If you are one of the many fans of the Hugo-winning A Memory Called Empire who have been eagerly awaiting this book and hoping it will be as good as the last, relax. It is even better than the first. If you have not read the first book in the series, I strongly recommend you read them in order; you will understand and enjoy them both better.
The series is usually described as space opera, but Amazon puts it into a more appropriate category called “galactic empire”. The empire of Teixcalaanli and its relationship with the station of Lsel are central, complicated in this book by an encounter with alien invaders.
The main characters from the first book are back, in particular Mahit Dzmare, the Lsel ambassador, and Three Seagrass, who are designated to approach the aliens. Eight Antidote, the eleven-year-old emperor heir apparent, is busy preparing himself for his future and finds himself playing an important role in Teixcalaanli’s current crises, internal as well as external. Two new important players are yaotlek Nine Hibiscus and her adjutant Twenty Cicada (nicknamed Swarm!), who have to deal with the aliens on the frontlines. In addition to the threats to the empire and the threats within due to political maneuvering, the characters also have their personal challenges, especially Mahit, who is trying to prevent authorities on Lsel from interfering with her nonconventional imago installation as well to examine her relationship with Three Seagrass.
There is excitement in A Desolation Called Peace, but it is far from a light read. The book is lush in details about the society and the complicated loyalties. Each chapter begins with highly imaginative epigraphs that fill in the picture of the society and also give insight into the story. Myriad little details add further enjoyment, if you pay attention and catch them. I confess it took me several repetitions before I caught on to why Eight Antidote’s nickname was Cure, because I was too busy following what was happening.
That being said, readers do not need more challenge by virtue of the writing style, and therein lies my only disappointment in the book. It was unnecessarily complex, beginning with the Teixcalaanli naming convention of a number followed by a word, usually a plant, which made it almost impossible for me to keep the many characters straight, especially since my review copy lacked the Cast of Characters that will appear in the published edition. Worse, though, the sentences were overly complicated and often needed to be reread to be understood, like “She’d crippled herself, on this Fleet flagship, farther away from anything she could have ever called home than she’d ever been, for the sake of---what, exactly? For wanting an understanding that she---or at least the part of her that was Yskandr, and it was hard to tell the difference between them now, about this---wasn’t even sure Three Seagrass was capable of comprehending, let alone having.”
Nonetheless, A desolation Called Peace is an impressive sequel. The series has built a universe that may rank among the classics. It certainly will be a strong Hugo contender for 2021.

Five stars for an absolutely stunningly beautiful work of fiction. There is no letdown following the end of A Memory Called Empire, in fact this one was even better for me because there was more action and more contact with the alien being on the edge of the known galaxy. How can you use your conventional weapons against an enemy who has means of destroying your own ships that you cannot understand? Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus finds herself having to do things she hoped never to even contemplate just to survive the initial contact. And it just keeps getting worse.

It was March 2019 when I read the first book in this series, and I enjoyed that book very much, but I still had some trouble being able to immerse myself into this story as it began. I would definitely suggest that you read A Memory Called Empire before you begin this one because the author has not given the reader an easy style access into this new novel; the Prelude might not make complete sense to readers until they have gotten someway into the story. I went back and read it again when I had read the first two chapters and it was much more enjoyable then. I found it fascinating that a novel written with such beautiful language should present readers with an alien being so different from that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge Tor Books for an e-galley of this novel.

A Memory Called Empire was one of my favorite books that came out in 2019, so I'm so excited to see the story continue. As I mentioned in my review of AMCE, I have a lot of trouble with space opera books in general— they're often focused on sweeping, galaxy-changing events and individual characters are rarely fleshed out (and there are, almost inevitably, too many of them). A Memory Called Empire is unique then. It's a deeply human story of being a fish out of water and loving another culture, and it's told from the perspective of a single individual, whose actions have earth-shattering consequences. It's also extremely well written. The City is described to us revealed to us carefully in myriad ways that convey the complexity that Mahit feels. The exposition is integrated thoughtfully, and every so often we get a jolt of information that Mahit, while our POV character, is deeply alien herself.

