Cup of tea, cup of tea, almost killed Anaander Mianai, cup of tea? (Imperial Radch)

I haven't seen a thread for Imperial Radch, so I thought I'd start one?

I did not think I would like the trilogy as much as I did. This is mostly because "ungendered society, uses the "she" pronoun" seemed slightly pretentious to me. Then I started seeing a lot of posts from @roach and other about Imperial Radch, so I let myself be talked (or rather posted) into reading Ancillary Justice.

And it was awesome. Breq is awesome. Seivarden is awesome, they are all awesome. The feeling of "this is awesome" continued with Sword and Mercy. I loved the characterization and the plotting, and the way it was space opera and (sort of) MilSF while not actually following the general themes/plots or concepts of MilSF or space opera?

Spoiler: slightly spoilery bullet points

• Breq's determination to do the impossible in a kind of bizarrely inverted parable about the star fish and the person chucking them back in the water "I killed (or shot) that one."
• "Drive the space ship closer I want to shoot her with my gun"
  
• Breq. Singing. Through the entire series. People getting nervous when she stops.
• Kalr 5's love of fine china/tea sets.
  
• The Translators. pfff.
• Anaander freaking out because, "wrong Translator, oh shit!"
  
• The entire "I have a hostage,"/"no you have someone in need of medical care" thing
• Seivarden in all her aspects, but especially when being Loyal, or Getting Lectured About Her Massive Fucking Privilege.
  
• Tisarwhat (whose name I'm probably misspelling.)
  
• The concept of "baby lieutenants" (Which is not very much at all like milsf writer David Weber's trope of "inexperienced officer and the grumbly noncom who teaches the officer how to officer.")

 

I laughed out loud. BANG "Made a difference to that one."

i love love the whole thing where if you're in tune with the ship, you're like, the ancillaries have their own way to express ship feels


Also, there is another thread (X), but it hasn't been active since May, so do what you want with that information

 

Well, it took me a while to remember/look up the Buffy quote so I could parody it, so.

I wish I'd phrased the starfish line the way you did.

 

i love how perfectly it plays the trope of 'myopic grump fails to notice how devoted their subordinates are to them'. that's like one of my favorite favorite things in a story. breq is the most darling grump ever. i get the idea that she was actually a pretty chill and friendly spaceship, but as a single person, she is really pissed off.

 

GOD I love these books.

 

A song that reminded me of Breq.



I broke something I'll never get, I'll never get back
Brought me to my knees
A head like steel and a soul of gold
And a heart that's made of glass
But mine's cracked!

 

Oh, this song is perfectly Breq!

 

BREQ CALLED TISARWAT DARLING CHILD. I don't think I will ever truly be over that. I need ten more books in this series.

 

I need enough books in the series to know that Breq's new polity is successful and doesn't get eaten by whatever anaander clone comes out on top. (I was not reassured by the ending.)

 

i read the second book first and genuinely had no idea it was a sequel. i read the third book, too, but i still haven't read the first. : |

 

the first is really good! i recommend it.

 

i do want to read it! iirc the library didn't have a copy and that's why i assumed the second one was first. cause like. why would they have a copy of book 2 but not book 1.

//shrug

 

This is also a thing that happens at my library. It drives me nuts.

 

hope no one minds if I attempt to resurrect this thread, I just really really love these books and want to talk about them to people! Anyway, here's the song that always makes me think of Breq.

 

Got the first book because of some fanart one of you peeps posted somewhere else of it. Not sire when ill get to reading it though

 

Yeah I think there's a suggestion that ancillaries are, like, sometimes just off quietly having sex in closets? Maybe I'll go look for a citation. Sounds like a good way to waste an evening :P

 

Yeah I think Breq straight-up mentions that, but basically treats it as masturbation.

 

my name is breq
and wen im mad
or wen a plan
is goin bad
i singa song
is old or new
i do my job

i luv my crew