a desolation called peace by arkady martine tor

In a world that has just survived a massive change-up to the old regime, with an insurrection squashed, a new emperor (regent) installed and a child-emperor clone who just squeaked shy of having his will replaced with his ancestor, there is a lot of underlying tension and mistrust.Įveryone has their own agendas and motivations, and different ideas of what the Teixcalaan Empire should become, all competing in a massive reshuffling of personnel and resources and rebuilding after a coup. Like the previous book, this one delves heavily into politics and plays with the idea of collective consciousness/memory (on three different levels). It didn’t move up and down the chain of command smoothly.

It’s not going to be a lie when I say that A Memory Called Empire blew my mind, made me feel like I knew nothing (I still don’t) and then this book added weird aliens to the mix (fucking mushrooms and fungus, folks-steer clear of that shit) and a language that you think you know the answer to but you really don’t. Put me between the boxes of hearts, I’ll do just fine.” “I am very small,” Three Seagrass said, delightedly. But first, she’s going to make a little detour to Lsel Station to pick up her favorite barbarian, Mahit Dzmare, who has fallen into some political troubles back home. And while she hunts for the killer, Mahit must somehow prevent the rapacious Empire from annexing her home: a small, fiercely independent mining station.A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martineįirst contact was for diplomats and people who got into epic poems.Īn alien enemy lurks at the edges of Teixcalaanli space, and when the commander of the fleet requests a language expert, Three Seagrass-still reeling from her part in the events two months before-hops aboard. But no one will admit his death wasn’t accidental – and she might be next.Now Mahit must navigate the capital’s enticing yet deadly halls of power, to discover dangerous truths.

Yet when she arrives, she discovers her predecessor was murdered. 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.Īmbassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the Teixcalaanli Empire’s interstellar capital, eager to take up her new post. 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. An alien threat lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space.

A desolation called peace by arkady martine tor