A Desolation Called Peace continues the story and increases the stakes. Stationers are barely human to most Texicalaanli— what happens when they encounter beings even more alien than that? We now have more POV characters, including Three Seagrass, the young 99% clone of the former emperor, and the commanding general of the force launched against the mysterious aliens. Sequels are hard, but this one keeps up the pace and emotional impact while moving the story forward.

One note: the title, which originally baffled me, is reference to a line from Tacitus, the Roman historian and politician:

"A rich enemy excites their cupidity; a poor one, their lust for power. East and West alike have failed to satisfy them. They are the only people on earth to whose covetousness both riches and poverty are equally tempting. To robbery, butchery and rapine, they give the lying name of ‘government’; they create a desolation and call it peace."

Fans of Arrival and Speaker for the Dead would probably enjoy this. Can't recommend highly enough and can't wait for the next volume!

A Memory Called Empire was one of my top reads in 2020 and to say that I was really looking forward to A Desolation Called Peace would be an understatement - but even with the weight of my considerable expectations riding on it, this book is not just a five star read, it's a book that I will think about, dissect, and recommend for years to come.

I don't think I can really do justice to this book without mentioning the previous one because this truly is a duology, the two books working in concert to deliver a whole. In the first book, Arkady Martine sets the context for the story - in space there stretches a massive empire that is hungry for more. On the fringes of this empire is a tiny space station with access to a slice of deep space and it worries that one day the empire will come to swallow it whole. What follows is a story about what colonization looks like, how it is not just a matter of territory and resources but of minds. We look at how memory is inherited and manipulated and informs the future. We are introduced to a cast of characters with opaque intentions and how they're all woven into the intricate fabric of this world.

In this second book, the action moves out to deep space where another empire awaits and Martine begins to really expand on the themes present in the first book. We are asked to think about language and principles in the face of extreme provocation. The true meaning of cultural differences and myopia. Of blind devotion to a singular aim and how it can both corrupt and elevate. Of the price of individuality. Of what it means to have a vision. Of the meaning of love and patriotism and what happens when the two collide.

This is a big book. Big in ideas and heart. And I feel as though we aren't done with this world. I hope we aren't done.

A Desolation Called Peace is the sequel to Arkady Martine’s stellar A Memory Called Empire. The latter was one of my top books of 2019, and even though it’s early, I’m going to call it and say that A Desolation Called Peace is one of my top books of 2021. If you’re coming here for the tl;dr takeaway, it’s that yes, the sequel is as good, or better, than its predecessor. It’s thoughtful science fiction, exploring ideas of colonialism and identity, acculturation and diplomacy, between cultures and species. It also rocks some intriguing palace intrigue, and some fascinatingly byzantine politics rears its head. But don’t worry, there’s also some epic, explosively tense moments of space combat to get your adrenaline pumping. And there’s the complex, deeply felt, fully realised personal relationships that will wring out your emotions and leave you bathed in sorrow, delight and wonder in equal measure.
On that note, Mahit Dzmare is back! As is the ever wonderful Three Seagrass. I love these two. Mahit, fresh from the events of the previous novel, is sharper, perhaps a little more focused, figuring out what her wants and needs are. She’s someone determined to set her own course, and now somewhat less willing to have it guided by others. Mahit is working through her feelings, not just for Seagrass, but for the entire culture which surrounds them both, at least some of the time - the culture where she’s the outsider, where Seagrass is assuming she’ll want to be, to blend, to fit in. Mahit is, perhaps, not so good at fitting in, even for a woman whom she loves, or could love. And Seagrass, oh, such a disaster.A wonderful person, whose affection for Mahit is somehow unbridled in its intensity, but delicately masked in the skein of social front and construction which the Empire gets all of its citizens to build around themselves.


