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Books like A Memory Called Empire
24 connected reads, with a reason for every recommendation.
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8 reading possibilities- 01
An envoy shaped by a fragmented artificial intelligence navigates imperial power and questions of personhood in this award-winning space opera.
- 02
A brilliant outsider enters an empire’s machinery of power, where political strategy and personal loyalties collide.
- 03
A disgraced captain and an unusual strategist navigate the rigid doctrines and political machinery of a far-reaching empire.
- 04
An unexpected connectionA young man raised to kill a god navigates a city where political power and religious belief shape everyday reality.
- 05
An arranged marriage between two men becomes entangled with an investigation that could destabilize interstellar diplomacy.
- 06
An envoy’s mission on a wintry world tests the limits of cultural understanding and political trust.
- 07
A peaceful ocean-dwelling society confronts an imperial threat through nonviolent resistance and careful negotiation.
- 08
An unexpected connectionTestimonies from human and humanoid crew members turn a workplace inquiry into a spare meditation on memory and belonging.
Explore 16 more recommendations
- 09
A physicist’s journey between contrasting worlds explores how political systems shape individual lives.
- 10
A woman able to travel between alternate Earths becomes a valuable and vulnerable figure in a stratified society.
- 11
In a world shaped by failing godlike machines, a damaged archivist and a former pilot become caught in a struggle over power.
- 12
An unexpected connectionAcross centuries of planetary engineering, a community struggles over who gets to shape a world and who gets to call it home.
- 13
A captive princess and a maid with dangerous powers form an alliance against an oppressive empire.
- 14
A tech entrepreneur is swept into a vast interstellar conflict involving an enigmatic empress and unlikely allies.
- 15
A diverse ship’s crew takes on a dangerous assignment while negotiating the cultures and relationships that hold them together.
- 16
An unexpected connectionA civil servant assigned to supervise a time-displaced explorer finds that an official program carries personal and political complications.
- 17
A mysterious boy connects the lives of a spacefaring crew and a woman shaped by the vast reach of interstellar commerce.
- 18
A murder investigation unfolds in two intertwined cities whose residents are trained not to see one another.
- 19
An unusual detective and his assistant investigate a baffling death in an empire facing extraordinary threats.
- 20
An unexpected connectionTwo travelers escort a captive moon-god through an empire in a formally inventive tale of resistance and storytelling.
- 21
A researcher investigating signs of octopus intelligence encounters questions about consciousness, communication, and control.
- 22
A young woman trains for a perilous role in a kingdom where rulers must contend with powerful spirits of nature.
- 23
A priestess who escapes a destined sacrifice becomes a powerful player in conflicts among rival rulers and gods.
- 24
An unexpected connectionNew York’s living boroughs take human form and must work together against a force seeking to remake the city.
About the book
Arkady Martine’s 2019 science-fiction novel follows an ambassador navigating a powerful empire, murder, and questions of identity and memory. It won the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
About the author
Arkady Martine is a science-fiction writer and historian whose work often draws on the history and politics of empires.