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<\/a>Translation State (Imperial Radch)\nby Ann Leckie
\nOrbit Jun\/6\/2023<\/h3>\n
“Masterfully merging space adventure and mystery, and a poignant exploration about relationships and belonging,\u00a0Translation State\u00a0<\/span>is a triumphant new standalone story set in the celebrated Imperial Radch universe.”<\/em><\/p>\n The only part that I take issue with is the standalone bit. Yes, Translation State<\/strong> takes place in the universe she kicked off with her brilliant debut novel, Ancillary Justice<\/strong>, and yes, it’s terrific. However, the door is clearly left open for more adventures with the main character. She’s a middle-aged woman who has spent her life taking care of her aging, unpleasant, and supposedly wealthy grandmother and finds herself at loose ends after the funeral. In a turn of events worthy of Jane Austen, Enae Athur finds herself turfed out of the house, given reasonable means, a request not to be underfoot, and a job that nobody expects her to actually do; finding a missing Presger Translator, one of the alien-human hybrids that the Presger’s created from DNA on the human ships they tore apart and who are the only way they can communicate with anyone else. There’s a treaty conference coming up and it would be nice to tie up this loose end, even though the missing translator slipped away 200 years ago.<\/p>\n It’s the classic give the job you don’t really want done to somebody who won’t actually do it, with the predictable result that Enae digs her heels to find them.<\/p>\n The story revolves around three protagonists. Enae, on the hunt for the translator, Reet, a maintenance worker who’s never fit in anywhere, and Qven, a juvenile translator who has not yet matured enough to undergo the process of matching, where they fuse with another to become adult and full Presger Translator.<\/p>\n The big conflicts that arise are all about personal freedom and overcoming cultural programming in the face of inflexible authority. If you want to read it as a referendum on gender rights, it works that way, but I was happy to enjoy it at face value for the adventure and excellent character work by the author. Fans of Murderbot<\/em> will love Reet right off the bat, a misfit uncomfortable with others who finds solace in his favorite series: Pirate Exiles of the Death Moons<\/em>.<\/p>\n Though it’s set in the “Imperial Radch” universe, you don’t need to read the previous books. Ancillary Justice<\/strong> deservedly won Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards, and the following books were very good, but being following books they lacked the conceptual playfulness of the first. Translation State<\/strong> brings it back and sets the stage for fresh explorations of the author’s universe.\u00a0 Highly recommended.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ann Leckie. Translation State (Kindle Locations 424-425). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Thank you! I’m glad I could help. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n