RaveThe Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi BlogSomething about Ann Leckie’s space operas remind me of cozy mysteries. Not because I don’t consider her books serious science fiction—the Imperial Radch trilogy contains a more complete considerations of the moral obligations we owe artificial lifeforms (not to mention our fellow humans) than anything I’ve read in the last decade. But the way she deploys the tropes of space opera—ship-to-ship conflicts, alien races, intelligent machines—are quite different ... There are big ideas about politics, gender, and prisoners’ rights. There are surprising plot twists and tense action sequences. There is a colorful cast of hilarious supporting characters and, oh, a murder ... The book transitions from murder mystery, to political thriller, to action adventure without faltering, and without ever taking us away from Ingray’s point of view. There’s a great deal of fascinating worldbuilding surrounding our hapless protagonist and an interesting consideration of gender roles ... You might call it cozy space opera. but if you think that’s reductive, I have another suggestion: these are books with the trappings of widescreen sci-fi, and the attention to character, to the small moments, to the inner lives of those living through outsized events you typically find elsewhere in the bookstore. So call it literary space opera. Call it what you want. Just read it.
