I really enjoyed all three books. They managed to do the galactic empire thing without getting overly bogged down in politics, and character development was interesting. I thought Leckie did a good job of conveying an extended AI in multiple bodies, and a solitary form (avoiding spoilers).
I read these not long after reading the first five Murderbot Diaries books, and I wonder if the Radch books might have been an influence on Wells. Some of the themes felt a little similar, while the stories were quite different.
Anyone read them? Liked it disliked, and why?
I can’t speak FOR Wells, but in my personal experience, if you want to know an author’s influences, you usually need to look back 20-30+ years ago, or at current science developments and news, not at their contemporaries writing books in the same genre.
Martha Wells is only 2 years older than Ann Leckie, so they likely grew up reading similar SFF books in the 70s/80s/90s, and are now roughly the same age while current events swirl. I know they’ve reviewed each other’s books, but I’d be surprised if they influenced each other that much.
It’s more likely they were both influenced by mutually-read/experienced/loved books and shows from decades past.
It’s a fair point. All Systems Red came out like four or five years after Ancillary Justice, so seemed like a time frame where it could have gotten Wells thinking on the subject.