Ancillary Sword
ISBN: 9780356502410
Description
Breq is a soldier who used to be a warship. Once a weapon of conquest controlling thousands of minds, now she only has a single body and serves the emperor she swore to destroy. Given a new ship and a troublesome crew, Breq is ordered to the only place in the galaxy she will agree to go: to Athoek station, to protect the family of a lieutenant she once knew - a lieutenant she murdered in cold blood.
Reviewed on 19th October 2025
An absolutely amazing sequel that takes the character from the first book and puts her into a new situation, shining a light back on the real world, while exploring new cultures.
Some of the detail of the first novel escapes my memory now, but that didn't matter at all, as only the broad brushstrokes really mattered to setting up this second story.
This is a tale of someone seeking redemption, trying to put the world to rights, and trying to protect their loved ones. I really loved being with this character again, and seeing them in this new situation.
The world-building is amazing - there's so much going on, across multiple situations, and having that all come together and serve the story is very impressive.
I absolutely loved revisiting this world, and am looking forward to reading the third book (and I've recently learned there are more stories in this universe as well!)