I was very eager to read Translation State as I was entirely captivated by her entire Imperial Radch trilogy, to which this book is closely connected. I was immediately drawn in by Ms. Leckie’s excellent prose and the fluid way she dances around questions of identity and gender. The three lead characters are each engaging and very…human, which is an essential feature of the book. That said, I found some elements too pat and convenient. Mysteries are solved too conveniently, dangers negotiated too smoothly, and everything seems a bit too genteel and likable.I think Leckie was channeling a bit of regency romance and maybe a bit of Lois McMaster Bujold, I would have liked a bit more grit and some more travails. Still, read it for the wit, the charm, and the further exploration of the Radch universe. And the truly lovely prose.

This is a fantastic follow-up to the Imperial Radch trilogy. I think it would still be enjoyable to people who haven’t read the trilogy first, as enough context is given that everything makes sense. However, I do think that while this book isn’t unapproachable for people who haven’t read the trilogy, it does reward those who have by including more layers of nuance for those already familiar with the Radch.
I loved the plot and characters. I appreciate a good found family story, especially one that isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The characters in Translation state sometimes have awkward interactions, actions with unintended consequences, etc. and that makes them all coming together meaningful. The story isn’t only wholesome and heartwarming moments. There are decent chunks of the novel dedicated to examining and dissecting empires and oppression, and the politics that fuel them. The entire story is richly layered and jam-packed with meaning. I can see myself rereading it multiple times and coming away with new insights each time.
Qven is a treasure. I laughed, I gasped; read this book if you like contemplative, witty sci-fi with a side of body horror. Seriously, I could write a whole essay about the symbolism of vivisection in this book. People, please buy this book so that I can ramble somewhere on the internet about it.

[Review to be posted to Goodreads one month prior to publication per publisher's request]

Reading Ann Leckie's latest book (Translation State, releases June 06, 2023), I found myself delighted to meet each of her new viewpoint characters. -- I also found myself craving dumplings. (Seriously, I kind of want some now, just writing this review.) Each of them is so different and yet so relatable and real, and they're coming from entirely different circumstances and places in life.
I've been a fan of her books for ages so it's no surprise I'd like this one, really, so what do I say if you're wondering if this is for you or not? Well, first, for those of you who've read the Imperial Radch trillogy and like the Presger Translators, you will not be disappointed. You know that thing that happens sometimes in fiction, with Weird Alien Stuff, where you want to know more, but if it gets explained too much, the aliens aren't all that alien anymore? Well, the Presger are fucking weird, pardon my impropriety. We get a better understanding of the Translators without the Presger becoming any less alien.
But Weird Shit isn't the only important component of this book, it's also got everybody's favorite, Themes. You know, like from English class. Like complicated family relationships, and HOW you belong to you family. And what it means to have a community claim you, and whether or not you choose to claim them back.
My recommendation is Please Read All The Ancillary Justice Books And Provenance (or audiobooks, I love Adjoa Andoh's narration and I sure hope she's doing Translation State too because I'm going to listen to it immediately).
But, if for some reason you want to read Translation State as a stand-alone? Well, you'll get some details about earlier books but it does work as a stand-alone so you won't be lost or anything. I can't stop you. Have fun. It's new characters doing new character adventures.
But the whole series is good tho
Anyway I'm going to go... eat some dumplings

I was so excited to get the email last week that I had been approved to read this book early via NetGalley. I've read all of Ann Leckie's other books, and have really enjoyed them. As a result, I had high expectations for this book, and I'm happy to report that Translation State is another excellent book. I had planned on just reading a chapter or two before going to bed, but ended up staying up a way too late as I could not put the book down.

Leckie also did an impressive job making sure that this book stands on its own. You can read this book without first reading Ancillary Justice or the other books in the Imperial Radch series. I will certainly be buying a copy for my personal library in June, as well as for my local library.

Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing an early copy to review!

Ann Leckie's books never fail to pull me in and utterly engross me, and this was no exception. It was such a delight to return to this world, and to have more pieces of it filled in. In particular Translation State worked so nicely in concert with both Imperial Radch and Provenance - seeing some familiar faces and getting different perspectives on previous events. However I also think this would work well as a standalone too. With all new perspectives, we get reintroduced to the world and the events through their eyes.
I love how comfortable the world seems - even when we're with a character who's somewhere new or distressing, I feel like I have a sense for what's going on, and I didn't feel like I had to get a third of the way into the book before I figured out the cast of characters or how the world works. Even when there was a bit of a mystery to be solved, I didn't feel frustrated because I trusted that things would make sense eventually. And they did! I love reading a book I can trust to tell me a good, satisfying story.

I loved the Imperial Radch trilogy, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC for this book. When I heard this book was about the Presger, I was super excited to read it.

First off, if you haven’t read anything in the Imperial Radch series before, do so before you read this book. Second, if you’ve read Imperial Radch, you know a little bit about the Presger; if you’re squeamish, you might want to skip. There’s some body horror that had me say OMG aloud as I was reading.

The beginning starts off well, and by the midpoint the story becomes a legal drama, and then the climax is… a contained spiral. I felt like the start was strongest, and then the book started to lose some momentum.

What’s a surprise - or maybe not, given the shades of it seen in the trilogy - is the dark humor. There were some laugh-out-loud lines, as well as a lot of heartwarming moments surrounding family and identity. Was there enough about the Presger? Well, I was hoping for more information then what we were given. Maybe another book?

Ann Leckie takes us to a world that both like and unlike our own, expanding the literary interwoven with science fiction. Translation State was enjoyable book and, strong science fiction should, raises questions about the world we live in.

Book received from NetGalley, thank you for the opportunity to read before publication.

I was delighted to read more of the Imperial Radch series! I probably would have benefited from re-reading the series before reading this book, but a quick scan of some wikipedia entries reminded me of enough to enjoy the book. I believe that some characters appeared in previous books, but that knowledge was not pivotal to this book.

Loved the characters, looking forward to possibly seeing more of them in the future.

Recommended.

As someone who never got around to reading the Imperial Radch series (which I am definitely going to have to read now), and chose to read this book because of a completely different Ann Leckie book (the Raven Tower, which I highly recommend), this is one of the best science fiction book I have read in 2023, at the time of writing this review.
I am not sure exactly how to put it into words, but I love the ways that gender was talked about in the book, in so many ways, and how gender was something that only some characters had, but others didn’t, along with the casual usage of neopronouns. There were also no real physical expectations of anyone’s appearance based on gender, which was refreshing.
Also, all of the characters are lovable, and all of them have such strong personalities, and they are all amazing. I have discovered that the second that a character in sci-fi is revealed to be attached to a television drama I instantly love them more, or when they are just finding out who they are as an adult.
There is also one major element of the plot, which I will not share for spoiler reasons, but gives me very strong Locked Tomb vibes, which is the highest of commendations.

Translation State by Ann Leckie is a superbly written book that I couldn’t put down from start to finish. It's another example of the engrossing and thoughtful science fiction everyone has come to expect from Ann Leckie.

The story is told from the perspectives of three separate protagonists who are brought together as the plot progresses. The topics this story deals with are ones about consent, family, identity, coming of age, and what it means to be human. Even though the story of Translation State is centered around two juvenile Presger translators (alien-human hybrids), it does take place in the Imperial Radch universe and includes callbacks to previous Imperial Radch books.

I honestly have no complaints and can think of nothing but good things to say. If you are looking for something to read, I can wholeheartedly recommend you read Translation State.

I wanted to like this but the places the plot is going to go are not something I find appealing and also just overall something we have seen time and time again,