Done Well, Things I Could Learn: A Memory Called Empire

A Memory Called Empire was very different than what I expected.

Perhaps I had read the wrong tweets? Or made assumptions? Whatever I thought I was getting into, it wasn't a political suspense thriller with a protag with memory issues in a space-faring culture with echoes of Mayan/Incan influence. And a lot of angst, which both annoyed me and resonated. I think I would have vibrated with love had I found this book when I was 16-34.

Done well:
Well-written, interesting and intriguing world-building, good plotting (with one caveat that made me set the book down early, but it was essential so I'm gonna go with 'wasn't set up well.').  Did almost too good a job of evoking that longing a reader might have to belong, and not just belong, but to be part of the beautiful people, the powerful, intelligent, poetry-writing, creative elite.

Come to think of it, this book would have *destroyed* me at 16.

Things I could learn:
The plotting does an excellent job of "because A, B, because B, C," where a situation requires the protag make a choice -- and that choice, for good or ill, shifts how people react and requires her to continue to act.

Not everything results from her actions -- in fact many things do not, because this is an Empire and there are many free-wheeling players -- but she is required to act on the basis of the actions of many people, most of whom do not want her to succeed at what they assume she's trying to do.

Also, not all the bad things that happen to her are explained; I'm sure the author knows who is responsible but I didn't catch them all.

 And not knowing who your opponents are when you step onto a game board is a very disconcerting place for a protag to begin, and that was very effectively used here.

All in all, that made for a very effective "protag is definitely protagging" plot, which I have trouble with. Even though the protag was *reacting,* in some cases, she was definitely moving forward despite her fear, and slowly gained prowess at what she was doing. Not sure how to translate that into my own fiction, but thinking, "try taking Mahit-like-action" while I'm rethinking plot might help.