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Raven Stratagem

(The Machineries of Empire #2)

Yoon Ha Lee

4.13 · Rating details · 6,831 ratings · 798 reviews

From New York Times best-selling author Yoon Ha Lee. The stunning second act in the Hugo Award nominated Machineries of Empire series!

Captain Kel Cheris is possessed by a long-dead traitor general. Together they must face the rivalries of the hexarchate and a potentially devastating invasion.

When the hexarchate's gifted young captain Kel Cheris summoned the ghost of the l ...more

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Paperback, 355 pages

Published June 13th 2017 by Solaris

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· 6,831 ratings · 798 reviews

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May 18, 2017 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera, worldbuilding-sf

Re-read 4/10/18:

I have no complaints about my previous review. :) I enjoyed it just as much and just want to add one thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-v9...

Original review:

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I think it's safe to say that I'm a fanboy of this writer. I was blown away by the flashy greatness of the first novel, the quantum-perception nature of a whole society versus other whole societies, and especially the absolute craziness of having an undead general in your brain to help y ...more

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May 24, 2018 Samantha rated it liked it

I liked this significantly more than the first installment. It may have been a combination of listening to it on audio and it being much more character focused. I do still find myself not following the plot at points and losing interest, but not as much as book 1.

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Dec 12, 2016 Philip rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-releases, space-opera, author-of-color, sci-fi, hugo, author-man

4ish stars.

An improvement in all areas on the already impressive Ninefox Gambit, reading this makes me glad I gave a second chance to NG. The POV characters are much more interesting and relevant, the pacing is much more consistent and the prose is just as military-grade immaculate.

This is expansive, unprecedented military space opera done right. If that sounds like your jam, go ahead and spread it on thick. If you're like me and feel intimidated or if it just isn't your preferred genre, give it ...more

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May 17, 2017 Gary rated it it was amazing

Extended Review at https://1000yearplan.com/2017/05/17/r...

I must admit I was shocked and a little disappointed when I got through the first chapter of Raven Stratagem. Not because it was bad, mind you; it was just that my memory of the first chapter of Ninefox Gambit – which unceremoniously barrel kicks you into a huge flaming pit of WHAT-THE-F***-IS-THIS – was still fresh in my mind nearly a year later. Compared to that, the kickoff for Raven Stratagem is just so damned conventional: setup and ...more

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May 03, 2017 Michael rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, space-opera, science-fiction, fiction

A terrific space opera from an emerging talent who is already in the running in this year’s Hugo Awards for the first entry in this trilogy, Ninefox Gambit. I will have to go back and read that, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity of supping on this one through Netgalley. I had to catch up fast on the setting here, a large interstellar system of planets with faster-than-light travel and governed by six factions, the Hexarchate. Each group of the ruling confederate has areas of specialty in the A terrific space opera from an emerging talent who is already in the running in this year’s Hugo Awards for the first entry in this trilogy, Ninefox Gambit. I will have to go back and read that, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity of supping on this one through Netgalley. I had to catch up fast on the setting here, a large interstellar system of planets with faster-than-light travel and governed by six factions, the Hexarchate. Each group of the ruling confederate has areas of specialty in the power politics at large, which relates to divergences in their biology, religion, technological innovation, and military among their various star systems. It was a bit hard to keep track of, but the challenge was eased by the book’s focus on characters from two of the six, the Kel and the Shuos, with the former masters of military warfare and the latter of industry, espionage, and cut-throat political maneuvering. The political intrigue and military action, as well as the creative adaptations of technology that Lee pulls off, should satisfy many fans of space opera. A caveat is that a lot of the action is at the leader and general level, missing out on the realism and edge of the grunt soldier’s perspective. Also, the workings of the exotic technology put into play (such as weapons the warp the laws of physics and relative rates of time or ones that “winnow” a massive field of space to bits or atoms perhaps) is usually quite sketchy in terms of justification, leaving it close to magic. Instead of information dumps about technology, we get diversions into the quirky habits and hobbies of the four main characters. More than anything, this book is concerned with the psychology and intersections of a set of four likeable characters with big significance for the fate of humanity is under external threat from aliens and internal threat from within the Hexarchate.

