ProvenanceProvenance
Score Modern
What it's about
Ingray Aughskold, the adopted daughter of a powerful politician, is desperate to prove herself to her mother. She schemes to free a notorious thief from a prison planet, hoping he can lead her to stolen 'vestiges', heirlooms that her society treasures. Things go wrong from the start, and she's soon caught up in a murder and an interstellar political crisis.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Hugo finalist. It's a lighter, funnier story set in the universe of Ancillary Justice.
You'll love it if you liked
Ancillary Justice
Translation State
The Goblin EmperorGood to know
It stands alone. The culture uses three genders and invented pronouns.
By the numbers
- Readers15 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller27 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz7 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #281 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #1446 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2629 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
More by Ann Leckie
Ancillary Mercy
Ancillary Justice
Ancillary Sword
Translation StateIf you like this, read next
A Game of Thrones
The Fifth Season
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Gideon the Ninth
Red Rising
OutlanderExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →Quick answers
Is Provenance worth reading?
Yes. It was a Hugo finalist. It ranks #2,629 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 56.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Provenance about?
Ingray Aughskold, the adopted daughter of a powerful politician, is desperate to prove herself to her mother. She schemes to free a notorious thief from a prison planet, hoping he can lead her to stolen 'vestiges', heirlooms that her society treasures. Things go wrong from the start, and she's soon caught up in a murder and an interstellar political crisis.
How long does it take to read Provenance?
About 11 hours (448 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Provenance?
If you liked it, try Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Translation State by Ann Leckie or The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.

















