Anne Leckie’s Ancillary Justice world returns with first-look at Radiant Star
Science fiction author Anne Leckie is returning to the Imperial Radch universe with Radiant Star, released May 12, 2026. Leckie rose to prominence with her 2013 debut Ancillary Justice, which won the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, and British Science Fiction Awards. The novel’s acclaimed trilogy—completed with Ancillary Mercy in 2015—featured an artificial consciousness seeking revenge for her ship’s destruction.
After concluding the main trilogy, Leckie explored the same setting through standalone novels Provenance and Translation State. Radiant Star continues her examination of the Radch world’s central themes: gender, cultural oppression, and political intrigue. The new novel is centered on the Temporal Location, described as an ancient religious site sacred to the Ooioiaa people, whose culture faces absorption into the larger Imperial structure.