A Memory Called Empire.
Tor. 2019
Mahit Dazur has admired and studied the Teixcalaanli Empire all her life, so when she is posted as Ambassador to its capital planet, this should have been a dream come true. But her predecessor appears to have been up to his neck in possibly treasonous politics that led to his murder, everyone else is playing different dangerous games, her technological backup has been sabotaged, the Emperor is dying, a war is brewing, and her poetry is just not up to scratch. She is swept up in events, and needs all her wits to save herself and her homeland; fortunately, she is well endowed with those.
This is gorgeous. We suffer culture shock and alienation along with Mahit, as we gradually discover what is going on. The Aztec-like names and Chinese-style poetry games add an exotic feel, mixed as they are with AIs, brain implants, and hints of alien invasions. The action takes place over only a handful of days, and much of that action occurs through conversations; the descriptions are rich and detailed and never dull; the contrast between Mahit’s acid internal monologues and what she says out loud are beautiful.
I enjoyed this tremendously. Highly recommended.
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