A Desolation Called Peace
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- Create Date：2021-05-31 00:16:14
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Arkady Martine
- ISBN：1250186463
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Ryan Dash
，
3 stars。 Compared to the first book， the storyline was a bit weaker， though still interesting。 I liked the sections from Eight Antidote’s POV， which were convincingly written for a kid his age。 The main problem with the book was the structure: there were far too many internal thoughts， which was often interspersed with inter-character dialogue to such an extent that it was hard to recall what the preceding line was。
Robin Meadows
，
Hmmmm。。。ambitious but not fully realized。 The plot is clunky， slow and obvious， with too much explained/given away。 But the central idea is fascinating and the story really picks up near the end plus I liked the ending。 So: 4 stars for the concept and 2 stars for the execution = 3 stars overall。
capricornreader
，
there's so much greatness and depth in this book but I just have to say my heart was stolen by the alien swamp kittensCW: war， violence， death， gore， genocide， alcohol， sexual content there's so much greatness and depth in this book but I just have to say my heart was stolen by the alien swamp kittensCW: war， violence， death， gore， genocide， alcohol， sexual content 。。。more
Violinknitter
，
Total booklove！！！So if the first book managed to be intimate & focused all the way through， this one is sprawling across galactic space。 This isn’t stand-alone， I would say。 Much of the dynamics of characters from the first book would not be clear if you hadn’t read it first before reading Desolation。
Nick Reno
，
As great as the first one was。I love the world of Teixcalaan， and although this doesn't explore as much if the core of the culture， the excellent plot makes up for it。 The use of the sunlit and the shard trick as a common ground to the alien hive mind is inspired， a really great deviation from what was shaping up to be an Ender's Game situation。 I really loved the dynamic between Nine Hibiscus and Twenty Cicada， their whole thing was perfect。 That's not to eclipse Three Seagrass and Mahit's budd As great as the first one was。I love the world of Teixcalaan， and although this doesn't explore as much if the core of the culture， the excellent plot makes up for it。 The use of the sunlit and the shard trick as a common ground to the alien hive mind is inspired， a really great deviation from what was shaping up to be an Ender's Game situation。 I really loved the dynamic between Nine Hibiscus and Twenty Cicada， their whole thing was perfect。 That's not to eclipse Three Seagrass and Mahit's budding romance， but I just really like Swarm and his Homeostasis cult thing， just very good。Love it 。。。more
Elsie M
，
3。5/5 stars， rounded up here because the worldbuilding and cultures， as in the last book， are awesome and truly staggering in detail。 There really is nothing like this series out right now！ However， I had a hard time getting into this book and following all the different threads。 I think it started a little slow。 However， the last 1/4 was really interesting！ Not super happy with the resolution of Mahit and Three Seagrass’s relationship。
Erin
，
I wasn't sure if I'd like this one as much as the first book。 I had heard this one was even better than the first， but at the same time I'd also heard that this book pivoted it's story focus from being entirely political intrigue to being some of that and also some first contact。 And while I'm realizing I love political intrigue in my sci fi， first contact is something that isn't quite as interesting as a concept to me。 So I was glad to discover that I did enjoy this one just as much as the firs I wasn't sure if I'd like this one as much as the first book。 I had heard this one was even better than the first， but at the same time I'd also heard that this book pivoted it's story focus from being entirely political intrigue to being some of that and also some first contact。 And while I'm realizing I love political intrigue in my sci fi， first contact is something that isn't quite as interesting as a concept to me。 So I was glad to discover that I did enjoy this one just as much as the first。I think Martine did a really good job with including this first contact aspect of the story but at the same time keeping the political intrigue high。 She also introduced three new POVs， two of which are character we have met， but one is a new character， and I liked this additions a lot。 Multiple POVs is something that I really enjoy in my SFF and in this case being able to see the story from three POVs that for most of the book were in about the same location and the fourth being in a totally different location was a really great way to tell this story with the POVs stories all converging by the end。