Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee is the first book in the Machineries of Empire trilogy. This is the summary of the book at the author's website:
Kel Cheris, a disgraced captain of the hexarchate, is given the opportunity to redeem herself by recapturing the formidable Fortress of Scattered Needles from heretics. Cheris requests—and receives—a single devastating weapon to aid her in her task: the revived, near-immortal traitor, General Shuos Jedao. Feared throughout the stars and undefeated in battle, he is the perfect weapon. But Jedao is gripped by a madness that saw him massacre two armies in his first life—one of them his own. Preserved for his brilliance and tamed by his handlers, no one knows how long his good behaviour will last. Cheris must work with the mass murderer to destroy the heresy and save the hexarchate—before he destroys her…
A tale of math, madness, and massacres in outer space.
My Thoughts:
This is a science fiction book and specifically a military space opera. In many ways, it feels as much like fantasy as science fiction. Here the reader is dropped into a universe where the scientific laws that govern the universe are based on a "calendrical" mathematics system that seems more like magic. There are groups of heretics who refuse to follow the accepted mathematics systems. However, there is no attempt to explain all of this to the reader. For at least the first third of this book I had no idea what was going on.
On top of that, there were no characters that I cared about or could invest in.
At the point that I was about to give up on the book, I read a review that called this book "brain-breaking" but also said to just hang in there and it would be worth it. That reviewer was right and it was worth reading. I finally caught onto the general idea of what was going on, and was hoping that the author was going to give me a satisfactory ending. And I did get it. I was invested in the two main characters; the ending was amazing. That is good, because I already have a copy of the second book in this series, Raven Strategy.
So, if you like science fiction, you might want to try this series, or at least read a few reviews of the book to get other opinions.
Additional notes:
I have read military science fiction before; John Scalzi's Old Man's War series is an example. But those stories are remarkably easy to read compared to this one.
Apparently there are a lot of science fiction books / series that start out like this series, throwing the reader into an imaginary setting with little explanation. Readers are divided on whether they like that or not. And now I can think of mystery novels (with sort of a science fiction or fantasy flavor) that are this way too. For example, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.
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Publisher: Solaris Books, 2016
Length: 384 pages
Format: Trade paperback
Series: Machineries of Empire, #1
Setting: Outer Space
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: On my TBR since 2020.
16 comments:
The primary model for most writers of military sf still tends to be Robert Heinlein, who was an enthusiast for the Start in the Middle approach, to one extent or another in all his work. Some of his peers and immediate successors such as Alfred Bester, A, E. Van Vogt, Philip K. Dick and Fritz Leiber worked their own variations on similar rhythms. Kate Wilhelm, Carol Emshwiller, Kit Reed, Joanna Russ did likewise as they rolled in over the next few years...
I'm glad you felt that this was worth the read, Tracy. It's interesting the author had this different sort of approach to putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and I can see how you might have almost given up. But still, it's an interesting sort of premise, and I respect an author who create entirely different worlds like this.
Todd, I have only read a few books by a few of those writers. I read some Heinlein books a long time ago and don't remember much about them. I will keep what you say in mind when I read something by those authors.
I will never be a truly experienced reader of science fiction because I don't have time to read all the science fiction authors I want to. I do especially want to read some science fiction (novels) by Kate Wilhelm and Joanna Russ.
In this case, I don't know how the author could have explained it all without doubling the size of the book and it probably would not as been as good. However, I know a lot of readers would just give up on a book with that approach at 25 or 50 pages, so I wanted to share my experience.
I rarely give up on a book, Margot. In this case the writing was good enough to keep me involved and curious, so I kept working at it.
I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but this sounds good.
Ryan, I wish I could read more books from every genre, but there is just a limit to what I read. I did enjoy this one. I had read one of Yoon Ha Lee's short stories and that pushed me in his direction.
If I was reading this for one of my book groups I would have stuck it out but otherwise, life is too short. And especially for a genre I rarely read.
You are braver than I am .... to read military sci-fi. Usually I will stick a book out as well .... but this one seems like I'd be lost. I admit I don't read much sci-fi or fantasy. I'm glad you liked it by the end .... it's great when books turn around for the reader.
I rarely give up on books just for that reason... hanging in there can be worth the wait. I'm glad this one worked out that way for you.
I've read "space opera" before (have you read any H. Beam Piper?) and that might be what Heinlein's Starship Troopers is considered. That said, I don't think this is one that interests me at the moment.
Patti, the author's writing style kept me interested and curious even though I was very frustrated at times.
I agree, Susan, it is lovely when a book that is questionable ends on a good note.
I did not think I would like military science fiction and put off reading John Scalzi's Old Man's War for long time, but it was really a good read. This one I sort of went into blind, not knowing about the military stuff, and it was really brutal. But in the end, worth it. The Stargate SG-1 series is one of our favorites show; it went on forever and we have rewatched it multiple times. That one is definitely military science fiction.
Kelly, it is very unusual for me to give up on a book. I can't read books with torture in them, but most other books I will complete. And I have found that most books with problems end up with good endings that make up for the problems.
I am glad you asked about H. Beam Piper. I have not read anything by him, but I have a book of novelettes that another blogger sent me. You reminded me to start reading that.
Although I think I am going to like this series, I would not recommend it to anyone to try. Yoon Ha Lee has also written a middle grade series and a Young Adult series.
I do want to read more science fiction. Maybe the best approach is the magazine Fantasy and Science fiction that way I get to know who the writers are right now and which one may be for me.
I think that is a great way to go, Kathy. You can see which writers produce different kinds of stories. I am always surprised at the variety.
I probably wouldn't have stuck with this one...glad the ending made it worthwhile. It does sound like a uniquely interesting sci fi story.
Lark, when I was frustrated with the book, I was looking at reviews to see if I was the only one or if I was missing something. So when I found confirmation from various sources that it was very complex and hard to understand from the beginning, it encouraged me to hang in there. I probably would have finished it anyway... out of curiosity. But I can understand the readers who did bail on it; they just were not interested in that kind of story.
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