Ancillary Mercy

I have been gradually working my way through this series. I enjoyed the first book but not enough that I felt compelled to pick up the next one immediately. Eventually I did get around to it and felt a little bogged down half way through. These books do not have a great deal of action in them and instead focus on interpersonal interactions. Finally, as I read through the third book, I fell in love with the series. There is something warm and comforting about the characters and once you get used to the idea that the 'action' is less lasers and bombs and more politics and social interactions, it becomes engaging in its own way. There are a lot of interesting ethical issues at play as well, and a very interesting depiction of the singularity. I will probably go back and read these again - maybe sometime soon. ( )

Ancillary Mercy

First Thoughts: I liked this book much better than Ancillary Sword. It turns out Ancillary Sword is almost a book-sized chapter in itself for the third book of the trilogy. Yes, still read that, but don’t expect much.

“Mercy” is more understandable once you get your groups of military and assistants all straight, with their odd terminology – and I realized later, similar to Roman legions and their strange terminology to describe their military groups, centurions and so on.

Story and Plot:

The Author gives a lot of back story to her third novel which almost makes the first novel unnecessary to read. Almost. Read it anyway or the terms won’t make a lot of sense.

The Usurper (the so-called god who split herself) is heading to Athoek Station. Breq wants to make what’s right for the citizenry at the planet below and in the station above. The best way to do that is to grant certain freedoms that this dictatorship/police state is not used to .

The imaginative way it’s gone about is fun to read, and this novel is not bogged down into a soap opera-esque grind as Book Two was.

Will Breq make it happen? Will the Presger (the only alien race that can wipe out us Humans) step in? Will the Tyrant succeed? Will the squabbles of the others stop so that they can unite against a common enemy – propriety over common sense??

Final Comments: The book does have its faults. What happened to the original Anaander Mianaai who made Breq her “cousin” and sent him to Athoek Station in the first place? A few key characters seem to disappear from the scene as well. Despite these apparent holes, an enjoyable trilogy to check it, even if the pronouns are askew.

Recommended.


( )

How will the inhabitants of Athoek station react to the knowledge that Breq used to be an ancillary of Justice of Thoren?

A wonderful finale to the trilogy. I especially enjoyed Translator Zeiat from the Presger and wish the Presger had played a much greater role in the series. ( )

Again, marred by unnecessary repetition, but otherwise, a perfect end for the series. ( )

library copy ( )