A Memory Called Empire
2019 novel by Arkady Martine
A Memory Called Empire is a 2019 science fiction novel, the debut novel by Arkady Martine. It follows Mahit Dzmare, the ambassador from Lsel Station to the Teixcalaanli Empire, as she investigates the death of her predecessor and the instabilities that underpin that society. The book won the 2020 Compton Crook Award and the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Plot
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare is sent from Lsel Station, an independent republic, to become the next Ambassador to the Teixcalaanli Empire. She carries a copy of the consciousness of Yskandr Aghavn, the previous Ambassador, in an "imago-machine" which is implanted in her skull. Because Yskandr was unable to return to Lsel before his death, his memories are fifteen years out of date.
On Teixcalaan, Mahit meets her diplomatic liaison Three Seagrass and Three Seagrass's friend Twelve Azalea. Mahit realizes that her imago has been sabotaged and loses her ability to access Yskandr's memories. Mahit is saved from an assassination attempt by Nineteen Adze, a close advisor to the Emperor. Emperor Six Direction is elderly and near death, leading to a succession crisis.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q82566838. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2019 and 2020.
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This entry incorporates text from “A Memory Called Empire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.