Sequels are wonderful things. When a reader finds a world they love, they want to return again and again. And if we’re lucky, again and again and again. I remember feeling this way after finishing A Memory Called Empire. When it won the Hugo in 2020, I knew a lot of people agreed with me. By the time it had won the Hugo, the sequel A Desolation Called Peace was already in work. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, and luckily for me, Tor approved me for an eARC. I dug hungrily into Arkady Martine’s newest adventure in her world looking for more Teixcalaanli and Stationer goodness. A Desolation Called Peace doesn’t disappoint. It’s a wonderful return home to a formal yet comfortable universe.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided me an eARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine alone.
TL;DR
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine is a welcome return to Teixcalaanli and Stationer space. Old friends reunite for a first contact scenario while new friends spy and play the game of politics. Also, kittens in space. Because kittens belong everywhere. Highly recommended for SFF fans.
© 2021 Primmlife.com
From the Publisher
A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
An alien terror could spell our end.
An alien threat lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is supposed to win a war against it.
In a desperate attempt to find a diplomatic solution, the fleet captain has sent for an envoy to contact the mysterious invaders. Now Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass – both still reeling from the recent upheaval in the Empire – face an impossible task: they must attempt to negotiate with a hostile entity, without inadvertently triggering the destruction of themselves and the Empire.
Whether they succeed or fail could change the face of Teixcalaan forever.
Review: A Desolation Called Peace
At the start of A Desolation Called Peace, Mahit Dzmare is back on Lsel Station, embroiled in local politics; Three Seagrass is bored in her new job; and Nineteen Adze is the new Empress, long may she reign. The insurrection failed, but the alien threat beyond Lsel Station still exists. Quickly, the reader is taken to the Teixcalaanli fleet as it makes contact with the ‘enemy.’ This enemy may be technologically superior to the Empire, and they’re picking off scouts and attack vessels. The funeral hymns resound throughout the fleet. Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus gets the crazy idea of trying to talk to the aliens, despite the fact that the alien sounds make all who listen queasy. Who better to talk to aliens than the Information Ministry’s own Three Seagrass with her favorite barbarian Mahit Dzmare? Meanwhile, back in Teixcalaan, the game of politics has picked up a new player in the former emperor’s clone, Eight Antidote. His role is to find out if Nine Hibiscus and the fleet were sent out to win the war against the alien threat or simply to die.
In the fleet, we meet a host of new and interesting characters. Nine Hibiscus received a promotion after the failed insurrection, and quickly the captains under her command test her leadership. Her biggest test comes from Sixteen Moonrise, a possible spy for the Ministry of War. For a captain of a ship, Sixteen Moonrise spends a lot of her time in the book onboard the Fleet Command ship, Weight for the Wheel. Nine Hibiscus, though, has Twenty Cicada, an adjutant with an unorthodox religion. Twenty Cicada supports his yaotlek and keeps her ship in tip-top form. In other words, Martine has created a range of new characters at the frontlines of Teixcalaan’s war for us to enjoy. I really liked these characters, and we get enough that each of them feel whole with logical motives.
In the Ministry of War back at the capitol, Eight Antidote gets an education from Eleven Laurel, head of the military spy agency, and the Minister of War herself, Three Azimuth. I didn’t connect with this part of the storyline as much as the Fleet portion. Eight Antidote is an interesting character; through him, the reader gets to experience Palace-Earth and stay current on homefront politics. While Three Azimuth gets quality character work, I didn’t get enough about Eleven Laurel to get a grasp on him. He remained thin to me.
Can Mahit Go Home Again?
One of the things that I really liked about A Memory Called Empire was seeing the ‘outsider’ Mahit adjust to Teixcalaan and the Teixcalaanli, mostly fail, to adjust to her. As a small town boy who moved to Detroit at the end of college, I understood Mahit’s plight. It’s wonderful to be there, but it’s quickly made apparent that you’re different. A Desolation Called Peace continues investigating this with Mahit aboard Lsel Station. By returning, she’s put herself in a no person’s land in that she’s politically useless to her benefactors while Heritage considers her imago line an active threat. How can she feel at home when she’s not even seen as a person but a political tool? Heritage, meanwhile, wonders if the imago lined has been infected by Teixcalaan culture and could possibly dilute the purity of Stationer life.
In many ways, Mahit is between homes in this book. Her love of Teixcalaan makes her a threat to Stationer culture, but her Stationer origins make her a barbarian to the culture she loves. How does one find a home in this situation? Does Mahit find a home? This is a question that I can’t wait to discuss with people as they read the book.
Weight for the Wheel
Pacing
Like A Memory Called Empire, A Desolation Called Peace felt very controlled. Every aspect was crafted, perfected, and put in the place it was meant to be. Yet unlike the previous book, I struggled to get into this one. It took a while to engage me. But I can’t explain what was different between Memory and this. Pacing is one of those nebulous areas of reviewing where each reader’s experience will vary. Some will enjoy it; some will wish it had moved faster. And it could just be me at the moment. I might pick this up in few months and have a different experience. But as a reviewer, everything I’ve written above is shaped by my struggle to engage with the book. While there was plenty of tension and conflict throughout the book, I didn’t feel the tension. I admired its construction but bounced off it. I think this is my failing and not the book’s. A Desolation Called Peace is a finely crafted story that is worth reading.
Conclusion
Arkady Martine’s A Desolation Called Peace returns the reader to Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass for another adventure in a standout SF setting. Teixcalaan is as wonderful as I remember, and with the introduction of new and engaging characters like Nine Hibiscus and Eight Antidote, A Desolation Called Peace expands the Teixcalaan universe. Come for the aliens; stay for the Kauraanian kittens.
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine is available from Tor Books on March 4th, 2021.
© Primmlife.com