I was lucky enough to get an arc of this book awhile ago, and it sat on my Kindle just waiting. I regret that.

Why didn’t I just gobble it up, as I recommend you do? Because for some reason I had it in my head that this wasn’t set in Leckie’s Imperial Radch universe (“Ancillary Justice” and so on). I don’t know why I thought that it wasn’t, but it is.

And what a fine entry in the loosely connected series it is. It is a sort of missing person/mystery/why are aliens like that tale which is a lot of fun.

You don’t need to have read any of the previous books to appreciate this one, but you should because they’re great as well (in different ways).

I’m a sucker for a cozy mystery, and this novel is almost a cozy mystery (though it isn’t all that cozy… well, not in the way that I define cozy).

The main character is great, there’s lots of twisty science fictiony stuff, and some good old fashsioned disfunctional families thrown in for fun.

And you’d better bet there’s tea. Though it isn’t for everyone.

“Translation State” comes out on 6/6/23, and you should read it.

Translation state is a story of family and belonging set in Leckie's Radch universe. It revolves around three main characters, Qven, bred to be a Presgar translator and Reet, a mechanic who was adopted and has a loving family but longs to know what his roots are, as well as Enae who is searching for answers to a mystery of a person who disappeared over 200 years ago. The novel is built on the slowly evolving connections between these three characters, each in their own way trying to find their way and determine where they belong. Translation State is a a mystery involving these characters as well as an novel depicting quieter and more everyday aspects of Leckie's Radch universe. As in all of her books it is well written, evenly paced and satisfying. HIghly recommended.

What an awesome space adventure set in the wonderful, familiar extended Radch universe. Having read the previous work, I immediately felt at home in both the world and Leckie's writing style. I rarely see use of neo-pronouns in traditionally published work and I think that this is really cool exposure. I am really excited to get to promote this release at my library! There are also call-backs to other series (outside of just being in the extended Radch universe) like different lifeforms and beings that were present in the Ancillary series. Super cool!
I think that if you've enjoyed Leckie's previous work in this series then you're really going to feel right at home in this book. I have seen some people mention that since they didn't read any other works in the extended universe, that this world could be a bit hard to connect to at times.

Ann Leckie is back in the extended Radch universe, and she's in top form. We absolutely adored this book exploring identity, humanity, belonging, consent, and family: this time with more absurdist fun from the Presger Translators.

Translation State is written from three perspectives: Enae, Reet, and Qven. Enae has spent hir life caring for hir aging grandmother out of duty, and both surprised and yet utterly resigned to discover that sie has inherited the only bequest in hir biological family: a promise from the new heir to the family name that Enae will be supported for the rest of hir life. The new heir provides Enae with a job investigating the centuries-old disappearance of ... someone. Reet is a human making his living on a space station. After a difficult start to life (he was found abandoned in a space shuttle and has no living relatives), he was raised in a loving adoptive family. He still feels alone, and is searching for a place to belong. As the book starts, he thinks he might have found that place with a group of ethnic minorities, the Hikipi. Finally Qven, whose chapters are written in the first person, is a Presger Translator. The reader gets to experience life as a juvenile Translator growing up in an alien environment. When Qven begins to rebel against their intended destiny, their fate will become intertwined with Enae's and Reet's in ways no one could have foretold.

Although new characters are front and center here, we get starring supporting roles from characters we never knew would become our favorites. Sphene, the Geck ambassador, Tibanvori, and Dlique all appear. We're not sure we would have recognized them without a recent reread, so we're inclined to believe that this would work as a standalone, although a familiarity with the universe certainly helped us acclimate to the new environment more quickly!

In addition to loving SFF, we're also big romance readers. It was especially fun to read Leckie's take on the Translators' "matching" practices. She deftly utilizes romance tropes in new ways - as the Translators explain, matching is not sex or romance, even though humans sometimes talk about romantic entanglements the way Translators talk about matching. Here, there are elements of a marriage of convenience, "ruination" for a good match, and above all, an emphasis on consent in relationships.

Translation State is funny, poignant, and (as always with Leckie's work) makes the reader think. Absolutely recommended!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Translation State by Ann Leckie is another awesome space adventure with new characters in a familiar world. I immediately felt back in the world and style of the author’s writing. Leckie again includes different species and types of life forms that all use different pronouns but are mostly accepting of it.

