I was disappointed. The new insights into the Presger and their translators are brilliantly imagined, but they just don't carry the entire novel. Of the three PoVs, only one was interesting, the others plainly boring. Some chapters would do much better if they had been summarized in a single paragraph, or scrapped entirely. At some point you will notice YA vibes coming up, lacking plausibity (why don't they just talk with each other?), unfitting for the supposed age bracket of the protagonists. The supplementary characters felt like artificial constructs without a life of their own once they served their purpose. In this case, the purpose is glorification of love, family, and gender diversity. Yes, all three of them are valid targets for glorification, but Leckie is definitely overdoing things here. In summary, fans will …
I was looking forward to see Ann Leckie return to Ancillary universe, but in the end I was disappointed. The new insights into the Presger and their translators are brilliantly imagined, but they just don't carry the entire novel. Of the three PoVs, only one was interesting, the others plainly boring. Some chapters would do much better if they had been summarized in a single paragraph, or scrapped entirely. At some point you will notice YA vibes coming up, lacking plausibity (why don't they just talk with each other?), unfitting for the supposed age bracket of the protagonists. The supplementary characters felt like artificial constructs without a life of their own once they served their purpose. In this case, the purpose is glorification of love, family, and gender diversity. Yes, all three of them are valid targets for glorification, but Leckie is definitely overdoing things here. In summary, fans will like this book, all others should do themselves a favour and read any other book by the author.