Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie

I love single-author short story collections. I really enjoyed getting to see an author I like and admire flex their muscles in different ways. So I was very excited to get an eARC of Ann Leckie’s short story collection, Lake of Souls, from Orbit and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I have loved Ann Leckie’s writing from the first time I read Ancillary Justice (which I have reread and listened to the audiobook of several times). I so enjoyed the Imperial Radch universe and adored each book in that trilogy. Provenance surprised me by being so different while still being in that universe and being so wonderful and I thought Translation State was hands down the best 2023 novel I read last year. I also very much enjoyed The Raven Tower and thought Ms. Leckie was classy and generous when she demurred and turned down a Hugo nomination for it. 

I was not disappointed by this collection. Every story is a gem. Some of them didn’t click perfectly with me, but i thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. The titular story, Lake of Souls, was the epitome of what good, intelligent SF can be and it has stuck with me ever since I read it.

I cannot recommend this collection highly enough.