Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice

Ancillary Justice is the most entertaining science fiction novel I have read in years. This first novel from American writer Ann Leckie won most of the big sci-fi awards last year, and it deserved to. The writing is skillful, the world is interesting, and the story is amazing. The narrator is the intelligence of a sentient starship, a conceit that Leckie uses brilliantly. Beyond that I won't say anything about the plot, because the glory of the book is the way the situation slowly unfolds -- not until around halfway through does the reader have any clear idea what is happening or why, and there is great suspense up to the end.

Ancillary Justice is the first volume of a trilogy, of which the second volume is already out and the third is due soon. I wonder if Leckie will be able to sustain the interest with much of the mystery revealed, but I certainly plan to get the next volume and find out. Tomorrow.