A DESOLATION CALLED PEACE – ARKADY MARTINE

This is first-class space opera – The Guardian A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular sequel to A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, winner of the 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. A Desolation Called Peace is the second book in the Teixcalaan duology. ‘All-round brilliant space opera, I absolutely loved it’ – Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice, on A Memory Called Empire ‘A cutting, beautiful, human adventure . . . The best SF novel I’ve read in the last five years’ – Yoon Ha Lee, author of Ninefox Gambit, on A Memory Called Empire