THe relationship is delightful on its face, crowded with misunderstandings, but also a genuine warmth and affection, backed up by the kind of emotional vulnerability, on both sides, which risks genuine hurt. Working out how they can be, and working out how they can be as a pair, is, I think, at the emotional heart of this story. If they can,, of course. In a world which looks on Mahit as an outsider, where the world has only a language to describe itself and its boundaries as real, Mahit and Seagrass’ romance dances on the razors edge, in the liminal space that borders groups who think they’re People. And may yet decide that everyone else is just people. Anyway, they’re an absolute disaster of raw affection and pain and struggle, questing out to connect in the darkness of the heart. But somewhere in the broken glass pain and the raw affection and the passionate intensity are two people making their way in an uncertain world. And I love them for that. For their vulnerability. For the way that their fights over identity and politics and selfhood come from different perspectives, but aren’t dishonest in it. In the way that they can be in love but still struggle to find themselves at the centre of it all. This is a quiet romance which pierced my cynicism like a stiletto. The two of them are different to us, and different to each other, but people still, living and fighting and trying to make the connections which keep them together. It’s a hard fight, that one, but a recognisable one - and you can feel the struggle and the love, on the page and off it. That its often in the quieter moments, the clinks of tea mugs or the passion of a shared project, and not always in the grand gesture - I think that grounds the relationship and makes it work. It’s a real relationship, even as it’s showing us the power politics of Imperial identity and their cultural attitudes, even as it’s a showcase of soft power and imbalance, it’s a living, breathing thing - and I love it for that, too, for the way that Mahit and Three Seagrass tackle the bigger issues around them, the ones that invisibly shape the questions they ask; and I adore that the story asks these questions through them, and leaves it to the reader to think things through.


Oh. I went on a little while there. Sorry.


There’s also all sorts of excitement happening in the heart of the Empire, while Three Seagrass and Mahit are out there in the border spaces. We get a fresh perspective, one a little closer to the ground. Eight Antidote, clone of the recently departed Emperor, and somewhat precocious Young Person, shows us the palace machinery at the centre of what the Teixcalaan call The World. There’s a shifting sand of politics here, and the cost, the personal cost on a boy who has no room to be a child, is faced and borne front and centre. Again, his efforts at connection, at understanding, at reaching out, are critical. It’s not all state functions and snide remarks - but there’s a lot that we hear, and a lot that foes unsaid, for Eight Antidote and the reader. I really enjoyed delving into Teixcalaan’s society with him, and loved the differing perspective from our previous protagonists. Eight Antidote is young, but not naive, a wild card that can be underestimated, and may rely on that overmuch. He’s at least as clever as he things he is, and as aware of his limitations - but refuses to be bound by them. Or, perhaps, by expectations. He made me smile, negotiating the governing halls with a quiet face, a studied demeanour, and an incisive desire to understand.


In that, at least, he’s joined by Nine Hibiscus, the Fleet Captain sent out to find out what’s chewing up worlds at the edge of The World. Nine Hibiscus throws open the doors of the Teixcalaan military for us. Humanises it whilst recognising an inhumane institution, whose purpose, depending on your point of view, is glorious expansion, or cultural malignance through superior firepower. Still, Nine Hibiscus, looking for aliens in all the wrong (and right) places, is either going to start a war or end one. Watching her, a calculated staff officer, a fierce mind behind a political facade, with the backbone to do what needs to be done once she knows what it is - well, it’s a joy. That she acknowledges her own flaws and need for friendships and affections, that she doubts her own righteousness enough, that she is unconventional in an Empire which wraps everything in the tendrils of its own past, is a joy. That she too, seeks connection, seeks understanding, is clear - though balancing that against what is perceived as necessity is somewhat harder. Anyway, Nine Hibiscus lights the centre of almost every scene she is in, and we are cooly warmed thereby.


Which is all to say, that the excellent character building of the first novel remains intact. And that in exploring the mining station of Mahit’s people, and the heart of Teixcalaan, and the claustrophobic halls of a military warship, and weaving the notes between them so we can see the threads that bind them closer and closer together, see the power of force and the wonder of words at once, we can feel and live the world Arkady Martine has built for us, ifor all it is fearsome and wondrous in equal measure.


