A Desolation Called Peace

Did You Know?

• The title alludes to a phrase by Tacitus: solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant – 'they make a wasteland and call it peace'.
• The book introduces themes of collective consciousness.
• The novel continues themes of conquest, colonialism, and personal connection to culture and institutions.

Synopsis

Months after the events of A Memory Called Empire, an alien force destroys an industrial colony of the Teixcalaanli Empire. Admiral Nine Hibiscus, assigned to handle the threat, requests an Information Ministry specialist to communicate with the enemy. Three Seagrass, now a senior Imperial official, smuggles herself to the front via Lsel Station and persuades Mahit Dzmare, still nominal ambassador to the Empire, to join her. Mahit, fleeing factional dangers on Lsel, is secretly ordered by a Lsel leader to sabotage first-contact efforts to prolong the war.

A fragile truce nearly collapses when Captain Sixteen Moonrise, ignoring orders from the emperor's heir Eight Antidote, attacks an alien homeworld with weapons of mass destruction. Nine Hibiscus gives the alien hivemind the fleet's coordinates, leading to its destruction while promising minimal casualties. An uneasy peace follows, and Mahit, exiled from Lsel, considers a future in the Empire.

Reception

Noah Fram, in a starred BookPage review, noted that while Martine's debut showcased her narrative skill and world building, A Desolation Called Peace explores more cerebral themes, featuring what he called some of the cleverest and most elegant foreshadowing in modern science fiction. He suggested the novel might eclipse its predecessor. Martin Cahill of Tor.com described it as both an action-packed space opera and a thoughtful examination of identity, language, personhood, and truth. Lisa Tuttle in The Guardian called it first-class space opera with spycraft, diplomatic intrigue, and explorations of perception and communication.