A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, winner of the 2020 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.

'All-round brilliant space opera, I absolutely loved it' Ann Leckie 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 on A Memory Called Empire

This is first-class space opera, with added spycraft, diplomatic intrigue and scary aliens, along with interesting explorations of perception, ways of communicating, and what makes a person -- Guardian
A dizzying, exhilarating story of diplomacy, conspiracy, and first contact in the powerhouse sequel to her Hugo Award-winning debut . . . This complex, stunning space opera promises to reshape the genre -- Publishers Weekly starred review
Martine weaves a dramatic and suspenseful story of political intrigue and alien first contact . . . each character is rendered in exquisite detail -- Booklist starred review
Culturally rich and profound . . . It is an exquisitely written book. Martine is a master at language, character building, and history, and that mastery is evident in every facet of the story -- Grimdark Magazine
A worthy successor to A Memory Called Empire. It is simultaneously in argument with science fiction's history of empires as protagonists, in conversation with familiar ideas such as hive minds and first contact . . . while all the time managing to tell an entirely original story -- Strange Horizons
You will be endlessly surprised . . . I can't recommend this enough if you're ever looking for something more cerebral, tense and rich -- FantasyHive
Entertaining and intelligent speculative fiction. Martine's fiction embraces soaring fantasy mixing imagination with politics . . . One of the best and most imaginative first contact fictions yet to be written -- FantasyBookReview
Here's hoping Martine isn't finished playing in this particular sandbox. Highly recommended -- FantasyLiterature
A Memory Called Empire perfectly balances action and intrigue with matters of empire and identity. All-round brilliant space opera, I absolutely loved it -- Ann Leckie on A Memory Called Empire
A cutting, beautiful, human adventure about cultural exchange, identity and intrigue. The best SF novel I've read in the last five years -- Yoon Ha Lee on A Memory Called Empire
An intricate, layered tale of empire, personal ambition, political obligations and interstellar intrigue. Vivid and delightfully inventive -- Aliette de Bodard on A Memory Called Empire
An elegant and accomplished example of the subgenre of subtle scheming with a background of stars. A delightful read. I couldn't put it down -- Jo Walton on A Memory Called Empire
An exceptional first novel recommended for fans of Cherryh, Leckie, Banks and Asimov -- Elizabeth Bear on A Memory Called Empire
A cunningly plotted, richly imagined tale of interstellar intrigue that does something new with space opera -- Ken MacLeod on A Memory Called Empire

Arkady Martine is a speculative fiction writer and, as Dr AnnaLinden Weller, a historian of the Byzantine Empire and an apprentice city planner. Under both names she writes about border politics, rhetoric, propaganda and the edges of the world. Arkady grew up in New York City and, after some time in Turkey, Canada and Sweden, lives in Baltimore with her wife, the author Vivian Shaw. She is the author of the Teixcalaan duology, which begins with A Memory Called Empire.