I won’t delve into the story, partly because I’ve already gone on for too long, but also because it turns and pivots under your hand. There’s plots and counter plots under the surface, and military actions - for those of you who love a bit of space warfare. There’s appalling, amazing sacrifices, and quiet conversations in boring conference rooms that shake the foundations of worlds. The story enfolds the characters and their world, and flows organically from their actions - and where it goes is often unpredictable, but always, always left me wanting to turn a few more pages to see what happened next. I swallowed this story whole, sat up at some ridiculous hour of the too-early morning to see how it ended, desperate to know, and desperate for it not to be done. I think, I hope, you’ll like it as much as I obviously do; and perhaps if you do, you’ll see why I’m calling it early, and saying this is one of my top books of 2021.


Go out and get a copy of this, then read it, then read it again to see what you missed the first time It’s absolutely bloody fantastic.

Don't read this book if you haven't read the first one. Even reading the first one didn't mean that I didn't flounder during the first part of the book. There are so many characters with different alliances to different people. Once I figured things out, this is a great book. The characters all have their own motive and desires. Every side is understandable when these desires clash.

Aliens are introduced in this book and they are so terrifying. Did Arkady Martine want to create something that can give you nightmares? Uncovering the method to communicate with them made them even more horrible.

As well written as this book is, I'm going to take away a star because it took me so long to remember what is going on. I needed a refresher course.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This is the second time this year that I've had the opportunity to read a sequel to a book I had fallen in love with, only to discover that the sequel (somehow!) is even better than the first. A Memory Called Empire swept me off my feet and reminded me why I love space opera so much. When I was lucky enough to grab an ARC of A Desolation Called Peace, I was so excited to follow along with the adventures of Mahit and Three Seagrass, and curious to see what the author would do within her fully and exquisitely realized universe. I was not at all disappointed. Martine expands her storytelling to offer multiple POVs--an approach I am usually suspicious of, but she handles it well and the multiple POVs pay off at the end. While the ending did feel a little rushed, we are still satisfied, and left with some deliciously intriguing questions. A fantastic book.

I made the overeager mistake of requesting this one before finishing the first book in the duology. Unfortunately, I did not end up liking the second half of a Memory Called Empire. I still tried this sequel, but I just don't like this one enough to give finish it oniy to give a mediocre review.

While Arkady Martine’s fabulous space opera debut A Memory Called Empire had a satisfactory ending there was clearly more story to tell. For a start, a potential alien threat on the boundaries of the Teixcalaan Empire, a new Emperor on the throne following a revolt that saw the old emperor die and the return of Ambassador Mahit Dzmare to the sort-of independent station of Lsel and into the hands of those who set her up to fail. All of these questions are answered, not in ways that could necessarily be expected in the sequel A Desolation Called Peace.
When the book opens the aliens lurking on the edges of Teixcalaan space have come out of the shadows. A battalion of warships have been sent to both investigate and engage the enemy. But they find a whole planetary colony wiped out and a dangerous enemy that they cannot communicate with. Their request for assistance with making contact with the aliens is picked up by Three Seagrass who takes it on herself to go to the front and not only that, to stop at Lsel Station and pick up Mahit Dzmare on her way. But Mahit has troubles of her own, a pawn of warring councillors, trying to find out who sabotaged her imago (the memories of the previous ambassador that she was to carry) while being threatened with having it ripped out of her. Desperate she joins Three Seagrass and heads to the front where the two throw themselves into understanding the alien threat. At the same time there is politics galore happening both within the battlegroup and back on the Teixcalaan home world.
While Dzmare is ostensibly the ‘protagonist’, Martine tells her story through a number of unique points of view. Each of these characters have their own arc and allows Martine to set up multiple mini-cliffhangers. Once again she draws all of these together slowly and carefully into a page turning finale in which the soul of the Empire is at stake. Living up to the promise of good space opera, this volume does have space battles involving fleets of fighters and energy weapons. But as readers might have come to expect, the solutions to problems come from negotiation, understanding and more than a little political nous.
A Desolation Called Peace lives up to the promise of its predecessor. A completely different book with very different concerns, it expands the universe and ups the pressure on the main characters while continuing the political manoeuvrings established in the first book. And it continues to ask the big questions about consciousness, humanity and civilisation, although this time not only in terms of apparent civilisation versus perceived barbarism but humanity against a type of intelligence that it clearly not human.
As with its predecessor, Martine manages to wrap up all of the main plot threads and relationships by the end of the book, providing a satisfying conclusion. But there are plenty or fascinating characters and some dangling threads that could be picked up in a third book. Given the strength of the first two, another entry in this series would not be unwelcome.