Character wise I was still loving following Mahit and Three Seagrass who we met in the first book。 Eight Antidote， if I remember correctly， was a much smaller character in the first book， and I really enjoyed reading more about him and following him。 Having a child character was something different from when I usually read adult SFF and it worked really well。 And our new character， Nine Hibiscus， might be my favorite character of the book。 She was this badass fleet captain and I loved all her POVs。As with the first book the writing style of this book is one that I think fits really well with the story and world in that's it's somewhat of a high brow and dense style， but it's not my taste as far as writing style goes。 So while it's effective in conveying the kind of feel I think she is going for， it's not my preference in writing style。I think this is the last planned book in this world， but if Martine ever wrote more I'd definitely pick it up！ 。。。more
Edward Silverman
，
This was the second book in the series and had a different feel than the first。 The action was still diplomatic and interpersonal in nature but the central conflict revolved around first contact with a species that had been picking off and destroying parts of the Teixcalaan empire。 The narrative was compelling but do not expect a space opera-this is more Star Trek than Star Wars in terms of the role diplomacy plays。 Fans of Martine will love this。 I think people who like Elizabeth Bear white spa This was the second book in the series and had a different feel than the first。 The action was still diplomatic and interpersonal in nature but the central conflict revolved around first contact with a species that had been picking off and destroying parts of the Teixcalaan empire。 The narrative was compelling but do not expect a space opera-this is more Star Trek than Star Wars in terms of the role diplomacy plays。 Fans of Martine will love this。 I think people who like Elizabeth Bear white space novels will also enjoy this。 As for the book it probably works even without having read the first book， as the imago-central to the first book， mostly takes a back seat here， but I would still recommend people read that one first。 。。。more
Joe Kessler
，
This sci-fi sequel has a broader scope than its Hugo-winning predecessor， which is both a blessing and a curse。 Additional viewpoint characters help flesh out the Aztec-inspired Teixcalaan culture beyond Mahit's outsider perspective， and the court intrigue is joined by some delightful xenolinguistic fieldwork in a first contact situation with a strange species in the middle of a galactic war zone。 We also get a more explicit queer romance between the ambassador and Three Seagrass， the woman who This sci-fi sequel has a broader scope than its Hugo-winning predecessor， which is both a blessing and a curse。 Additional viewpoint characters help flesh out the Aztec-inspired Teixcalaan culture beyond Mahit's outsider perspective， and the court intrigue is joined by some delightful xenolinguistic fieldwork in a first contact situation with a strange species in the middle of a galactic war zone。 We also get a more explicit queer romance between the ambassador and Three Seagrass， the woman who had previously been her guide around the imperial city-planet。 （Plus， it's just fun to read about their ally Twenty Cicada during a season when Brood X has emerged from its long hibernation to serenade my local countryside。）On the other hand， I miss the cozier atmosphere of the original story， which seemed to use its big ideas in service to the heart of the narrative rather than the opposite here。 I've also found the alien hivemind to be somewhat derivative of typical genre tropes compared to the last novel's distinctive invention of an inherited memory device， and the new protagonist who's a precocious eleven-year-old doesn't prove his worth until near the end of the book -- which together give echoes of Ender's Game that I don't feel this series particularly needed。Overall， it's still a compelling look at assimilation and empire from without and within， and I adore all the time spent with our returning heroine and the long-dead voices in her head。 But on balance， I do think I prefer the previous volume。[Content warning for body horror / gore。][I checked out this title at a Patreon donor’s request。 Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review （or otherwise support my writing）？ Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon。com/lesserjoke ！]Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter 。。。more
Rabiah
，
This book is amazing。 You will never know the characters names and things move both fast and slow。 The stakes are incredibly high and yet you will laugh and enjoy the dialogue and the plot。 This is a POLITICAL space opera。 Lots of things are happening and for the first third you will not know what is going on。 By the end， I very much wanted to lock myself in a closet so I wouldn’t be distracted or miss the details。 Excellent。
