Ancillary Justice
On sale
1st June 2023
Price: £9.99
BSFA Award, 2014
Genre
Science Fiction / Space Opera / Suspense / War & Combat Fiction
The record-breaking debut novel that won every major science fiction award in 2014, Ancillary Justice is the story of a warship trapped in a human body and her search for revenge.
Ann Leckie is the first author to win the Arthur C. Clarke, the Nebula and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in the same year.
They made me kill thousands, but I only have one target now.
The Radch are conquerors to be feared – resist and they’ll turn you into a ‘corpse soldier’ – one of an army of dead prisoners animated by a warship’s AI mind. Whole planets are conquered by their own people.
The colossal warship called The Justice of Toren has been destroyed – but one ship-possessed soldier has escaped the devastation. Used to controlling thousands of hands, thousands of mouths, The Justice now has only two hands, and one mouth with which to tell her tale.
But one fragile, human body might just be enough to take revenge against those who destroyed her.
‘ENGAGING AND PROVOCATIVE’
SFX Magazine
‘UNEXPECTED, COMPELLING AND VERY COOL’
John Scalzi
‘HIGHLY RECOMMENDED’
Independent on Sunday
‘MIND-BLOWING’
io9.com
‘THRILLING, MOVING AND AWE-INSPIRING’
Guardian
‘UTTER PERFECTION, 10/10’
The Book Smugglers
‘ASTOUNDINGLY ASSURED AND GRACEFUL’
Strange Horizons
‘ESTABLISHES LECKIE AS AN HEIR TO BANKS’
Elizabeth Bear
The Imperial Radch trilogy begins with Ancillary Justice, continues in Ancillary Sword and concludes with Ancillary Mercy.
Also available now: Provenance is a stunning standalone adventure set in the same world as Ancillary Justice. NPR calls it ‘A fitting addition to the Ancillary world’.
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Reviews
Leckie's novel cast of characters serves her well-plotted story nicely. This is an altogether promising debut
Leckie's debut gives casual and hardcore sci-fi fans alike a wonderful read
You will be truly astounded at how Leckie has fully fleshed out a universe and is asking and attempting to answer the difficult questions that many authors never even address in science fiction
Using the format of a SF military adventure blended with hints of space opera, Leckie explores the expanded meaning of human nature and the uneasy balance between individuality and membership in a group identity. Leckie is a newcomer to watch
A sharply written space opera . . . tackling ideas about politics and gender in a way that's both engaging and provacative . . . a gripping read that's well worth a look
It's not every day a debut novel by an author you'd never heard of before derails your entire afternoon with its brilliance
First rate, rollicking space-opera with plenty of action, intrigue and adventure ... a fabulous debut
Unexpected, compelling and very cool - Ann Leckie nails it. I've never met a heroine like Breq before. I consider this a very good thing indeed
The sort of book that the Clarke Award wishes it had last year ... be prepared to see Ancillary Justice bandied around a lot come awards season. (As it should be)
Thrilling, moving and awe-inspiring
Leckie uses familiar set pieces-an expansionist galaxy-spanning empire, a protagonist on a single-minded quest for justice-to transcend space-opera conventions in innovative ways. This impressive debut succeeds in making Breq a protagonist readers will invest in, and establishes Leckie as a talent to watch closely
Signals the arrival of a hard science fiction author who just might fill the gap left by Iain M. Banks. Ancillary Justice is a highly original novel . . . an intelligent slow-burner. Highly recommended
It engages, it excites, and it challenges the way the reader views our world. Leckie may be a former Secretary of the Science Fiction Writers of America, but she's the President of this year's crop of debut novelists. Ancillary Justice might be the best science fiction novel of this very young decade
Establishes Leckie as an heir to Banks and Cherryh
Total gamechanger. Get it, read it, wish to hell you'd written it. Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice may well be the most important book Orbit have published in ages
Our #1 pick for the year's best science fiction or fantasy book . . . this Iain M. Banks-esque tale was the book that made us most excited about the future of science fiction in 2013
