Interesting excerpt but hard to actually rate the book without reading the whole thing, I'll edit my star rating once I'll have been able to finish it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this excerpt and would love to read the full novel.

Essentially, a young ambassador is sent from a space station to an alien world (that she has studied) carrying in her head the memories (though outdated) of the previous ambassador.

When she arrives, she learns that her predecessor died, and a violent attack (on a meeting she was holding with her predecessor's assistant) occurs.

That's certainly enough to arouse a reader's interest and it's well written, with excellent world building.

This is just an excerpt of the book available for preview and without reading the full book I can't really rate and review accurately but nice start to the story.

The only problem with reading a preview excerpt this good is that the wait for the rest feels too far off. I very much look forward to the main in 2019.

I saw that the main setting for this was a planetary ecumenopolis and that's kind of my science fiction setting thing (Coruscant, I see you!) and also the main character is from a space station (my second favourite science fiction setting!), so I had to get my hands and eyes on whatever I could as soon as I could. Like Ada Palmer's Too Like the Lightning, this is a bit otherworldly and takes a chapter or two to get hold of but then all you want to do is keep going. I'm glad that I now have familiarized myself with how characters are named in The City and the mystery of what's happened to Yskandar (or rather that something has indeed happened to Yskandar). I even laughed a bit and am already hoping for a trio to be friendship goals and working together to find answers (I mean, they shared all those truths over a corpse so that has to be binding, right?). I do wonder if some readers would benefit from a glossary for in-universe words used here but on the other hand, not having one does make it more immersive and forces one to just work it out and get on with it. Not sure just a thought I had.

I've no idea if the entire galley will be on wider offer before publication day, but I do know I'll be thrilled to read the rest of this early or on publication day.

I grabbed this ARC before I realized it was only an excerpt. I simultaneously rejoiced and was dismayed: this is a gorgeous book, a book with an eye for the seductions of literature and art, and a mystery that makes things harder and twistier than they first appear. I want the rest of it yesterday, and can't have it.

This excerpt promises an intellectually engaging, intriguing novel.

The world building is unique, thorough, and intricate. It took me a bit to make sense of it all, but with in this 4 chapter excerpt, I already could understand jokes about the naming conventions, for example.

I was most taken with the character interactions between Mahit and Three Seagrass. There's such an interesting interplay of motives and culture. It's engaging, almost charming, despite the somewhat dark circumstances of Mahit's arrival.

I look forward to reading the full book when it's released!

An excerpt, not the whole book. I liked the part I read but I hated the fact that I wasn't told it was only part of the book! I can't really give a good review until I know the ending.

Awesome! I love everything I've read so far! I'm getting a mix between the world building, conquering galactic empire, and linguistic vibes of Ancillary Justice and math and dual characters of Ninefox Gambit. I can't wait to read the rest of the book.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is an interesting excerpt! really excited to read the full novel

This one grew on me. I felt that it started out with a lot of information thrown out there but not a lot happening in terms of plot, characters, or the world. It was until we started really focusing on Mahit that things got interesting. I found her interactions with Three Seagrass entertaining, and I really liked learning about The City through her eyes. The book so far reminds me of Yoon Ha Lee's Ninefox Gambit, which is a book I highly enjoyed. As of the Preview Excerpt of A Memory Called Empired, I found it slightly above average. However, if I were to continue reading, I think my overall opinion of the book would be positive.

Loved it!! Great world building, interesting characters. It was only an excerpt, but it promises to be an exceptional story. Looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

Apparently they are only offering excerpts of this one and you cannot request the full title for some reason. I think I owe them an excerpt of my review in response. This is a first novel from an author who's had some short stories published here and there. For what it's worth, I took "Arkady" as man's name (which it is) but once I started reading it came across as a woman's voice, so I looked it up and it is. Anyway, the writing flows well enough but for the beginning of a new space opera series, there's too much opera and not enough space. Literally, too, as the main planet's characters talk in rhyme as an honorific. What the story needs is another thread interwove with this one, since this is all diplomatic doublespeak as a planet's new ambassador is sent to replace her dead (murdered) predecessor (which actually means "died before"). It's a long preview but

Preview excerpt only - thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for the eGalley.

I did enjoy this excerpt of the novel to be released in March 2019. Mahit has been appointed as the new ambassador to the Teixcalaanli Empire - which is huge, from her home, Lsel Station - which is very small, because a new ambassador is required. No explanation is given for why, just send someone immediately. Now Mahit has landed in the City and her job is to use diplomatic means to keep the Station from being gobbled up by the Empire. She also has to keep a certain technological advancement from coming to the notice of the rulers of Teixcalaanli while trying to discover how the previous ambassador died. A tall order since she has found that things aren't going nearly as well on the planet as she had been lead to believe.

This was a pretty long excerpt as far as previews go. It was certainly long enough for me to know I do want to read the entire book when it becomes available. This is a very large, very well developed world which seems as if it will require finesse for the main character to work toward accomplishing her goals. Described as a space opera, the excerpt portion did not rely on brute force or combat to get the points across. Maybe that will change as the book continues on. Besides, I want to know what happens with Mahit's "technological advancement".

I am grateful for the excerpt copy. This book has a fascinating concept but I couldn't really get into the story. The writing style was too dry for my taste. I usually like detail oriented stories but this wasn't one of them. And the word choices felt like I should be reading with a dictionary. Other reviewers seemed to really like it. Just not one of them.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

A detailed preview that contains massive world-building and a bit of intrigue as one woman begins her new ambassadorship amidst political unrest only to discover her predecessor may not have died of natural causes.

Heavy on small details that can be distracting, hopefully it will lead to smooth sailing throughout the rest of the book!

True science fiction/fantasy fans are going to want to add this to their reading list, the entire book, NOT the preview! And maybe keep a dictionary or thesaurus available....

I received a complimentary ARC PREVIEW edition from Macmillan-Tor/Forge
Tor Books.

Series: Teixcalaan - Book 1
Publisher: Tor Books (March 26, 2019)
Publication Date: March 26, 2019
Genre: Scifi | Fantasy
Full Book Print Length: 464 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Having read a four chapter preview I can’t wait to read the entire book when it’s released. An amazing blend of lyricism, character, and action make for an exceptional debut novel.

An interesting premise paired with promising characters make for an exciting read. However, the writing sometimes distances the story from the reader. Other than that, this is an excellent excerpt.

Having read a four chapter preview excerpt, I am now looking forward to grabbing the entire book when it comes out. It's a science Fiction novel that channels Herbert's Dune in the sense that the characters have others' lives implanted and can draw on such memories. Also, an entire world is created with lots of detail. This far, the story is reminiscent of Asimov's Caves of Stee.

The cover of this book is just gorgeous and made me take a second look, then sign up to read the preview, which was short (75 pages on my device). The prologue and first half of the Chapter 1 are pretty cerebral and took some focus on my part (or perhaps I just needed more caffeine). There is a heavy amount of narrative up front with almost no dialogue that gets a little overwhelming and overbearing. The concept of the imago is pretty fascinating. A lot f-bombs in the first chapter was disappointing, but this is one of pet peeves. Overall, not sure what I think of this story with this sampling.

Amazing and engaging text from a notable author. Arkady Martine takes us to another world with descriptions and concise writing. This is enjoyable science fiction for the reader who wants to see a fine example of the genre. Most enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the text in its entirety.