A Desolation Called Peace

Starred review from November 23, 2020
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. Agent: DongWon Song, Howard Morhaim Literary.

January 1, 2021

Mahit Dzmare has returned to Lsel Station after her time on Teixcalaan, stepping up as ambassador after the untimely death of the previous one, Yskandr Aghavn. Now trying to protect the two Imagos of Aghavn hosted in her brain, she is once again reunited with Three Seagrass, the Teixcalaanli liaison she grew fond of. Both have been brought to the edge of a jumpgate to try to negotiate with the terrifying aliens on the other side. However, factions on both Lsel Station and Teixcalaan believe that fighting is better, and Mahit and Three Seagrass must navigate the tumultuous negotiation and stave off war. Multiple points of view give a full view of the issues including fear of what is different, and the ease of cultural violence and assimilation when one believes they are better. Three Seagrass and Mahit continue to delight in their interactions with each other. VERDICT This follow-up to Martine's debut, A Memory Called Empire, contains beautiful prose and complex worldbuilding that will immerse readers in a dazzling story of alien contact and colonization.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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Starred review from February 1, 2021
Martine follows up her Hugo-winning space opera, A Memory Called Empire (2019), with the second installment of the Teixcalaan saga. The Teixcalaanli Empire faces pressures of internal government tensions and an unknown but deadly alien threat at the far edges of space. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare has returned to her home, the fiercely independent Lsel Station, but she is enlisted to assist in deciphering the alien's incoherent language. A fleet commander is urged to rush into conflict, but she must weigh the motives of opportunistic officers. Set against the intricate machinations of an ancient empire that views outsiders as inferior, Martine weaves a dramatic and suspenseful story of political intrigue and alien first contact. Multiple points of view add depth to the narrative as each character is rendered in exquisite detail, and that in turn propels the varied plot lines of diplomatic strategy, space conflicts, interpersonal relationships, and self-discovery. Elaborate and complex, with a diverse cast of characters, this saga will appeal to those who enjoy the detailed history-based world building of Guy Gavriel Kay combined with the intimate camaraderie and grand adventure of James S. A. Corey's Expanse series.

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