Provenance is a stand-alone novel, set in the same universe as Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy. The first time I read it, I hadn’t read the original trilogy and I had no problem following the story. Reading it after reading the trilogy does give some richness to the interstellar politics.

The novel follows Ingray Aughskold’s (limited third-person) viewpoint as she works to advance her goals, the most important of which is gaining her mother’s approval and remaining within her family. The novel’s plot is fast-moving and keeps the pages turning; I never felt the need to put it down, although I didn’t read it in one sitting. The characters each have their own motives and frequently surprise while never becoming out of character.

Although the plot is of political intrigue, and there is a significant discussion of how politics can affect criminal justice, the novel isn’t really about politics. It is about a young person’s discovery and decision about who they are and how that affects who they are within their family. Throughout the book, there are multiple parent/child relationships with this dynamic playing out, to both positive and negative effects.

This was a reread for me; I read it the first time about five years ago, when it first came out. I didn’t remember much of the plot, although I did remember one of the main plot “twists”. What I did remember is that I enjoyed it the first time I read it, and I may have enjoyed it more the second time around. I highly recommend it.

Provenance was nominated for a Hugo award, a British SF Association award, and a Locus SF award, although it didn’t win any of them.

Leckie, Ann. Provenance. New York, New York: Orbit, 2017. 108,438 words. 5 stars.