Lake of Souls

Starred review from February 5, 2024
Hugo and Nebula Award winner Leckie (Translation State) collects 18 stories for a stunning showcase of her talents. Leckie plays with tone—from dark political intrigue in the sci-fi “Another Word for World,” to the Burroughs-esque “Hesperia and Glory” and the rollicking Wodehousian “Saving Bacon”—but in every borrowed style (and in the style that is deeply her own), the detailed worlds, intelligent plotting, and clear-eyed compassion make these stories standout. Some illuminate new corners of established worlds: fans of The Raven Tower will especially enjoy the entries that follow some of that universe’s thousand gods, from the tiny skink god trying to fool the powerful Nalendar river into giving up its treasure (“The Nalendar”) to the outlaw sea captain who makes a deal with the covetous, ambitious deity of Au (“The God of Au”). Keen readers of the Imperial Radch books will likewise be delighted by Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the stories that tie into those novels, particularly “She Commands Me and I Obey,” about a sacred ballgame that decides a regional government. Leckie’s fans will treasure this. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Co.

February 1, 2024

For the first time, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Leckie's (Translation State) short fiction is collected in one volume. It includes a brand-new novelette, stories from the Imperial Radch universe, and several stand-alone sci-fi and fantasy short stories. Prepub Alert.

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Starred review from January 15, 2024
An acclaimed SFF novelist's first short-story collection encourages her characters to talk it out, for good or for ill. Leckie likes to explore a theme across several works; for example, her Imperial Radch trilogy and related novels (including Translation State, 2023) examine issues of autonomy and what a person owes to themself versus their obligations to family and society at large. In these stories, some of which are stand-alone, some of which are set in the Imperial Radch universe, and many of which are written in the world of her short fantasy novel The Raven Tower, the prevailing theme is communication. Several stories involve people from different species or backgrounds trying to talk to one another, navigating cultural and biological differences or poor translations. Leckie examines the issue in a multitude of scenarios, including a wounded human anthropologist encountering an alien on a spiritual journey, an unwilling elderly diplomat and an angry young priestess from opposing political sides who must ally when their flier is shot down, a conflict among space-traveling dinosaurs resolved via a song, and a peevish and perhaps deluded young man's attempt to will a change in reality itself. Some may be disappointed at how few Imperial Radch stories there are; what is there will definitely appeal to fans but is also accessible to those who haven't read the books, even if they don't pick up on all the nuances. A full half of this volume is devoted to The Raven Tower stories, which are bloodily clever and darkly comic but overlap far too much in plot. They mainly concern mortals and local gods making contracts with one another for power but desperately seeking loopholes. The many different approaches Leckie takes to her subject are amazing, but when brought together, the overall collection comes across as more than a little repetitive. If variety is the spice of life, then this otherwise accomplished volume could use some more seasoning.

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March 15, 2024
Leckie's short stories cover plenty of ground, from spacefaring explorers to fantastic worlds where bargains with gods are an everyday occurrence. The title story is told from two wildly different perspectives: one narrator is searching for a name, telling something of a coming-of-age story; the other is telling a story about planetary surveying and some spectacular evolutionary shenanigans. "The Unknown God" is a god living as a human, making extraordinarily human mistakes backed by unfortunately divine power, eventually being forced to face the consequences. "She Commands Me and I Obey," one of the tales of the Imperial Radch universe, tells a story about political maneuvering framed as a ballgame that will determine who sits on the Council. Fans of Leckie's work will find plenty to enjoy here--there are stories set in both the Imperial Radch and Raven Tower universes--but those wishing to dip their toes into new worlds are also in for a treat. The stories are entertaining, pack surprisingly dense plots into small packages, and have plenty of juicy subtext to reward re-reading.

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