The story focuses on three individuals: Enae, Reet and Qven. Their stories soon intertwine and yet each keep their perspectives throughout the story. There are also other beings and life forms you will recognize from the Ancillary series.

I hope that Leckie tells more stories in this world. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I had a difficult time connecting with this book. I just could not break into this densely woven world that Leckie has crafted. She's obviously a talented writer, but this book was not for me.

Genre: science fiction

Upon the death of hir grandmother, Enae Athtur secures a position with the Office of Diplomacy. The position is tasked with uncovering a small mystery involving the Presger Translators (human-adjacent species who speak on behalf of the Presger aliens), but ultimately it’s expected Mx Athtur will use the time to relax and travel and see the galaxy. Instead, sie uncovers the identity of Reet Hluid, a man who has never quite fit in, and finds hirself in the middle of a controversial political entanglement complete with treaty violations. Meanwhile, Presger Translator juvenile Qven, brightest of their generation, is learning that path laid out before them isn’t what they want, but rebellion brings unexpected consequences.

This new novel from Ann Leckie is set in the Imperial Radch universe. The Imperial Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy) address concerns of artificial intelligence, gender, and humanity. Provenance, the 4th book and a standalone, takes us to another corner of the universe outside of the Radch and looks at political machinations. Translation State does both of those things - looking at powers internal and external to the Radch empire, expanding outward to encompass a broader variety of races, juggles political machinations, and yet at its heart is a story of love, belonging, and acceptance.

The brilliance of Leckie’s worldbuilding is on display here. She relies on sparse details for the ships and stations, leaving that up to the readers’ imagination, and instead relies on interpersonal interactions. When Qven meets Reet, Qven has questions about why Reet refers to himself as “him,” as personal pronouns are outside of Qven’s frame of reference. In this instance, Leckie is able to use Qven’s inquiries to explain through Reet that in this corner of the universe, people try on pronouns and genders until they find what fits, at which point Qven declares “e/eir” pronouns and refers to eir as a princex.

For those unused to neopronouns, Translation State may be difficult to follow, as many characters use neopronouns and the Radch AI’s refer to everyone as “she” no matter their pronoun preference, so Reet (he/him) is referred to as “she” in some places. That said, when you are used to Leckie’s style, I argue that this makes it easier to follow which character is speaking because you can match their pronouns to them.

This was my first Ann Leckie, and while I enjoyed it I'll be advising my readers to begin where I wish I had: by reading the Ancillary Justice series before diving into this related work.

When I was granted an arc from this book, I was excited to delve into another science fiction universe. Part of me was happy after completing this book, because I was transported into a story full of adventure. I was also disappointed because I realized this book is a part of a series, making it hard for me to understand some of concepts throughout the book. I really enjoyed this book despite being somewhat confused about the plot. The universe Ann Leckie has created is full planets and systems for the reader to explore. I was actually looking through this author’s other books that take place in the same setting. I am hoping that if I read those other books, I can reread this book with a new perspective and better understanding of this fictional universe, Based on this book, Ann Leckie is an amazing science fiction writer.

I also wanted to dedicate a paragraph for my love of the character Qven in this novel. Qven’s blunt honesty made me laugh out loud so many times. This story is told by three characters but Qven was by far my favourite. I takes a lot for me to actually laugh out loud when reading a book so this character took me by surprise.

This book tries to make sense of this question: What makes us human? In a universe that is filled with all types of beings, how do we define ourselves? Is there a certain way that all life should act? This book grapples with these types of questions. Different societies on Earth place certain expectations of how one should interact with the world around them. Even on our own planet, we cannot agree on a certain set of ways that humans should behave. Imagine species across the universe trying to exist peacefully with each other. Ann Leckie is able to take current issues that we face today and apply them to a fictional future with ease.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with a copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! I have never read Ann Leckie before this but this book definitely makes me want to add her other books (especially those within the same universe) to my TBR. This was a political sci-fi perfect for fans of A Memory Called Empire and The Stars Undying, that discusses complex issues of agency, identity, and empire. In sci-fi, I am also pleased to see characters that are not humanoid or do not fall into the gender binary. That was the case in this book and I was so excited to see non-binary and neopronouns in this beautifully written, complex, and subtle space opera.
Fans of sci-fi should not miss this one.