In a thrilling kickoff for the book, we are placed in the middle of a momentous action in the fleet of military spacecraft sent out by the Kel to fight an invading alien fleet from a neighboring part of the galaxy, the Hafn. Aboard the flagship an officer comes aboard and takes charge by virtue of demonstrating himself to be the incarnated personality of infamous General Jedao in the body of female Captain Cheris. Because I didn’t know Cheris as a main character in the first book, I was easily lulled into forgetting the potential contribution of her personality to the hybrid commander. The existing female commander, General Khiruev, knows Jedao’s reputation both as a Shous who proved successful as a Kel general in tough campaigns for the confederacy and as an insane commander who sacrificed a large body of men and murdered officers hundreds of years ago in a dodgy suicidal action to win one war. Her first instinct is to shut Jedao down, but as the Kel are biological programmed somehow to follow all orders of superiors (called “formation instinct”), she must struggle hard to even consider actions of a treasonous nature. The set-up of Jedao in power of an independent fleet and Khiruev always wavering between supporting his genius and intervening to head off some disaster from his madness the latter makes for a fascinating interplay throughout the book and leads to an elegant surprise by the end.

The other two main characters are equally compelling and colorful in their own way and also critical to the future of humanity. One is the Shuos Hexarch, Mikodez, whom I love because of the vigor of his enjoyment of the perks of his decades at the top and of the management of his webs of power, all the while keeping sane by gardening and mentally jousting with his brother and his spymaster. While some of Mikodez sexual proclivities can turn anyone’s stomach, his solid insights on what’s really going on propels our little glimmers of enlightenment. He is less concerned about the invading Hafn than about the portentious disappearance of the Naija Hexarch, who not long ago accomplished immortality by some feat of bioengineering science their faction excels at. If that capability is not threat enough to the balance of power, the Naijan’s mastery of something termed calendrical mathematics and temporal physics that allows them to dominate in the setting of the Hexarchate’s adherence to a mysterious system that, if changed, could affect the special powers of the various Hexarch factions. The fourth character, Brexan, is a former executive officer of Khireuv who gets tapped by Kel Command to assist in the takeover of the fleet from Jedao. He is refreshing because of his balance of no-nonsense pragmatism, sardonic humor, and audacious bravery somewhat in the vein of Bruce Willis in the “Die Hard” movies. Like all good soldiers he knows when to take his pleasures now, for tomorrow we may die. In this case the pleasures being the bed of his assigned partner on the quest, an elegant tiger of a woman of the Anadan faction skilled at diplomacy, seduction, and assassination.

While some books in a series leave you on a cliffhanger, this one was fair at reaching a decent plateau for the wait for the closing volume. The mystery behind the missing Naijan Hexarch and prospects of changes to the calendric physics of the galaxy and power of the other Hexarchs remain as big unresolved plot elements. I still have the first volume to happily backtrack with. Definitely a fun ride.

This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
...more

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Jun 14, 2018 Connor rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018booktubesffshortlist, science-fiction

My Video Review
https://youtu.be/IHPhg59j-fk

Woah! I did not expect this to be such an easy read after my experience with the first book. You can jump straight back into the world with ease. His one has more of a focus on characters which lessened the confusing aspects of the first book for me. I did tend to lose my bearings sometimes during battle scenes, but otherwise I really enjoyed this a lot! I liked the representation of different people and how diversity and fluidity is the norm. There is ...more

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Jun 22, 2016 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

After the events of Ninefox Gambit, the undead and possibly mad general Shuos Jedao is free and possessing the body of Kel Cheris. Rather than immediately seek revenge on the hexarchs for his time in the black cradle, Jedao takes a Kel Swarm and leads it in a defense of the hexarchate against an incursion of the Hafn. Meanwhile the Shuos hexarch Mikodez watches in horror as the other hexarchs make a bid for immortality, condemning the hexarchate to a potential eternal rule of their insanity.

This ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Megan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mm, poly, mf, established-romance, toxic-love

It feels like all I've done since Ninefox Gambit came out is try and convince people to read it, and now I have another weapon to use in my battle against those who resist my will. Read Ninefox Gambit because then you get to read the sequel. And trust me, you want to read the sequel.

In what has already been a year of fantastic books for me Raven Stratagem is the best one yet. It takes everything I loved about Ninefox Gambit and just makes it even better. It also does what the very best sequels d It feels like all I've done since Ninefox Gambit came out is try and convince people to read it, and now I have another weapon to use in my battle against those who resist my will. Read Ninefox Gambit because then you get to read the sequel. And trust me, you want to read the sequel.