Kerry Smith
，
Beautifully crafted sequel to Martine's first novel。 It has been well over a year since I read Memory of Empire and Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass （as well as the entire political intrigue of the Teixcalaanli empire） have remained firm favourites。Though written in a sci-fi setting， echoes of earth's long standing wars， power struggles， colonisation and genocide are woven throughout both Martine's books - misunderstandings of language， culture and who REALLY are the barbarians？ Beautifully crafted sequel to Martine's first novel。 It has been well over a year since I read Memory of Empire and Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass （as well as the entire political intrigue of the Teixcalaanli empire） have remained firm favourites。Though written in a sci-fi setting， echoes of earth's long standing wars， power struggles， colonisation and genocide are woven throughout both Martine's books - misunderstandings of language， culture and who REALLY are the barbarians？ 。。。more
Walter Davis
，
This is a review of A Desolation Called Peace。 After A Memory Called Empire， Ambassador to Teixcalaan， Mahit Dzmare returns “home” to Lisl Station， a city floating in space。 She is in semi-disgrace and， if some of the things she had to do in the first book come to light， she could be considered a traitor。 Councilor Amnardbat， the leader of Heritage， the organization that controls imagoes and acts to stabilize the culture of Lisl Station （and who Mahit believes deliberately sabotaged her） wants t This is a review of A Desolation Called Peace。 After A Memory Called Empire， Ambassador to Teixcalaan， Mahit Dzmare returns “home” to Lisl Station， a city floating in space。 She is in semi-disgrace and， if some of the things she had to do in the first book come to light， she could be considered a traitor。 Councilor Amnardbat， the leader of Heritage， the organization that controls imagoes and acts to stabilize the culture of Lisl Station （and who Mahit believes deliberately sabotaged her） wants to conduct brain surgery， remove Mahit’s current imago （a device which records someone and then replays that person’s skills， memories and personality into a new mind） and replace it with a blank for future recording。 Mahit believes that if she submits， she will “accidentally” die on the table。 Even if she survives， a careful examination of her imago will betray that she and her predecessor/psychic roomie Yskandr Aghavn have broken the laws of her culture。 Worst case， the imago containing Yskandr will be destroyed and Mahit will be thrown out of the nearest airlock。 But she literally cannot refuse。 She has a week to find some way， ANY way， out。In the meantime， Teixcalaan is at war with a truly alien civilization。 They cannot talk to each other， cannot bargain， the alien language does not even appear to be a language。 Teixcalaan is losing。 The battlefield is close to the stargate that leads to Lisl Station。 Some of the Council hope that the aliens and the Teixcalaan will destroy each other， leaving Lisl Station alone。 Some consider this to be a foolishly optimistic view; unfortunately， this is the minority opinion。Three Seagrass， promoted due to her actions during the first book， cuts orders assigning herself as liaison to the Teixcalaan fleet。 She means to recruit Mahit to help her as she was impressed by Mahit’s intelligence， courage， and ability to improvise her way through impossible situations。 And for personal reasons。Three Seagrass arrives at Lisl Station illegally， just in time to save Mahit from Heritage （and increase suspicions that Mahit has been compromised， that she serves Teixcalaan， not Lisl Station）。 Not having any real choice， Mahit agrees to accompany Three Seagrass。 Heritage does not interfere， apparently operating on the 'Good riddance to bad rubbish' theory。 One member of the Council promises her protection from Heritage if she can keep peace from breaking out， if she can get the two warring empires to fight forever and forget about Lisl Station。 Mahit does not tell Three Seagrass about this or about just what kind of trouble she is in。This volume has more explicit sexual encounters but also delves into the nature of language and of how a civilization can exist， even thrive without it。 Its absence in a star traveling culture can make that culture stronger， more dangerous。A lot of this book deals with relationships: with Three Seagrass and Mahit; with how Yskandr disturbs Three Seagrass with his occasional appearances， when Mahit sometimes no longer acts like Mahit but instead becomes a stranger， a man wearing a woman’s body; with teachers and students; with the Heir to the Empire， Nine Antidote， an eleven year old boy who needs to learn how to be Emperor and also who he can trust; with the apparently totally platonic （but very strong） love between the commander of the Teixcalaan fleet and her second-in-command; with loyalty， betrayal， and sacrifice; with the fact that the sophisticated and beautiful Teixcalaan that Mahit dreamed of being part of since she was a child has no place for her except as a barbarian outsider; with the fact that for Mahit， “home there’s no returning” （see Poem: The Oracles by A。 E。 Housman （poetrynook。com） ）。I found it fascinating。 I look forward to the third volume in this series。 。。。more
