In their own ways both cultures are founded on concepts of heritage, lineage and preservation, deeply affected by the weight of history and the desire for the future to be safe and stable вЂ“ just interpreted in different ways.Д®ven for space opera this is ambitious, exploring a rich and vibrant setting via intrigue, mystery and a thought-provoking clash of cultures. Hers is a perfect viewpoint on the empire, its culture, nature and dangers вЂ“ in her eyes the people of the empire are alien, but sheвЂ™s just as strange to them. SheвЂ™s constantly at risk, with occasional instances of overt peril вЂ“ as simmering tension boils over and rival factions within the empire move from propaganda through to outright violence вЂ“ interspersed with quiet moments where she recognises how out of her depth she is surrounded by people who have been playing these political (and linguistic) games their entire lives. Driven and determined, she grows in confidence throughout the book, forming unexpected bonds and refusing to be overawed by everything thatвЂ™s happening to and around her. She has idolised the empire from afar her whole life, but is now having to quickly learn its realities isolated and alone, she needs friends, or at least allies, but doesnвЂ™t know who to trust. Instantly engaging and relatable, Mahit has a frank, self-aware tone of voice with an edge of dry humour, especially with her occasional mental passenger. ItвЂ™s a fish-out-of-water story and a tense mystery at the same time, set to the backdrop of a grand sweep of space and the tension between an expansionist and ever-hungry empire, and a tiny but fiercely independent colony. ItвЂ™s a brilliant concept which beautifully represents the inevitable culture clash, that sense of being alien and isolated, looking from the outside in at a dangerous new world. In an inspired piece of world building, Teixcalaanli politics is shaped by literature, poetry and melodrama, which for Mahit means constantly adjusting to think in a complex, stylised second language built around literary and poetic allusions. MahitвЂ™s overarching task is to find ways to save her own culture from being absorbed by the empire, but the one advantage she should have вЂ“ the stored memories of her predecessor, accessed via neural technology вЂ“ has failed, and for all her studies and shared humanity, to Teixcalaanli natives she will always be seen as an alienвЂ¦a course barbarian at odds with civilisation.

At risk, with no allies and carrying вЂ“ in secret вЂ“ a dangerous, but malfunctioning technology, Mahit must adapt quickly if she wants to survive and thrive in the empire. Tensions in the empire are high, the future of LselвЂ™s autonomy from Teixcalaan is at stake, and MahitвЂ™s predecessor is dead вЂ“ likely murdered. Growing up on the remote Lsel Station, Mahit Dzmare always dreamed of visiting the vast, sophisticated Teixcalaani Empire, but when she finds herself sent to Teixcalaan as LselвЂ™s new ambassador sheвЂ™s thrown into imperial politics at a uniquely dangerous moment. A debut novel of grand scope and elegant complexity, Arkady MartineвЂ™s A Memory Called Empire is an immersive, slow-burning space opera weaving themes of cultural identity, legacy, memory and linguistics into a tight story of courtly intrigue.

A memory called empire