In what has already been a year of fantastic books for me Raven Stratagem is the best one yet. It takes everything I loved about Ninefox Gambit and just makes it even better. It also does what the very best sequels do; it makes me want to reread Ninefox Gambit with all the new information I've learned in mind.

The Raven Stratagem picks up just a short while after Ninefox Gambit leaves off, and by the end of the first chapter Jedao has captured for himself an entire swarm. Because, like, of course he has. What he plans to do with them, is not so clear. Unlike Ninefox Gambit, which stuck pretty close to Cheris/Jedao, Raven Stratagem follows three other main characters; two senior ranking Kel and, awesomely, the leader of the Shuos. I say awesomely because Mikodez, big boss Shuos dude, is just the best character ever and in a weird way probably the most likeable character in these books so far. Which is just hilarious considering who he is and the faction he's head of.

The three main pov characters are each interesting in their own ways (obviously Mikodez is the most interesting but there can only be one Mikodez) and it also meant that the reader was kept in the dark as to what Jedao's motivations were, and, more pressingly at least for me, how much if any of Cheris had survived the previous book. The book kept me guessing about this and I loved it.

The plot was fantastic and there were some really epic and awesome space battles, if space battles are your thing, and of course they are because, hello, space battles. Overall things weren't as bewildering as in Ninefox Gambit, which took real joy in confusing the reader. Part of this is probably because I was a bit more familiar with the universe, but the author also seemed a bit more willing to actually explain somethings. Very grudgingly, true, but I'll take it. I feel like I actually kind of understand calandrical warfare now, just so long as no one asks me to explain it.

I also enjoyed the book's approach to gender, which as opposed to say Anne Leckie's much discussed pronoun trickery in the Ancillery books which ultimately was little more than plot dressing, feels much more radical in Raven Stratagem. And it's sad that I can describe it like that, as radical, when really it boils down to, oh that's your gender? Cool. I'm not sure of your gender so I won't assume until I'm sure, ok? Cool. I see you prefer to be referred to as they and not a specific gender, so, cool. It's all cool. The connect/disconnect because who we are on the inside verses what we are on the outside wasn't the biggest part of this book, but it was something that really made me think.

Raven Stratagem, when it wasn't making me think about stuff, also made me snicker a lot and then also decided to break my heart. All the best books break your heart just a little, and Raven Stratagem definitely didn't do a half arsed job of it. So many tears from me, I'm surprised I didn't fry my kindle.

So yes. Thrilling, thought provoking, wickedly funny and absolutely heartbreaking. That's Raven Stratagem, it's all those things, often at the same time. If you haven't read it yet I envy you the ride you have in store. ...more

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Jul 07, 2019 Erik rated it it was ok

Shelves: scififantasy, detailed-review

WARNING: SECOND BOOK SLUMP ALERT. I’m having flashbacks of the Ancillary series all over again. No, no, NO! You can’t make me relive that, you can’t, I won’t, NO!

Hey, hey, calm down there self, calm down, it’s not that bad. *pats self on back* There, there. Have a juice box. Pomegranate. Yummy. And good for prostate cancer. Maybe a cookie too. Yes, a cookie will make it all right. And remember, it’s just a book.

Whew, got a little nonplussed there. Funny word that, nonplussed, bit of an autoanton ...more

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Aug 13, 2016 Renay marked it as to-read

I NEED IT.

...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Silvana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mine-mine-mine, poc-diaspora-authors, fyeahfantasy, sci-fi, space-the-final-frontier, lgbtqia, military-sf, z-sff-2018-reading-challenge, z-sl-sword-challenge-2018, z-hugo-nominees-2018

Have you ever read a series that is so bizarre and yet so fulfilling? Mine is Machineries of Empire. The first book, Ninefox Gambit, for me was one of the best reads of 2017. It was so refreshing, confusing, and engaging at the same time. The universe was as weird or even weirder than Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought. Calendars and maths as belief system/technology/weapon? I have never read anything like it.

And the characters, oh my gosh, I love the characters and the dialogues! Even in this seco ...more

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Mar 18, 2017 Acqua rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aoc, best-mcs, sci-fi, q, qf, love-cover, z2017-favs, q-allcast, mi-ndv, db

It's difficult for me to put into words how much I love this book. Or this series. Just the fact that I can't tell which of the three books I like the most is something, since before reading this series, I could always easily rank my favorites.