Michael Burnam-Fink
，
A Desolation Called Peace is simpler and better than the first book。 A few months after the coup that saw a new emperor， and Mahit returned home， the war against the aliens is going poorly。 The enemy has superior drive technology， something which lets their ships disappear into a swirl of visual distortion， and the six legions sent to fight them are being cut apart in a slow battle of attrition。 When the fleet finally spot an one of their elusive foes， a ship of three rotating rings emitting hor A Desolation Called Peace is simpler and better than the first book。 A few months after the coup that saw a new emperor， and Mahit returned home， the war against the aliens is going poorly。 The enemy has superior drive technology， something which lets their ships disappear into a swirl of visual distortion， and the six legions sent to fight them are being cut apart in a slow battle of attrition。 When the fleet finally spot an one of their elusive foes， a ship of three rotating rings emitting horrific noises which cause people to vomit， supreme commander Nine Hibiscus calls for a negotiator from the homeworld。That negotiator is former diplomatic assistant Three Seagrass， who decides this will be an adventure and a chance to see Mahit again， since the war is just past Lsel Station。 Mahit has been dealing with her own political problems at home， with the government trying to decide if she's a loose end to be tied up， or a tool that still has use in advancing their agenda of getting the Empire caught in an endless quagmire of war。 The basic plot is therefore an attempt to make first contact with aliens who don't seem to understand the concept of language， with a race against factions which would prefer to see the negotiation fail。 A wounded Empire is a dangerous thing， and even though its outmatched in space， the Empire has plenty of planetkilling nuclear weapons。The points of view expand to include Nine Hibiscus， fleet commander， and Eight Antidote， the 11 year old heir to the throne， who is precociously working behind the scenes to learn the duty of an emperor and forbid genocide。 First contact is pretty standard for scifi， and Martine's aliens are serviceable， but the straightforward scientific puzzle lets her characters shine under stress， where they spent too much of the first book stumbling through someone else's intrigue。 。。。more
Krudant
，
Second books are always difficult for any author， and this one is no different。 The book continues the adventures of the ambassador but she’s now back home and faces a different set of problems until she’s rescued by Reed needing her to communicate with a new alien species invading the Empire’s borders。
Erin
，
The lush language did not work for me this time， if it worked last time。 The overuse of italics made every sentence seem to have too much emphasis， which made all of the characters seem more childish， which obviously only worked for the actual child Eight Antidote （who constantly brought up his age in case you'd forgotten from last chapter or the chapter before that or even the one before that）。Also everybody stopping to wonder at everything instead of doing their fucking jobs。 It also made the The lush language did not work for me this time， if it worked last time。 The overuse of italics made every sentence seem to have too much emphasis， which made all of the characters seem more childish， which obviously only worked for the actual child Eight Antidote （who constantly brought up his age in case you'd forgotten from last chapter or the chapter before that or even the one before that）。Also everybody stopping to wonder at everything instead of doing their fucking jobs。 It also made the adult professionals seem a lot more useless （adding to the feeling of immaturity）。 It was also never appropriately explained why they wouldn't use an actual trained translator when there were people who had taken xenolinguistics courses but weren't in the military。 Thank god we didn't have a view into Nineteen Adze's point of view; it would have absolutely ruined her。（I have some other thoughts on side things about really shitty decontamination protocols， but I'd already decided I hated the book by that point so it's probably me being unfair。 ）Lots of worthless repetition。 Yes， I figured out what Third Hand did by the fourth time mentioned。 And I also really got the picture when it was explicitly spelled out that only stationers show their teeth when they smile。 Yes， I get it。 Find a new way to say it， please。 Maybe try some subtlety next time？ For fun， say some of the dialogue out loud with the accompanying description left out， and realize how stupid it is。Three Seagrass was the worst of them。 Maybe it's my personal loathing for characters who cry at the drop of a hat。These issues must have been in the first book and I didn't notice for some reason。 Glaringly obvious now。 And these are the kinds of stylistic issues where I think I probably shouldn't read any more by this author。 。。。more