Mahit Dzmare is back on Lsel and desperately trying to hide the secret that she has not one but two imago lines in her brain. Eight Antidote, imperial heir to all Teixcalaan, is learning what it means to be a spy by moving through the Ministry of War and absorbing knowledge. Three Seagrass, unfulfilled by her job in the Information Ministry, grabs an assignment to make first contact with the brand new alien threat that is hovering near the borders of Teixcalaan. All of these storylines converge as we once again explore Martine's exquisitely created universe and the glittering civilization that is Teixcalaan.

This is another beautifully constructed story by Arkady Martine. "A Desolation Called Peace" picks up slightly after where "A Memory Called Empire" ends. However, the focus-point of this story is not entirely the city called the Jewel of the World but rather is split between the city and the bridge of a fleet warship which is preparing itself to face Teixcalaan's newest alien enemy. We are brought up to speed on older characters but we are also introduced to new characters in the form of military personnel and members of the Ministry of War. "A Desolation Called Peace" is also far more focused on war and the military than on the court politics that were the center of "A Memory Called Empire." Overall, this sweeping space opera is just as entrancing as Martine's first title and is worth a read for fans of books like Dune or The Traitor Baru Cormorant.

Excellent follow up to A Memory Called Empire. I enjoyed reading it and I'm eager to listen to the audiobook edition. Texicalaan feels real as you read, and that's all I can ask of my sci fi.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3682372875

Just finished, at 1 AM. Boy, is it good. Space war! Incomprehensible, disgusting aliens! Here's what their language sounds like, to a human:
"A sharp, ugly noise with the intimation of a headache inside it, that ended in a scream that had taste—a foul, oilslick, tongue-coating taste that made her nauseated."

“You don’t need a translator, you need a winnowing barrage,” Captain Twelve Fusion said. “Whatever made that [noise] shouldn’t exist.”

Best novel of 2021! OK, first I've finished this New Year.... Arkady Martine aka AnnaLinden Weller writes like an angel. I thought her first was amazingly good. This one's even better. Six stars! And I'll be re-reading both books.

This novel (and its prequel) is a study in what happens if women take on all the hard, important jobs in a complex civilization. Like, will they be nicer to each other? [Mostly yes.] Will they bring their kids to work? [Absolutely!] Can they be as bloody-minded as men, if duty calls for it? [Well. That’s complicated. As it should be.] What do the MEN do? [Um. Mostly they are invisible, here. Certainly not the romantic leads!]

A sample:
Three Seagrass took a breath, the kind that expanded all of her narrow chest and belly: breathed not only for oratory but for something even louder. And, exhaling, began to sing.
“Within each cell is a bloom of chemical fire,” she sang, bell-clear alto, a voice for calling lost people home, a carrying voice, meant for distance. “Committed to the earth, we shall burst into a thousand flowers—as many as our breaths in life—and we shall recall our names—our names and the names of our ancestors—and in those names blood blooms also from our palms . . .”
It was the Teixcalaanli funeral poem. The one Mahit had heard arranged in a hundred different ways, spoken or sung—the one she’d read the first time in a textbook in a classroom on the Station, marveling at chemical fire and the idea of flowers made of blood. But she’d never heard it like this. Three Seagrass had made it sound like a war chant. A promise. You spilled our blood, and we will rise.

I loved Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass in the first book, and still do. Wonderfully complex people. They like each other a lot. As Reed puts it, she is "amazed and horrified and utterly delighted, all at once, which was pretty much how Mahit doing anything made her feel, really." And there's a HOT romance, in the girls' tiny stateroom:
“Come on,” she said, when the kiss dissolved from lack of available oxygen, “come on, I’m not going to fuck you standing up—”
“That bed’s tiny.” One of Three Seagrass’s hands had gotten under her shirt, cupped her breast, teased expertly and distractingly at the nipple. “There’s a perfectly good floor right here . . .”
“I’m not that kind of barbarian,” Mahit said, and found herself laughing, too, and pulling away long enough to squirm out of her jacket, pull her shirt over her head. The air of their quarters on bare skin raised shivery gooseflesh down her arms, over her ribs. The air, and Three Seagrass’s eyes on her.
“You’re not,” Three Seagrass said, dark and intent, “but I am.”

