A Desolation Called Peace
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4.5 • 460 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE 2022 HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
"[An] all around brilliant space opera, I absolutely love it."—Ann Leckie, on A Memory Called Empire
A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to Arkady Martine's genre-reinventing, Hugo Award-winning debut, A Memory Called Empire.
An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options.
In a desperate attempt at diplomacy with the mysterious invaders, the fleet captain has sent for a diplomatic envoy. Now Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass—still reeling from the recent upheaval in the Empire—face the impossible task of trying to communicate with a hostile entity.
Their failure will guarantee millions of deaths in an endless war. Their success might prevent Teixcalaan’s destruction—and allow the empire to continue its rapacious expansion.
Or it might create something far stranger . . .
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
With their survival on the line, the characters in this intense, complex sci-fi novel are about to discover that diplomacy has its limits when it comes to interstellar politics. The second book in Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan series follows two interplanetary diplomats who are already trying to deal with the aftermath of a cultural and political catastrophe when a new threat appears from outside their own empire. An alien race of toxic scavengers introduce themselves by destroying some of the empire’s starships—and they either can’t communicate or don’t want to. The diplomats’ increasingly desperate attempts to decipher the invaders’ language and motives make A Desolation Called Peace as cerebral as it is exciting. Imagine the heady culture-clash philosophy of Stranger in a Strange Land crossed with the sheer high-adrenaline thrills of an amped-up War of the Worlds. After all, if the ambassadors can’t bridge the communication gap, the aliens might devour the whole empire. No pressure!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Martine spins a dizzying, exhilarating story of diplomacy, conspiracy, and first contact in the powerhouse sequel to her Hugo Award winning debut, A Memory Called Empire. Mahit Dzmare has returned home to Lsel station after a brief, eventful stint as ambassador to the empire of Teixcalaan, but now Teixcalaanli warships are moving into formation against the terrifying aliens that live beyond a nearby jumpgate. When Nine Hibiscus, the leader of the warships, requests a trained diplomat to aid in alien relations and avoid conflict, Mahit's former liaison and love interest, Three Seagrass, assigns herself the job and drags Mahit along with her. But there are factions on Lsel and in Teixcalaan who would benefit from an endless war and who work to undermine their negotiations. Martine effortlessly balances several points of view including the idealistic 11-year-old imperial heir, Eight Antidote to provide a vivid window into a struggle over the question of who gets to be counted as a person. Martine's aliens are viscerally unsettling and utterly believable, and she deploys them masterfully to underscore themes of colonization, assimilation, and cultural violence. This complex, stunning space opera promises to reshape the genre.
Customer Reviews
Another good story
A worthy sequel to A Memory Called Empire though the motivations of the main characters are not always clear, even upon reflection. Still not sure about several plot points involving relationships but still enjoyed the journey.
A splendid conclusion to a great story
Great sequel
Please slow down the italics…it takes from a great story
The story is very good, and I like the switching voices of narration. However, the profligate use of italics is EXHAUSTING. I can’t write italics on my phone, so I use all caps, but the point is the same: italics and all caps and underlining should be used like salt and sparingly.
I’ll still read the next one, for what that’s worth, because it’s a cool story.