Dennis
，
I wish I could but I don't want to。DNF: 59%Time of death: 11:49 p。m。 （CEST） I wish I could but I don't want to。DNF: 59%Time of death: 11:49 p。m。 （CEST） 。。。more
Gregg Kellogg
，
The second book continues the tone of the first （A Memory Called Empire） but amps up the action。 It continues to be this odd social mixture of an unusual society， but this time interacting with an unknown outside antagonist （shades of Excession）。 Favorite characters are brought back together， in a rather more fulfilling way， and a new one added in the guise of Eight Antidote， heir to the Tiexcalaani Empire。I look forward to more exploration of this interesting place and characters。 The second book continues the tone of the first （A Memory Called Empire） but amps up the action。 It continues to be this odd social mixture of an unusual society， but this time interacting with an unknown outside antagonist （shades of Excession）。 Favorite characters are brought back together， in a rather more fulfilling way， and a new one added in the guise of Eight Antidote， heir to the Tiexcalaani Empire。I look forward to more exploration of this interesting place and characters。 。。。more
Dana
，
Even better than the first book！
n
，
my rating of this completely depends on whether there's a sequel or not （i'd bump it up to 4。5 if there is one） ， but i really enjoyed everything about language， communication， and again the concept of "you" in different societies， very neat stuff。 also mahit and reed <3 my rating of this completely depends on whether there's a sequel or not （i'd bump it up to 4。5 if there is one） ， but i really enjoyed everything about language， communication， and again the concept of "you" in different societies， very neat stuff。 also mahit and reed <3 。。。more
Heather-Lin
，
I'm speechless。 So instead of a proper review， for the moment let's be content with some favorite quotes。 To ravage， to slaughter， to usurp under false titles—this they name empire; and where they make a desert， they call it peace。***There were a couple of things Eight Antidote had learned from his ancestor-the-Emperor， and a couple more from Nineteen Adze， who was Emperor now and had promised to take care of him even if it killed her。 The biggest one was probably don’t trust anyone who makes I'm speechless。 So instead of a proper review， for the moment let's be content with some favorite quotes。 To ravage， to slaughter， to usurp under false titles—this they name empire; and where they make a desert， they call it peace。***There were a couple of things Eight Antidote had learned from his ancestor-the-Emperor， and a couple more from Nineteen Adze， who was Emperor now and had promised to take care of him even if it killed her。 The biggest one was probably don’t trust anyone who makes you feel good without knowing why they want you to feel that way。***It was masterful。 Three Seagrass took internal notes， for the next time she needed to bore someone to death who was genuinely interested in the subject being used as the murder weapon。 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ALL THE STARS 。。。more
KathleenB
，
Not as much about the original main character of the series alrhough Mahit is still here， and not as much info about the Texicaali culture。 Instead this is more of war and first contact story。
Rae
，
Awesome
The Man from DelMonte
，
Terrific。 A worthy successor to A Memory Of Empire。 Lots to admire， the author slips effortlessly between formal and vulgar， action and humour。 It’s not a terribly easy read and you have to hold quite a lot in your head but it’s well worth it。 There’s lots of politics， both personal and institutional。 And the love story is sweet （and a little spicy！） and complicated。 Two things I like most about it are firstly， the preponderance of female characters， usually in positions of power， and secondly， Terrific。 A worthy successor to A Memory Of Empire。 Lots to admire， the author slips effortlessly between formal and vulgar， action and humour。 It’s not a terribly easy read and you have to hold quite a lot in your head but it’s well worth it。 There’s lots of politics， both personal and institutional。 And the love story is sweet （and a little spicy！） and complicated。 Two things I like most about it are firstly， the preponderance of female characters， usually in positions of power， and secondly， the relationships。 Everyone， even bit parts， have relationships and it brings such depth and warmth to the novel。 Thoroughly recommended 。。。more