Followed by, well. Something completely unexpected (and much less pleasant!), that leads indirectly, maybe, to the solution to the alien conundrum.

I can't recommend this book too highly. Martine/Weller pushes all my buttons, and gets almost everything right. If you like intelligent, character-driven, woman-focused space opera, this is the book for you!

The author is being coy about what comes next, but she left obvious hooks for more books in the Teixcalaan universe. She stopped in a good place for the Empire. But left us on tenterhooks re Mahit and Reed's relationship! Bother. They should get on with living happily ever after! And perhaps they will, in the misty post-book future....

I was very fortunate to score an (unexpected) eARC from Tor via NetGalley. Lucky me! Thank you, Tor.
I deliberately took my time reading the book. Martine writes like an angel. But not quickly, and not much.

[review will go live on 2 March at the link provided]

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine is the sequel to A Memory Called Empire, which I previously read and reviewed and which was last year's Hugo Award-winning novel. While I enjoyed the first book, I enjoyed the sequel even more.

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.

Whether they succeed or fail could change the fate of Teixcalaan forever.

The central plot point is the war brewing between the Empire and mysterious aliens, only a few jump gates from Lsel Station. Our protagonists from the first book drag themselves into the thick of things and find themselves face to face with the aliens. Meanwhile, we are also introduced to two new characters — the senior fleet commander on thee front and the eleven-year-old imperial heir — who are both also excellent. I really enjoyed following all their stories and the way they ended up tying together when it came with dealing with an existential threat to human life.

After having done a lot of the heavy lifting with regards to worldbuilding in A Memory Called Empire, Martine is free, in A Desolation Called Peace, to explore other aspects of the world and characters. Some new concepts are introduced, but more of the focus is on characters and events. And while this book does follow some of the key characters from the first book and hinges on events that were set in motion in book one, both books are complete story arcs. You probably shouldn't read them out of order, but the first didn't leave us on a cliffhanger and the second had a lot more peril and a lot less poetry in it.

I really enjoyed A Desolation Called Peace, even more than A Memory Called Empire and I really hope Martine brings us more stories set in this world, even if no novel-length sequels are currently planned. I highly recommend this book to fans of space opera and space intrigue/diplomacy more generally. If you found the first book a bit slow, I think you'll enjoy this instalment more.

5 / 5 stars

First published: March 2021, Tor Books
Series: Teixcalaan book 2 of 2 (for now)
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

The previous book in this series was so good, and I found this one to be around the same level if not somewhat better. I strongly believed that Martine is such a talented writer and knows what the fans want. There are several more POV’s in this book, all with their own unique voice. I also want to say that the POV’s play a big role in what kept the story going for me. There was so much politics in this one, but the tension was significantly higher than the first one, Which I enjoyed. Theres also a new friendship that I’m so rooting for!

It's always a pleasure to see a series improve (in my view, at least) as it goes on - here we have that difficult second novel after A Memory Called Empire and I'm delighted to say that the pacing issues that plagued it for me have been pretty much resolved.

We start this book with our protagonist Mahit Dzmare, ambassador to the Teixcalaan empire, back on Lsel station where she is desperately trying to make sure nobody finds out the entirety of what she's been up to in recent months. Not so much her involvement with the death of the Teixcalaan emperor but more that there was an issue about her implant, the one that allows her to access the memories of her predecessor. At a convenient moment, the aliens that the empire had been warned of in the previous book have turned up on the edge of the empire and the other main character, Three Seagrass, pretty much gives herself the job of going to speak with them and drags Mahit along for the ride.

