Translation State (SF) - Ann Leckie *****

It seems that Ann Leckie has won every SF award going, but this was the first of her books I'd read - and now I have, I can see why she has been so successful.

Translation State features three key characters: Enae, a dispossessed scion of a rich family who is given a make-work job to hunt for a lost fugitive and decides to make something of it and really commit to the search; Reet, an adopted young man who gets into murky depths when trying to uncover his origins; and Qven, an apparently alien lifeform who is coming to the end of a strange and dangerous upbringing.

The threads of those three characters' lives come together, with both Reet and Qven discovering they are not what they seem. All three are plunged into a dangerous political situation that is then made worse by terrorist action.

It's all beautifully written, and Qven's upbringing and nature as a would-be Presger Translator (beings who act as intermediaries between humans and the very alien Presger) is some of the best alien-feeling scenario building I've seen in science fiction. It's a book I had to read quickly because I needed to know what was going to happen - always a good sign. This book is set in Leckie's Radch universe, but not having read any other of the books previously wasn't a problem, this being a standalone story.

I do find the popular style of having chapters alternating between, in this case, three main protagonists has become clichéd - it has been done so much it deserves a rest. I did also find the slew of alternative pronouns could be confusing, particularly when a character was first introduced and it wasn't clear what/who a sort-of word such as 'e' referred to. I also felt some of the abilities of the Translators verged on fantasy rather than science fiction. But that didn't prevent the book being hugely enjoyable.

Overall, reading this book was a great experience. Usually when this happens, I eagerly get hold of other books by the same author, but the descriptions I've seen of Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy didn't inspire me - I might still put a toe in the water, though, and I'll certainly be looking out for more of her standalone titles.

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Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here

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