The mystery of a missing translator sets three lives on a collision course that will have a ripple effect across the stars in this powerful novel from a Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author. "There are few who write science fiction like Ann Leckie can. There are few who ever could." —John Scalzi Qven was created to be a Presger translator. The pride of their Clade, they always had a clear path before them: learn human ways, and eventually, make a match and serve as an intermediary between the dangerous alien Presger and the human worlds. The realization that they might want something else isn't "optimal behavior". I's the type of behavior that results in elimination. But Qven rebels. And in doing so, their path collides with those of two others. Enae, a reluctant diplomat whose dead grandmaman has left hir an impossible task as an inheritance: hunting down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. And Reet, an adopted mechanic who is increasingly desperate to learn about his genetic roots—or anything that might explain why he operates so differently from those around him. As a Conclave of the various species approaches—and the long-standing treaty between the humans and the Presger is on the line—the decisions of all three will have ripple effects across the stars. Masterfully merging space adventure and mystery, and a poignant exploration about relationships and belonging, Translation State is a triumphant new standalone story set in the celebrated Imperial Radch universe.
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Space opera was redefined by the groundbreaking 2013 debut Ancillary Justice, which introduced readers to a vast galactic empire seen through the eyes of an artificial intelligence inhabiting a human body. Ann Leckie established her place in speculative fiction with this celebrated novel, which made history by winning the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, BSFA, and Locus Awards.
Set primarily within her expansive Imperial Radch universe, Leckie's fiction explores artificial consciousness, empire, social class, and gender-blind language across award-winning novels and acclaimed short stories.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1966, Leckie grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where she spent much of her youth reading in her local public library. She earned a degree in music from Washington University before working in various fields, including jobs as a waitress, a receptionist, a rodman on a land-surveying crew, and a recording engineer. Her interest in writing science fiction led her to attend the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2005.
Following Clarion West, Leckie began publishing short stories in magazines such as Subterranean Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Realms of Fantasy. Her story "Hesperia and Glory" was reprinted in Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2007 Edition, edited by Rich Horton. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Leckie subsequently expanded her writing into novel-length space opera, launching her career with her award-winning 2013 debut.
Leckie's writing is recognized for its careful interrogation of power dynamics, identity, and personal agency within interstellar imperial systems. In her Radch novels, she utilizes a gender-blind personal pronoun system in which every character is referred to using feminine pronouns, inviting readers to question social constructs and implicit biases. Her narratives balance complex galactic politics with intimate character studies focused on justice, duty, and artificial consciousness.
