“Ancillary Sword” by Ann Leckie – Mundane Justice

The first book in the Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice, garnered praise from virtually every review out there for introducing a fresh, new and unique entry into the world of science-fiction literature.

Having presented us with the former warship AI-turned human called Breq as well as the vast and complex world she (it?) inhabits, Ann Leckie decided to move onwards with Ancillary Sword, the second book in the trilogy.

It takes off where the previous one left off; Breq now finds herself in the position of Fleet Commander for the Emperor and proceeds to Athoek station where she is tasked with guarding the family of a lieutenant she once murdered herself.

Along the way, of course, plenty of other problems begin oozing to the surface, leaving Breq with a bigger mess on her hands than she could have imagined.

To be perfectly honest, it feels as if this second part of the trilogy is destined to be the middle child everyone forgets about. Instead of expanding and building upon what was written in the first book, adding perhaps a few twists and turns to the already-interesting story arcs or exploring the world in greater depth, Leckie for some reason pulls away from that and much more towards the mundane.

A lot of the book is dedicated to actions and events which ultimately, and I hate to say this, don't feel like they matter one bit. The main storylines presented in the first book, such as the civil war and the threat of an alien invasion, get completely tossed aside in favor of seeing Breq bring justice to some oppressed locals, unravel a few conspiracies that have no real bearing on the big picture, and rule with the iron fist of the deity-like authority given to her. (You may read the first chapter here) As far as the characters are concerned, I have to say that things devolved in certain ways.

Whereas the first book made it feel like the characters were complex, ambiguous and interesting in their thoughts, morals, ideas and motivations, in this one many of them feel like they have been further and further reduced to the role of vehicles to carry story parts and ideas.

Also, to the misery of many, there was no Anaander Mianai in this book, someone many felt represented on the more interesting secondary characters out there.

Now, considering that much of this criticism stems from comparing the book to the first one, it should be noted that standing on its own, Ancillary Sword still remains an entertaining science-fiction novel to pass the time, one that doesn't fall down from grace too hard to make it unworthy of reading for those who loved the first book.

The events taking place and challenges faced by the characters are, in themselves, interesting enough that you can get invested in them, at least just a bit, and yearn for their resolution. You should simply re-evaluate your expectations, and perhaps not base them on the first book.

All in all, Ancillary Sword is certainly not the follow up everyone expected to Ancillary Justice, and in many places feels rushed, and on the whole simply mailed in.

Of course, it must be said that following up a novel like the first one in this trilogy is in itself a feat, and standing on its own the novel still remains a pleasant addition to the science-fiction genre.

As long as your expectations aren't too high, you will be able to read through this with relative ease, salvage some entertainment, and then wait for the third part which, hopefully, will set the important things in motion once again.

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Ann Leckie Personal site Ann Leckie is an author of American origin specializing mostly in science-fiction and fantasy literature and is best known for her 2013 debut novel, Ancillary Justice, which earned her a host of awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award as well as the BSFA Award.