Aw21594377
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Solid 3。 I liked the different perspectives， really enjoyed seeing Eight Antidote's perspective。 I think he has the potential to develop into a very interesting character in this world。 Wasn't wowed by Mahit and Three Seagrass' relationship :/ It sort of took the route of they sleep together then base their entire relationship on that one night。 Wish the author had developed the idea of the Sunlit more， since that's where EA gets the idea/realizes that that's how the alien species works （hive mi Solid 3。 I liked the different perspectives， really enjoyed seeing Eight Antidote's perspective。 I think he has the potential to develop into a very interesting character in this world。 Wasn't wowed by Mahit and Three Seagrass' relationship :/ It sort of took the route of they sleep together then base their entire relationship on that one night。 Wish the author had developed the idea of the Sunlit more， since that's where EA gets the idea/realizes that that's how the alien species works （hive mind）。 The world is developed very well - would read more in this universe。 This novel felt more honed/polished than the first one。 I think the author is clearly talented。 I also sped read through this， so maybe if I had taken my time/started earlier， I would've appreciated more of the nuances？ 。。。more
tillie hellman
，
god this was so good。 i’m sad that it’s over but it was brilliant
Ed
，
*** 1/2
Marifer
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "To ravage， to slaughter， to usurp under false titles-this they name empire: and where they make a desert， they call it peace。" -Tactius （quoting Calgacus）， Agricola 30。"But the habits of memory created all kinds of false harbors。” Bleeding fucking stars！！ 5/5 stars。 （prepare for a large in depth review because I already tired my friends to death）Trigger warnings: Mentions of suicide， gore， violence， dismemberment， genocide， war。 What the fuck did i just read and why has this book only been "To ravage， to slaughter， to usurp under false titles-this they name empire: and where they make a desert， they call it peace。" -Tactius （quoting Calgacus）， Agricola 30。"But the habits of memory created all kinds of false harbors。” Bleeding fucking stars！！ 5/5 stars。 （prepare for a large in depth review because I already tired my friends to death）Trigger warnings: Mentions of suicide， gore， violence， dismemberment， genocide， war。 What the fuck did i just read and why has this book only been read by 4000 people？！？ I mean， it´s brilliant！！！ It´s so fucking brilliant。 Also: I promise this review will be more coherent and well done than my status updates， which。。。 were a mess。 To say the least。Following the political mess that was left after the ascension of Ninteen Adze， Teixcalaan is now at war。 It is in simple terms "an unwinnable war" brought and notified by no other than Mahit Dzmare as a way to maintain Lsel Station´s sovereignity。 Mahit has been at Lsel Station for a while now， still the official Lsel Ambassador to Teixcalaan but。。。 not on service exactly。 After what she did in Teixcalaan with the sabotaged imago machine， Amnardbat is now a threat to her and consequently， she´s been avoiding check ups and storage of memories， as she is conscious that， if she´s found out， she is most likely dead and no one （not even the other 5 heads of government） is willing to help her， since she no longer has eyes on the Empire。“Wait for the real problem， Your Excellency。 Don’t borrow trouble that doesn’t come to you on its own。” Meanwhile， Nine Hibuscus， newly appointed yaotlek is trying to figure out how to keep her position， （which is being challenged） while also trying to fight off their enemy。 The otherness。 Aliens who don´t seem to have a language at all or so she thinks， until one of her scouting ships manage to record interference， and in it， noises made by the aliens: "contact initiated， hooray， stop" After brief and violent exchanges with them （including spit that dissolves entire Shards）， Nine Hibiscus decides that it would be a good idea to try and communicate， negotiate a cease fire。 And so。。。Three Seagrass receives the summons， accepts and flies off to Lsel in search of Mahit at just about the right time （considering she was about to be cut open） claiming that it´s an important mission for the war。 In a last attempt to save herself， Mahit strikes a deal with Tarats （Miners）（view spoiler）[In exchange for sabotaging the war， he will protect Mahit from Amnardbat。 （hide spoiler）] and then， flies off， aiming to understand Alien language: managing to sing and understand nouns but also， incredibly far away from understanding and learning nouns to negotiate ， which is the main problem since there are interests and political maneuvers outside of the battlefield。 "Don’t trust anyone who makes you feel good without knowing why they want you to feel that way。” Truly and honestly， I was excited but also kind of prepared for the book to not be as good as the first one， but here I am， taking time to think before even writing the review， which I normally don´t do。 I still can´t think。 That´s magical， honestly。 The writing was incredibly unique and was so carefully crafted， each word handled with care， and rightfully so， considering this book is heavily influenced on language。 Aside from that， I think that only few people manage to actually portray an "otherness" without making it feel "human" and Martine delivers splendidly。 The preludes， interludes and postludes are mostly given to the aliens and these offer such a refreshing an interesting point of view in return: ambiguous， dark， smart， and eloquent。 It´s a deep dive into their head。 Just wow。 Aside from these， I loved the multiple POVS。 I loved Nine Hibiscus from the very start， and I was excited for Mahit and Three Seagrass （as always <3） but when I first read Eight Antidote´s POV I was truly worried。 While it is true that I did not particularly like his POV （although I didn´t hate it at all） I knew it had a purpose in the storytelling， and so it did。 It was a clever and necessary decision。 Without Eight Antidote， the story wouldn´t be complete。 I did miss though， being inside Mahit´s head a whole lot。 Nevertheless！ Everything about this book is lyrical， meaningful。 I can´t even begin to explain how much I love this book。“Bodies die， or suffer， or are imprisoned。 Memory lasts。” After ranting for a whole lot about writing and preludes and shit: The characters as always， are immaculate。 talented， brilliant， incredible， amazing， show stopping， spectacular， never the same， totally unique， completely not ever been done before， you name it。 Being back with mahit made my heart burst with happiness。 She is an incredible and deeply layered character。 She is crafted through herself and her POV， but also through the eyes of other characters， how she is seen， known。 I loved her and her internal struggles。 BUT！！ Three Seagrass: my favourite character， my love。 She is everything。 I have never， ever in my life， preferred a side character， but I think this counts as a rare exception。 Three Seagrass is。 SO。 WELL。 DONE。 As I stated in my previous， messy A Memory Called Empire review， it is incredible how organic it all feels， even having something as trivial as ice cream mentioned。 And this book just managed to make me like her even more: Weird， hysterical， bubbly personality。 Smart， ambitious， impulsive but also: not quite perfect， and that´s the best thing。 She has a lot of things to learn， specially with Mahit and the world （hehehe） outside Teixcalaan。 Aside from my two favorite gals， I loved Nine Hibiscus， she was such a huge personality。 The thing is， being inside a yaotlek ´s mind was so interesting （incredibly more so after A Memory Called Empire， in which One lighting， a yaotlek if I´m not mistaken， plays such a huge role on Teixcalaan´s succession problem）。 Being introduced to her through her past military actions as well as her current situation with Sixteen Moonrise just gave ser such a nice touch and her relationship with Twenty Cicada is absolutely swoonworthy （I am aware that they´re friends， but STILL）。 Eight Antidote also played a big， crucial role on all of this。 And while i stated above that he wasn´t my favourite POV， I really liked the questions his character as a whole brought into play。 （As well as Sixteen Moonrise， which I will talk about later） Ninteen Adze and Five Agate sadly， are barely there， but I loved loved loved seeing what little time they had on screen。 Finally: A kind "fuck off" to Eleven Laurel。 Am I human， then？ So well。 I think the plot is next and fuck。 This is hard。 I think it was incredibly well balanced as always。 Again， I was honestly worried， because we kept getting new information about the aliens even after reading 60% of the book。 And I mean KEY INFORMATION， not just any kind of information。 Nonetheless it´s well paced and nail bite worthy。 The interludes certainly helped to set up the mood， and the sudden， sharp change of POVS certainly adds up to the excitement。 The ending was a bit loose， but I think that it still sets up nicely and the postlude: fuck。 Don´t get me started on that one。The world building again is naturally perfect。 Its kind of left in balance but at the same time it isn´t。 Its a huge work really， managing to fit several planets and stations: Peloa 2， Teixcalaan， The City， The ministries， Space: the void-home， and Lsel， into a 470 page book。 Still， we are given such an incredibly insight on all of them。 