There are also a couple of other sub-plots going on, one from the point of view of Eight Antidote (clone of the former emperor) who finally hears what he was supposed to be for and another from the fleet commander, Nine Hibiscus, who has all sorts of difficult decisions to make about these aliens alongside a possible insurrection from within the fleet she commands.

All this is handled deftly, with just enough detail to keep the pace of the novel up, and also a few twists in the plot. I'm always delighted when I don't see something coming and there were a couple of places where that happened with this book. The author also does a good job of making supporting characters fleshed out, with Nine Hibiscus' XO being the prime example of this, though he may turn out to have a more important role in any future novels (don't worry, no spoilers as to why!). Definitely 5 stars from me and I can't wait to see where this story goes next, or where this author goes next.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass, reunited due to Mahit’s desperation and alien incursion, have to find a way to communicate with the extremely dangerous aliens (and figure out if they can love each other across the cultural boundaries that define Mahit as a barbarian and not quite a person to Three Seagrass). Meanwhile, the empire’s eleven-year-old heir is learning how to do politics and trying to stop a war. The eleven-year-old was way too mature for my comfort, but maybe their years are longer. If you enjoyed the first one and palace politics in space in general, then this is the same stuff on a broader stage, but I found it a bit too chilly for deep enjoyment.

Apparently I need an iPhone to read this thing. I would love to review it for Galaxy's Edge magazine but I can't get past all these apps and snaps and widgets and wadgets so that I could READ the novel! This becoming intensely frustrating.

Había mucha expectación alrededor de la publicación de la continuación de la flamante ganadora del premio Hugo, A Memory Called Empire. En este sentido, Arkady Martine no decepciona, ya que nos trae una novela que continúa con las andanzas de los personajes de la anterior entrega, pero que cambia tanto el escenario como el foco.


Me parece especialmente destacable la forma «realista» (dentro de lo que cabe) con la que se afronta un primer contacto con una especie extraterrestre que se considera una amenaza. El enfoque principal que se utiliza es el lingüístico, intentando establecer puentes entre los negociadores mediante repetición de sonidos o representaciones gráficas. Es muy interesante cómo los encargados de las negociaciones se enfrentan a la dificultad inherente de conocer al otro, cuando no hay apenas puntos en común. También se aprovecha el estudio de la biología, que tendrá un papel fundamental en el desarrollo de la novela, por motivos que se irán desvelando a partir de la tercera parte del libro y que me han recordado por momentos a Peter Watts o Tade Thompson.

Pero A Desolation Called Peace no sería un digno miembro de la saga Teixcalaan si no tuviéramos intrigas políticas. No temáis, aquí las tendréis a raudales. Cada personaje se encuentra a veces manejado por los hilos invisibles de sus superiores o controladores en una recreación bastante correcta de una trama de espionaje a la antigua usanza. Ya sea en las relaciones entre el Imperio y las colonias o dentro de la propia flota militar del Imperio, cada acción tiene detrás una reflexión destinada a colocar las piezas en los lugares más aventajados para el golpe final. Aunque resulta muy entretenido ver cómo se van desarrollando los acontecimientos, en determinadas ocasiones el ritmo de la novela se resiente precisamente por esta preparación tan exhaustiva. Este es el principal problema que le he encontrado al libro, que en ocasiones se vuelve demasiado moroso en su avance.

Me gusta mucho cómo se hace hincapié en la cultura de los «imagos», esos implantes mentales que permiten crear una continuidad de los conocimientos que se van pasando de unas personas a otras mediante un implante que permite fusionar la personalidad del donante con la del receptor. De una forma bastante inteligente, Martine vuelve a hablarnos sobre conciencias colectivas desde otros puntos de vista distintos. Espero que este extremo se explore en mayor profundidad en la siguientes entregas de la saga.

En definitiva, estamos ante uno de los libros destinados a ser un éxito en 2021.

4.5 stars

A Desolation Called Peace is the follow up to A Memory Called Empire and is a very worthy successor. Filled with just as much intricate politics and intra-government backstabbing as the first, whilst also building on the characters and world, as well as having a very engaging plot throughout – I think I love this book even more than the first!

