The reviewer was disappointed with 'A Memory Called Empire' by Arkady Martine, despite it being a neatly built plot. The book lacked nutritional value and was uneventful. The reviewer suspected the author was a young woman, which was confirmed. The book had many Sci-Fi elements that were not explained, making it difficult to be called a 'Science' fiction. The plot could be easily transferred to any environment. The book is not really bad, but it lacked substance.