Reading order · 3 books · 2013 to 2015 · Set in space
Imperial Radch Books in Order
The Imperial Radch trilogy follows Breq, the last surviving fragment of a starship’s artificial intelligence that once controlled thousands of human bodies, called ancillaries. Now trapped in one body, she seeks revenge on the ruler of the vast Radch empire. Ancillary Justice won the Hugo, Nebula and Arthur C. Clarke awards.
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Series facts
- Books
- 3
- Published
- 2013 to 2015
- First book
- Ancillary Justice
- Latest
- Ancillary Mercy (2015)
- Setting
- Set in space
The reading order
Every Imperial Radch book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
3 books · Set in space
- 1Ancillary Justice2013With BreqBreq was once a vast starship’s intelligence, controlling thousands of bodies.Buy on Amazon
- 2Ancillary Sword2014With BreqBreq is given command of a warship and sent to a distant system, where she finds injustice that she cannot ignore.Buy on Amazon
- 3Ancillary Mercy2015With BreqBreq faces the consequences of her choices as the war within the Radch comes to her.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy in order.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Breq | Seivarden Vendaai | Anaander Mianaai | Tisarwat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ancillary Justice | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 2 Ancillary Sword | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 3 Ancillary Mercy | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
Characters in the Imperial Radch books
4 characters from Ann Leckie’s chart, with the number of Imperial Radch books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| BreqFormer troop carrier Justice of Toren | 3 | Ancillary Justice 2013 |
| Seivarden VendaaiOfficer revived after a thousand years | 3 | Ancillary Justice 2013 |
| Anaander MianaaiLord of the Radch, in many bodies | 3 | Ancillary Justice 2013 |
| TisarwatYoung lieutenant | 2 | Ancillary Sword 2014 |