You might think that every choice a writer makes is highly deliberate, part of a grand master plan that only she is entirely aware of. We certainly felt that way while reading Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie's award-winning sci-fi novel about a spaceship AI that gets trapped in a single body and seeks revenge on her enemies. There are so many details embedded in the world-building--from a fixation on gloves and tea to the use of "she" for all genders--that Leckie surely had reams of unpublished backstory (or at least a yarn chart) to explain and keep track of it all. But as we found out in our WIRED Book Club conversation with the author, Leckie takes a far less structured approach when it comes to creating new universes. Was this series always a trilogy in your mind? Though I'm not sure why, to be honest.

We made it, space travelers. Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice proved challenging in many ways--mentally, emotionally, grammatically. Find our concluding thoughts below (spoiler alert, needless to say), and follow up with responses of your own and questions for Leckie in the comments. We'll be talking to her next week. So, Did Breq Go Crazy Over the Death of Lieutenant Awn? Jay Dayrit, Editorial Operations Manager: I wouldn't say crazy, per se, maybe just an identity crisis.

Good science fiction requires close reading. That's what we're discovering as we embark on Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, the first book in her Imperial Radch trilogy. Not only are most gender pronouns "she," but Leckie isn't exactly generous with her world-building--she holds back on explanation in favor of letting readers do the work. Which is, of course, great for our purposes. Read up on our thoughts below, then join us in the comments for further discussion.