Raven Stratagem is as good as its predecessor, but very different from it, with a much wider focus that doesn't concentrate on only one battle. Which means that the clockwork efficiency the first book had in its pacing and plot is lost, but so much is gain ...more

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Jul 16, 2020 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, review-copy, audiobooks, audible

4.5 Stars
This is one of those fantastic cases where the second book was even better than the first! I really enjoyed Ninefox Gambit, but I absolutely loved Raven Stratagem.

Compared to the first book, this sequel felt much more accessible. The story and character motivations were just more clearly explained. I am now also have a strong grasp how the politics, mathematics and calendar system relate to the larger worldbuilding, which certainly helped.

The best aspect of this second book was the cha ...more

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May 19, 2017 Carly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, worldbuilding, scifi, favorites, title-love

Ninefox Gambit was one of the best books I read in 2016. Raven Stratagem might be even better. This whole series is utterly, gloriously, astoundingly brilliant.

Welcome to the world of the hexarchate, where total participation in rigid ritual not only keeps control of the population; it also warps the topology of reality to create "exotic effects" that keeps the hexarchate in power. The hexarchate is ruled by six factions: the Rahal, who make the rules; the Vidona, who enforce them with tor ...more

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Nov 07, 2020 Eva rated it it was ok

This was "okay" (two stars), which represents a huge disappointment considering how much I loved the first book.

Its main weakness was a misguided choice of focus and POV, as well as the resulting lack of plot development over the first 3/4. Instead of staying with the engaging pair of Cheris and Jedao, who are the ones who actually have a goal and an intricate plan for reaching it, we are denied this POV entirely. Instead, we're put into the heads of various other characters who seem to merely This was "okay" (two stars), which represents a huge disappointment considering how much I loved the first book.

Its main weakness was a misguided choice of focus and POV, as well as the resulting lack of plot development over the first 3/4. Instead of staying with the engaging pair of Cheris and Jedao, who are the ones who actually have a goal and an intricate plan for reaching it, we are denied this POV entirely. Instead, we're put into the heads of various other characters who seem to merely be boring copies of Cheris and Jedao, just for them to get the exact same development (=realization that Jedao isn't a crazy monster) that we already went through in the first book. In addition, we get long chapters about a hexarch who's probably supposed to seem old and wise, but comes across more like a creepy teenager who's made his sister become his lookalike brother - an exact copy of himself so they can serve as a bodyguard and replace him in boring meetings. Oh, and they also have miserably unhappy incestuous group sex for no discernable reason? At no point is this utter erasure of someone else's identity and independent life questioned in any way. Even their parents approve.

The POV characters also lack proactivity: e.g. we have a Kel who spends the entire book being moved from one prison cell to the next and then being put on a ship with an assassination mission. Upon arrival, other characters make him give up that plan. That's his entire plot, he's being moved around by others the entire time. This is a pattern all over the book: whenever there's a chance to be in the head of someone *to whom something is happening* while they are passive and without any plans of their own, or drifting along in a confused/sleepy/hallucinating state, that's where the reader is put. Or whenever someone is having an irrelevant conversation about something. This does allow a "surprise ending" when the plans of the actual movers, planners and shakers are revealed - except it's no surprise at all for the reader because they've read Ninefox Gambit and know all of that already, it's only a surprise for the characters! The big reveal worked wonderfully in the first book, since the reader didn't know the truth, either, and because we were always where the actually interesting things were happening - here, most interesting stuff happens off-page somewhere else while we're literally spending an entire chapter in the head of a sleepy character who is dozing through a boring meeting!

And the "exciting space battles" (there's only one at the beginning) suffer from the fact that nothing about the magical tech being used is ever explained to the reader, so that they never understand why one formation would be better than another, what the purpose of this or that tactic is supposed to be, etc. It becomes pure magi-babble without any tension, when it could easily have been turned into a tense battle of wits.

