The Plot
The book's protagonist Mahit hails from the space station - Lsel. It mines materials and is also in a region of space that contains a vital Jump gate that enables long-distance space travel. Lsel Station is neutral but lives under the constant threat of annexation by the Teixcalaan Empire. Furthermore, the station pilots have uncovered troubling reports of new Alien species that pose a severe threat to the Station. These opposing dangers form the backdrop for this book's plot.
The plot centers around Mahit and her appointment as Lsel ambassador to Teixcalaaan - a planet city that is the seat of the Teixcalaan empire. Her predecessor has met an untimely death under mysterious circumstances, and she could be the next target.
The Review
I would have given this book 3 stars if I had "read" it.
The audiobook, in my opinion, adds an extra 0.9 stars to my rating.
This was less of a sci-fi story and more of a crime mystery embellished with political intrigue that just happened to take place in a technologically advanced setting. I did enjoy the interactions between Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass. However, the plot progression did not allow their characters to be sufficiently developed. Furthermore, in my opinion, Yskandr Agavin's re-introduction was entirely predictable but happened a little too late in the plot. I would have loved to see more conflict between the two unintegrated minds of Mahit and Yskandr.
The Sci-Fi
Imago machine
The Imago Machine is a tiny device implanted into an individual's brain. It serves to bootstrap that person with prior memories. Drawing on these memories helps avoid relearning lived experiences. This is useful for the citizens of Lsel Station as it helps preserve generational knowledge. People with Imago machines must undergo a year of therapy to ensure the preceding personalities recede.
The Imago machine reminded me of the Trill - from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. The Trill are an alien species, some of whom hosted a symbiote. These symbiotes could be transferred to a new host before the previous host's death. The transfer ensured the preservation of memories. However, unlike the Imago machine, the symbiote transfer process merged Trill's and symbiotes' personalities.
Sky Hooks
The entire citizen population of the capital has wearable eyepieces that allow them access to a capital's information network. This device is called Sky Hook and reminded me very much of Google Glass.
Infofiche Sticks
The Infofiche Sticks are a retro-futuristic piece of tech introduced by this book. Official correspondence is programmed into beautifully decorated devices (USB sticks) that holographically project messages when opened. In contrast to the Sky Hooks, this was a novel way of personalizing communications. It places more weight on the transmission since it is communicated in a physical device.