Ninefox Gambit: 1 (The Machineries of Empire, 1)

Product Information

Reading about the unveiling of his character and motivations, the peeling back of the layers of myth and history to reveal the truth, is an utterly compelling story – probably the story of this whole novel. One thing that reading the whole set of books together really brings to light is how slowly set up the whole story arc is. It’s one that I definitely suggest reading a sample of it first, so you’re not sitting through almost 11 hours of text utterly hating yourself. If you had asked me to list out my most anticipated books of 2021, The Galaxy, And The Ground Within certainly would have made the list. Lee wastes little time throwing Cheris into the deep end, and there is plenty of everything you want from an action story: sacrifice, conflict both internal and external, people questioning their most basic beliefs.

To accomplish her mission, Cheris chooses to access the mind of the renowned general and tactician Shuos Jedeo. Captain Kel Cheris of the Hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. A central component to the story of Ninefox Gambit is game theory—the epic space battles, exotic technology, and galaxy-spanning conspiracies all boil down to a gigantic game board wherein Shuos Jedao, master of games that he is, treats every moving component as a piece to be manipulated. However, when Cheris finally spends enough time with Jedao, her assessment (and the reader’s) changes. Paired with Cheris, who is – to put it in very simple terms – really good at maths, who tries to do the right thing, but who is guided by her programming as much as the next Kel, a dynamic is created that is stunning to watch.I had read about half of this book when Hugo nominations were about to close and… well, I nominated it. It's essentially all battle scenes, both in space and on the ground, interspersed with scenes of Cheris/Jedao making tactical decisions. You will have to wait for my review of book 2 (and I will read book 2 soon) to hear my specific thoughts on the ending of this one, because I don’t want to spoil it. For example, the Kel – the faction Cheris belongs to – are the foot soldiers (and pretty much cannon fodder). Let your eyes glaze over when you need to, but when those guns start shooting or people start dying from a weapon of mass destruction, pull your awareness back to the page and absorb the story that Lee tells.

Still, it’s a testament to just how excellently Ninefox Gambit is written that I was able to enjoy myself nevertheless and be impressed by Yoon Ha Lee’s writing. It doesn’t guide you through the political system or why calendars are so freaking vital to the stability of the entire civilization. And honestly, now that I have done that—while adding the more recently published short story collection—I think the series is even better. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Don’t get me wrong, it’s violent and tragic and mysterious, but the reading experience as such can only be described as utter fun.I don’t hate it, but it’s not a book I want to revisit and I certainly don’t want to continue the series. Oh, to be sure, it might be that humanity will invent lightsabers, or that we will one day encounter an alien race that will give us the technology and perhaps teach us how to unleash our innate Force abilities, but those have always struck me as more fantastical than realistic.