The ending finally re-establishes some good stuff and puts us back on track, so maybe the third book will be good again? I'm not in a terrible hurry to find out, though. ...more

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May 01, 2019 Chris Berko rated it liked it

Bit of a letdown after a very cool book one, but this was still an enjoyable read. Totally different in terms of story and presentation this one had a lot less action and a lot more maneuvering and political intrigue. Ninefox Gambit was literally a block to block, street by street, door to door taking over a fortress of a novel with weird math stuff and crazy characters that had an totally awesome explosive finale. Raven Stratagem had a completely different feel and pace and nothing felt as exot ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 Kaitlin added it

Shelves: booktubesff-2018, booktubesff2018

I read through to the end of chapter 4 in this one (about 14% of the book) and I just wasn't into it. I knew from having already read the first in the series that it would probably take a lot for this to really draw me in, but sadly it just wasn't doing so and although I know many who love this book and series, I just don't think this sort of SF works for me personally. I like knowing where I stand as I read and with this series I constantly feel like I'm not sure what's happening or why or who' ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Paul rated it really liked it

Shelves: z_archive18_read-2018all, z_archive17_read-2017all, z_archive18_read-2018books, reread, z_archive17_read-2017books, z_archive17_bought2017books

Second read attempt 6/2018
Read it a year later and liked it much more. You can find my review of this book and Revenant Gun here: http://www.commontouchoffantasy.com/r...

First read attempt 6/2017
DNF'd at 50%

Maybe I'll try rereading this series in the future but for now, I just can't get into it. I know it is me and not the book because so many people love this book. The part I loved about Ninefox Gambit was removed in Raven Stratagem and other points of view were added. These points of view are ...more

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May 31, 2020 Meagan ✊🏼 Blacklivesmatter ✊🏼Blacktranslivesmatter rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, unique-magic-systems, 2020-popsugar-challenge, diverse-main-characters, lgbtqia, favorites, homonormative-societies, trans-authors

Popsugar 2020 Reading Challenge
A book by a trans or nonbinary author

This was so good! It provided more insight into the world and characters (especially the factions and the hexarchs). This installment was much more character focused than the first book but we do get some interesting battle scenes and action (I just wish there was more 😭 I just can't get enough of the exotic weapons). The pace was slower as well since it was more character focused but it is a nice trade off for all the worldbuil ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Nathan rated it really liked it

As a debut Ninefox Gambit couldn’t have been much better. Dropping the reader right into a complex world without any type of cheat sheet it managed to combine some first class world building with a tight and focused story. Kel Cheris, with the insane undead general Shuos Jedao in her mind, faced off against the heresy threatening the Hexarchate while at the same time being one of the main threats to the Hexarchate. It was my favorite kind of sci-fi, full of big alien ideas and smart enough to pu ...more

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Jul 13, 2019 Sabrina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This world is so spectacularly cool and futuristic – I have never read anything like it (not that I’m the expert in Sci-Fi literature). Compared to the first book of the series where I often felt lost, I really enjoyed to finally see behind some mechanisms and to experience some “everyday-life” in the hexarchate universe. I also think, that this narrative brought more depth with it (though the characters were already amazing in the first one):

“Of course, at some point you had to ask yourself h ...more

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Aug 22, 2017 Maija rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

3.5 stars
I didn't feel comfortable rounding the GR rating up to 4 stars, so even if 3 stars looks a bit low, it'll have to do. The first book got a strong 4 from me.

Unlike with the first book, this time I liked the last 100 pages the most. The rest of the book felt a bit drawn out to me, even though I did enjoy reading chapters from the POVs of different characters from different places than just the main spaceship swarm. ...more

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Mar 10, 2018 Kylie rated it really liked it

Holy crap. The last half of this book was so surprisingly good. The characters really drove it home for me.

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Sep 07, 2019 Megan rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-star

2.5

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Raven Stratagem is a great example of a second novel that suffered from the cult popularity of the first. I felt overwhelmingly that Yoon Ha Lee's great success with Ninefox Gambit discouraged him from making significant improvements to his plot or world-building, and, I might argue, encouraged him to adopt a far more blasé attitude toward his characters than was present in the first installment. Why fix it if most people don't think it's broken, after all?

We spend a lot of time playing in ...more

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May 28, 2017 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, science-fiction, author-male, read-2017, audio-book

Executive Summary: I struggled a bit to get into this one at the start, but once I finally got my bearing back I enjoyed it a lot more. ★★★½☆.

Audiobook: This one is a hard series for audio in my opinion. Nothing against Emily Woo Zeller who I think does a fine job narrating, it's just that there is so much going on, I find myself wishing I could go back and reread parts, something I find very hard to do in audio. Your mileage may vary, but this is definitely not for people newer to audiobooks in Executive Summary: I struggled a bit to get into this one at the start, but once I finally got my bearing back I enjoyed it a lot more. ★★★½☆.