Absolutely loved this book. I read the Ancillary series, which I also loved, and this book is every bit as good if not better. The smaller cast of characters makes this book feel less "epic" but it also allows Leckie to focus on character work, which she really excels at. Tons of discussion about gender expression and bodily autonomy, which feels very appropriate for the current moment.

Ann Leckie does it again in this amazing return to the Imperial Radch universe. This time we follow characters as they delve into what it means to be a translator to the ever-threatening Presger.

Leckie's latest is a long-awaited addition to the Imperial Radch universe and a perfect entry point for new fans. Stunning and thoughtful, "Translatin State" intertwines imperialism, linguistics, and interstellar adventure with ease.

Oh, this was probably a weird choice for my first Ann Leckie. It can absolutely be read a standalone—I wasn’t that lost. But there were many moment when it was clear I would be enjoying it more if I had several books worth of context. Still, I love a deep space opera with lots of morality questions, and this delivers all of it. Most of all, though, I love a sneaky romance in my SFF, and this delivers it so brilliantly. I loved, loved, loved Reet and Qven and I was ready to burn it all down for them.

Ann Leckie is one of my favorite authors, and this book does not disappoint (5 stars). If you are new to Leckie as an author, I would not start with this book, as it is not quite a standalone. You will be a little confused if you have not read the Ancillary trilogy, which is great, but could be skipped. However, I highly recommend Providence as critical background information; go read it and then come back to this review. This story follows three points of view, all who feel out of place in their current positions in life, and the resulting ways their journeys interconnect. One of the three was a bit hard for me to follow at the start, but the sense of being non-human is very well done and becomes easier to follow as the story progresses. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I will summarize in saying this is a wonderful book with strong plot, characterizations, and relationships, both familial and chosen. As for warnings, one character is assaulted and has resulting trauma that is delt with in a very compassionate manner.

I loved this book. It had compelling and unique characters, lots of twists in the plot, and really inventive world-building. I came to love the characters and their quest to fit in.

I started reading this book but ended up wanting to go back and first read the others in the prior series. I believe the book may be more enjoyable in this sequence. Certainly the book looks promising and I look forward to coming back and reading it.

4+

Well, Leckie has officially done it again. I love her. I love her so much.

This is the fifth book in the Imperial Radch universe, and while it can be read as a standalone, it definitely benefits from the context of its predecessors. And, it was great. If you're a fan of Leckie's other work you'll love this one too.

This follows three main characters, and they were the strength of the novel. Yes, the world is fascinating, and it's a political story, but the people at the center of it were what drove this book. It's an introspective read that quite literally confronts what it means to be human, set in an ambitious and awesome world. Also, I would fight for Qven, e's my very very favorite.

I also want to touch on how this book deals with gender. We're currently living in a world that is hostile to transgender people, and this story was a breathe of fresh air. There were five different sets of gender pronouns that I noticed being used (with no explanation for what gender they indicated), on top of a race of humans that uses she/her pronouns to describe literally everyone. So, kind of six. But with this, there was absolutely no mention of what gender someone was assigned at birth (well, mostly), and it did not give a single shit about matching up in any way with our society's traditional binary approach to gender. It was lovely.

Anyway, pick this up if you like character-driven stories, moments of coziness, and some serious politicking. It's a great book.

This is a smart and intriguing story that includes some great characters and fantastic world building. The most interesting aspects are the political ideas that delve into some really cool philosophy. Leckie's story is a great conversation starter on some really important questions concerning what it means to be a person and how we relate to others and what power looks like for different people with different status in society. Leckie takes what would be stale politics in someone else's hands and turns it into a story that is funny and full of characters that you will love. There are a couple of times where I felt the story was about to stall, but because of the characters and Leckie's great descriptions the story zooms back onto the track.

This novel is part of a larger Ancillary universe where most of the author's books are set.
It shares some characters with others but the meat of the story is from three new characters perspective.
If you laughed at the translators created by the terrifying Presger then you have some more laughter coming in this novel and some more terror.
The only reason I did not give it five stars is I think it was a few scenes too short or, maybe, too long. Enae's relationship progressed too quickly for my taste and needed more story. Since that relationship is not key to the plot it might have worked as well to forgo it or write one side a bit differently.
I still loved the book and hope for more.
My spouse also read it and gives it five stars but since this is my account I get to pick!