We are following Mahit and Three Seagrass again, who we meet in book 1 but I feel like it was so much easier in this book to get invested in their story as I already loved them whereas in book one it took me a little while to warm up to them. I also loved getting both their POVs and how that added to their relationship dynamic and the plot. I think it would have been very easy for the author to go in a certain direction with their relationship but I love that she took the time to explore complexities and nuance in their dynamic, especially with Mahit being and Stationer and Three Seagrass being Teixcalaani. Also there was a steamy scene that I was not expecting but it really went there!!!! Soft sapphics will always have my heart <3

We also follow Nine Hibiscus a Teixcalaan fleet commander, who is in charge of the frontlines of the war with a new alien species who they are just making first contact with. I really enjoyed her character and how she was trying to be the best leader she can whilst also having lots of political factions trying to thwart her and having to make some very hard decisions towards the end. I also loved her relationship/friendship with her second in command Twele Cicada, he was also such a great character and I feel like the small bits we got of their friendship really added to the emotional impact at the end of the story. I also loved the fact they had rescue kittens living on their ship from a previous mission – this was such a cute little detail that I was so soft for!!!

We also follow Eight Antidote the heir to the empire and who we met briefly in the previous book. I really loved his storyline and how hard he was trying to learn to be a good leader, whilst still having the navitee and goodness of a child despite understanding the dark political world around him and the reason he was created. I loved his mentorship with the empress (we didn’t get much of her in this book but she is still the hot milf empress of my heart <3).

This book is filled with a lot of similar themes to the first with the idea of the colonising empire eating up all other cultures, but Mahit also feels a love for the empire at the same time. I think this is so well explored, especially with the addition at the beginning of the scenes on Lsel stations and getting to know some of the political players there, and what their true goals are, as we only see a little of that in Memory.
We also explored a first contact storyline with a species that are very hard to communicate with, and this is how Mahit and Three Seagrass end up on the frontlines trying to communicate and establish peace. I loved this storyline, and especially the stuff with the fungi as well as how all the POV storylines tied together towards the end. I also really liked how the interludes has some very clever foreshadowing for certain revelations later in the book.

I love the overall tone of this series, it’s not super action packed sci-fi, instead it’s very political and theme heavy with quite a slow pace, but also somehow manages to be incredibly compelling and engaging throughout. I was not bored a single minute while reading this!! The ending is also not a super explosive battle scene, but I thought it was a perfect ending with the tone of the book and how everything wrapped up and came together, and a great culmination of certain character arcs. I would have liked some more at the end regarding some of the Lsel characters but the end of the book felt very much like there is going to be another book so I think we will probably see that then!

In conclusion a great sequel, filled with plenty of heart and charm and great characters, along with a fascinating world that is so easy to become immersed in! Truly transportive Sci-Fi.

I absolutely loved the first book of Teixcalaan, so I was very excited to a/ be able to ask for the second book on NetGalley b/ actually get an eARC for it 🙂

The story of A Desolation Called Peace starts a few months after the end of A Memory Called Empire. It is divided into several points of view: Mahit, Three Seagrass, Captain Nine Hibiscus, the Emperor, and the Emperor’s heir, as they navigate a tricky first contact situation with an alien species whose intentions seem more than belligerent. Nine Hibiscus is the captain of the fleet handling that first contact; Three Seagrass and Mahit are there to handle the diplomacy.

As in the first book of the series, the world building is delightful, and I really enjoyed the whole cultural and political aspects of all the civilizations involved. However, while poetry and its use in the empire was a strong component of the first book (which I enjoyed immensely), it’s definitely less present in this one, and I missed that a bit. I also had a bit of an issue with pacing: the middle 60% of the book are perfectly paced for my taste, but the first 20% feel a bit lagging and the last 20% feel a bit rushed. I’ll admit that it may have a lot to do with wanting certain things to happen in the first 20% of the book and not wanting the book to end in the last 20% of the book – which may actually be a good thing 😉

That said, I really enjoyed this second installment. I really liked the different points of view, and I got new characters to like. The story and its resolution were very satisfying, and I found myself highlighting a few quotes on my reader – which I hadn’t done that recently. A solid read, and definitely recommended to people who enjoyed the first book.