Audiobook: This one is a hard series for audio in my opinion. Nothing against Emily Woo Zeller who I think does a fine job narrating, it's just that there is so much going on, I find myself wishing I could go back and reread parts, something I find very hard to do in audio. Your mileage may vary, but this is definitely not for people newer to audiobooks in my opinion.

Full Review
I'm not much of a hard sci-fi person. I'm not sure this really qualifies, as the mathematics that drive everything are never really explained that much, but it does seem to add a layer of complexity to the narrative that I find hard to follow at times. That said, I find it makes for some incredibly unique world building.

I read Ninefox Gambit earlier this year, but apparently that was too long ago that I seemed to have forgotten most of the details. It took a long time for this book to jog my memory.

In general I prefer character driven stories, and this one definitely fits that mold. I do find most of the characters if not unlikeable then certainly not that appealing. Jedao is certainly an interesting character, but I didn't care much about his motivations. I mostly just wanted to see what happened next.

In most character-driven stories, I'm rooting for/against a character. In this book though, I'm indifferent. I liked Kel Cheris in the previous book, but little else. In this book I felt like I had nothing to root for really.

Yet despite all of that, the world building seems to be enough to keep my interest. At least most of the times. There were definitely some subplots in this book I found less interesting. I also found myself a bit confused at times, and wishing I could reread a part.

I'll definitely be picking up the next book. I want to see where this goes next. I might switch from audio however. Then again owning two books in audio and the third in another format would probably drive me crazy :) ...more

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Jun 29, 2018 Allison Hurd rated it really liked it

Shelves: authors-of-color, lgbtqia-mc, man-author, scifi

It was both better than and not as good as the first. Better, in that it finally allowed you to see some of the moving parts and name them for you. Not as good, because naming them meant there was a language, and the language has rules, and now I'm thinking about the rules as much as I am about how cool it all looks when it's working, so some of it seems off.

CONTENT WARNING: (not actual spoilers, just a list of topics)(view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 24, 2019 Adam rated it it was ok

While I enjoyed Ninefox Gambit, I lost quite a bit of interest in the story in Raven Stratagem, and didn't end up finishing it. While the first novel focused on the excellent world building and advanced mathematics used to govern its laws, the second book emphasized Jedeo's increasing control over Kel's consciousness and the steps Jedeo is taking to increase his level of control.

While the cast expands and measures are taken to try and limit Jedeo's plans, I felt that the motivations of these sid ...more

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Jul 20, 2017 Edward rated it it was ok

I was really looking forward to this book. Ninefox Gambit was a compelling and original take on an interstellar empire.

Unfortunately, this book feels like it was written by a different author. The structure is completely different and the focus of characters is also essentially completely different.

The biggest disappointment for me was how little actually happens. Most of the book consists of conversations. Instead of the characters doing things, they mostly talked to each other about what they ...more

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Jun 22, 2016 imyril rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copies, subjective-chaos-2019

It's funny. I could blink and wave my hands and say 'yeah, great sequel. Pacing is a bit off, but it's entertaining. The Shuos amuse me'. Or I could take a deep breath and start talking about themes, but then I'd give in to the floods of feelings that would wash me away.

As with Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee has done something special, wrapped in layer upon layer of distraction. While there's plenty of meditation on the mechanisms of politics and control, this is an unabashed call to examine your c ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Bogi Takács added it

Still thinking about it - I was planning on reviewing it tomorrow, but I need to gather more convoluted thoughts than usual! So it might take a bit longer.

Source of the book: Gift from Ada Hoffmann & friends

Second read: I thought I'd quickly skim it to refresh my memories before reading Books 3-4, but I ended up rereading it sentence by sentence, I am just nailed to these books. ...more

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SciFi and Fantasy...: Series: Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee ("Ninefox Gambit")	236	335	Nov 30, 2020 07:21AM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Raven Stratagem [Apr 2, 2018]	35	43	Jun 10, 2018 03:36AM
BooktubeSFF Awards: Raven Strategem Readalong	4	44	May 08, 2018 12:57AM
The Not a Book Cl...: RS: General Discussion (No Spoilers)	5	27	Jun 18, 2017 09:46PM

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About Yoon Ha Lee

Yoon Ha Lee

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Yoon Ha Lee is an American science fiction writer born on January 26, 1979 in Houston, Texas. His first published story, “The Hundredth Question,” appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1999; since then, over two dozen further stories have appeared. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.