0316246689 (S) (44 page)

“Unexpected, compelling and very cool. Ann Leckie nails it.”

—John Scalzi

“Establishes Leckie as an heir to Banks and Cherryh.”

—Elizabeth Bear

“Powerful, arresting, beautiful space opera…. Leckie makes it look so easy.”

—Kameron Hurley

“Total gamechanger. Get it, read it, wish to hell you’d written it. Ann Leckie’s
Ancillary Justice
may well be the most important book Orbit has published in ages.”

—Paul Graham Raven

“It’s by turns thrilling, moving and awe-inspiring.”

—
Guardian

“
Ancillary Justice
is the mind-blowing space opera you’ve been needing…. This is a novel that will thrill you like the page-turner it is, but stick with you for a long time afterward.”

—
io9

“This impressive debut succeeds in making Breq a protagonist readers will invest in, and establishes Leckie as a talent to watch.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Assured, gripping, and stylish…. An absorbing thousand-year history, a poignant personal journey, and a welcome addition to the genre.”

—
NPR Books

“A stunning, fast-paced debut.”

—
Shelf Awareness

“It’s not every day a debut novel by an author you’d never heard of before derails your entire afternoon with its brilliance. But when my review copy of
Ancillary Justice
arrived, that’s exactly what it did. In fact, it arrowed upward to reach a pretty high position on my list of best space opera novels ever.”

—Liz Bourke, Tor.com

“This is not entry-level SF, and its payoff is correspondingly greater because of that.”

—
Locus

“I cannot find fault in this truly amazing, awe-inspiring debut novel from Ann Leckie….
Ancillary Justice
is one of the best science fiction novels I’ve ever read.”

—
The Book Smugglers

“Ann Leckie’s
Ancillary Justice
does everything science fiction should do. It engages, it excites, and it challenges the way the reader views our world.”

—Staffer’s Book Review

Praise for
Ancillary Sword

“Powerful.”

—
The New York Times

“Fans of space operas will feast on its richly textured, gorgeously rendered world-building.”

—
Entertainment Weekly

“Leckie proves she’s no mere flash in the pan with this follow-up to her multiple-award-winning debut space opera,
Ancillary Justice
.”

—
Kirkus

“The sort of space opera audiences have been waiting for.”

—
NPR Books

“This follow-up builds on the world and characters that the author introduced in the first book and takes the story in new directions. There is much more to explore in Leckie’s universe, one of the most original in SF today.”

—
Library Journal
(starred review)

“Breq’s struggle for meaningful justice in a society designed to favor the strong is as engaging as ever. Readers new to the author will be enthralled, and those familiar with the first book will find that the faith it inspired has not been misplaced.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“A gripping read, with top-notch world building and a set of rich subtexts about human rights, colonialism—and (yes) hive mind sex.”

—
io9

“Superb…
Sword
proves that [Leckie]’s not a one-hit wonder. I look forward to the rest of Breq’s tale.”

—
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“An ambitious space opera that proves that
Justice
was no fluke…. A book every serious reader of science fiction should pick up.”

—
RT Book Reviews

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Contents

1. Cover
   
2. Title Page
   
3. Welcome
   
4. Chapter 1
   
5. Chapter 2
   
6. Chapter 3
   
7. Chapter 4
   
8. Chapter 5
   
9. Chapter 6
   
10. Chapter 7
    
11. Chapter 8
    
12. Chapter 9
    
13. Chapter 10
    
14. Chapter 11
    
15. Chapter 12
    
16. Chapter 13
    
17. Chapter 14
    
18. Chapter 15
    
19. Chapter 16
    
20. Chapter 17
    
21. Chapter 18
    
22. Chapter 19
    
23. Acknowledgments
    
24. Extras
    
25. Meet the Author
    
26. A Preview of
    Aurora
    
27. A Preview of
    The Lazarus War: Artefact
    
28. By Ann Leckie
    
29. Praise for the ARTHUR C. CLARKE, NEBULA, BSFA, and HUGO award-winning Ancillary Justice
    
30. Orbit Newsletter
    
31. Copyright
    

Copyright

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2015 by Ann Leckie

Excerpt from
Aurora
copyright © 2015 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Excerpt from
The Lazarus War: Artefact
copyright © 2015 by Jamie Sawyer

Cover design by Kirk Benshoff

Cover illustration by John Harris

Cover copyright © 2015 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Orbit

Hachette Book Group

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First ebook edition: October 2015

Orbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group.

The Orbit name and logo are trademarks of Little, Brown Book Group Limited.

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ISBN 978-0-316-24667-5

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