Teixcalaan is developed since book 1， and it certainly is developed much more but at the same time， special attention is given to Peloa 2， where most of the negotiations and encounters occur。“That´s the way we fall-being wanted。” There are still some points I would like to address， starting with the romance This book is certainly not a romance book， but OH！ I would very much would like to say I enjoyed it so incredibly much。 Meaning: "I hit my book every time there was even a little interaction between them"Again， even when at the start， they aren´t together， its still incredibly easy to feel that tension， want， desire and when they see each other again。 My heart cries。 And it cried afterwards， too。 I was well aware that， given the situations in which both of them where immersed （as I said， Three Seagrass still has a lot to learn） they would not end up together。 It was definitely something that is inherent to the story and the internal struggles of both Three Seagrass as a Teixcalaan and Mahit as a "barbarian"。 Given that Three Seagrass kind of saw her as a novelty， and not as a person， and Mahit does manage to transmit that。 How， even though she likes Three Seagrass， she understands that， being so close to Teixcalaan， being with someone from Teixcalaan will automatically and most likely "strip" her humanity away。 "Do you always get like this when you´ve won something？""Only when I´ve won it with someone like you""Only barbarians， then？ Only sufficiently alien partners？"And it is amazing， truly， how many important themes are nestled in the book but honestly， the banter and interactions between both Mahit and Three Seagrass were the most important to me。 Honestly， while I did root for them， I liked the direction it took。 It would have felt wrong， any other way。 "Three Seagrass， I want-， if you ask me to come to the City with you a Third time， I want to be able to say yes and mean it。"And that is the whole banter， truly。 Its a struggle which is portrayed beautifully inside of Mahit。 How， when one´s a barbarian， one can´t say no without being a considered a "bad barbarian"， a barbarian the Empire is no longer comfortable with。 Its an incredible well done and well written relationship， is what I want to say。"The world， the Empire: the right order of things"Certainly， aside from the romance， it has so many other things that it explores， and Eight Antidote and Nine Hibiscus certainly bring into question: If Teixcalaan was to be a "peaceful" empire， how is it possible that the Emperor is even considering the idea of doing a planetary genocide？ Is it really an Empire worth keeping， if its an Empire built in wrong foundations？， How is the concept of "humanity"， of "personhood" understood？， is it right to kill even if the other party has killed thousands， has killed an entire planet of yours？ How is it possible to stop a war， then？， what are we willing to sacrifice for our beliefs？ What is home？Aside from this clever， fleshed out questions， the whole idea of the aliens and what they represent is *chef´s kiss* I SCREAMED。 Its so clever: what Teixcalaan fights against， how the aliens （seen by Teixcalaan as non human， too） are the ones who think Teixcalaan aren´t people。 People-and-not-people。 The idea of neurological enhancements and memory enhancements is so scary to Teixcalaan， unthinkable if you will （and its a part of Alien and Lsel culture both） and still， they end up with SHARD and SUNLIT enhancements。 Oh， the irony。 Brilliant！！So basically all I want to say is that this duology is marvelous， tremendously well written， handled with so much care。 So so so recommendable。 New favourite。 “We-when-we-are-Teixcalaan are known without singing。。。We-when-we-are-Teixcalaan are known with language only， and still clearly。。。Language is not so transparent。。。 language is not so transparent， but we are sometimes known， even so。 If we are lucky。” 。。。more
Victor Calderin
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Sequels usually lose some of the spark when compared to the first book， but that is definitely not the case here。 Martine crafts a space epic that I consider to be one of the finest works of science fiction。 Its pacing， perspectives， and depth of emotions made it a joy to read。
Shawn Moffit
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A book about Mahit Dzmare that I listened to via Audible， right after reading the first in the series "A Memory Called Empire。" Liked the book a lot， especially the character "Swarm" and the storyline following the 90% clone of the previous emperor - little spy。 Recommend the series A book about Mahit Dzmare that I listened to via Audible， right after reading the first in the series "A Memory Called Empire。" Liked the book a lot， especially the character "Swarm" and the storyline following the 90% clone of the previous emperor - little spy。 Recommend the series 。。。more
Tom Hope
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