Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch Trilogy #1) [B1519]

2013 - Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, British Science Fiction, Locus and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. Breq is both more than she seems and less than she was. On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with only one fragile human body. And only one purpose-- to revenge herself on Anaander Mianaai, many-bodied, near-immortal Lord of the Radch.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews of the TRILOGY: "Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword & Ancillary Mercy. This trilogy is the best science fiction I have read in years. And I read a lot."; "Even a cis gender white male liked the Trilogy! I enjoyed Ancilliary Justice but have to admit I was in various states of confusion almost the entire book, trying to figure out what gender the characters were, and what was happening. One could argue this is is the mark of a creative and unique story, an interesting and unexpected main character, and a fascinating and other-worldly sci-fi universe. The books set up an alternate universe where an intergalactic empire runs space battleships that depend on ancilliaries (cyborg slaves), to run. But within this backdrop, is a complex empire plot and also elaborate character development. A male part of me wanted more action, and a character I could grok with. I didn't get either, but it's still a great series!"; "This is easily the best, most engaging, most thought-provoking science-fiction of the past decade, if not longer."; "It's nice to have a main character who has a lot of integrity, but is still self-interested in their own goals. Despite being an AI and with superhuman abilities, the main character cannot solve all problems, just like in real life. And also like real life, helping others can conflict with their own self-interests. I enjoyed see things play out. The gender dynamics in the culture are interesting, as well as the nonhuman perspective."; "Impressive worldbuilding with a wonderful cast of characters, and as satisfying a conclusion as one could hope for given the broad arc of the trilogy."