# A Desolation Called Peace ![Book cover of A Desolation Called Peace](/books/covers/a_desolation_called_peace.jpg) by [Arkady Martine](/books/authors/arkady_martine/) Book 2 of [Teixcalaan](/books/series/teixcalaan/) Awards: [Hugo](/books/by-award/#hugo-award), [Locus](/books/by-award/#locus-award), [2025 Favorites](/blog/favorite-books-of-2025/) ★★★★☆ ## Review _A Desolation Called Peace_, by Arkady Martine, is the second book in the _Teixcalaan_ series. It tells the story of Mahit and Three Seagrass trying to stop the war between the Teixcalaanli Empire and a mysterious alien race. _A Desolation Called Peace_ picks up right where [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/) left off: a few months after the events of the first book, following the same characters, and continuing to develop the same themes and motifs. The theme of "What is the definition of _you_?" carriers over from [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/). In the first book, "_you_" was expanded to Mahit with her chain of memories from the Imago machine, the group-mind of the Sunlit, and even the culture of the Teixcalaanli Empire itself. In this book, Arkady Martine adds new examples: the alien hive-mind connected together through a parasitic fungus, and the shard pilots who form a group-mind with each other through their ships. This exploration of "_you_" reminded me most of [Peter Watts](/books/authors/peter_watts/)'s [_Firefall_](/books/series/firefall/) series: both focus on what constitutes a "mind", and the way _A Desolation Called Peace_ expands on [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/) feels similar to how [_Echopraxia_](/books/echopraxia/) builds on [_Blindsight_](/books/blindsight/). _A Desolation Called Peace_ also continues the starchart motif, but focuses it more explicitly on neural networks and patterns in the brain. The captain is described as the brain of their ship, there are the fractal tattoos of Twenty Cicada, and the branching mycelium of the alien fungus. Although I enjoyed the first contact with hostile aliens plotline more than the courtly intrigue of [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/), the relationship between Mahit and Three Seagrass felt less well developed. Arkady Martine uses a standard romance trick---breaking the characters apart with a misunderstanding before reconciling them later---but it felt out of place because _A Desolation Called Peace_ isn't _really_ a romance novel. One thing I really appreciated was how effectively the author made me hate the Lsel council but sympathize with the Teixcalaanli Empire and its people. This mirrored Mahit's own feelings in the novel: her longing to join the Empire and be with Three Seagrass makes her an outcast from her home. _A Desolation Called Peace_ reminded me of several other pieces of science fiction: - The aliens call their ships starflyers, like the alien in [Peter F. Hamilton](/books/authors/peter_f_hamilton/)'s [_Pandora's Star_](/books/pandoras_star/) and [_Judas Unchained_](/books/judas_unchained/). Both books feature hive-mind aliens, and in both, humans consider genocide as a possible solution but are conflicted about it. - The hive mind aliens are also like the Buggers from Orson Scott Card's _Ender's Game_. Ender commits genocide by destroying the Buggers' homeworld and regrets it, while in _A Desolation Called Peace_ the genocide is narrowly averted. - Twenty Cicada's tattoos recall the patterned skin of Lededje Y'breq in [Iain M. Banks](/books/authors/iain_m_banks/)'s [_Surface Detail_](/books/surface_detail/). - The Emperor's throne of spears is a bit like the iron throne made of swords in George R. R. Martin's _A Game of Thrones_. - The furry pets that have overrun the _Weight for the Wheel_'s air vents are an homage to the Tribbles from _Star Trek_. - The Teixcalaanli Empire sent a poet to establish first contact with the Ebrektia and regretted it when the poet sent back no scientific observations, leading to the line: "We sent a poet where we ought to have sent a team of _ixplanatl_ researchers"---a reference to the movie _Contact_, based on Carl Sagan's novel _Contact_. I enjoyed how Arkady Martine mixed different genres---space opera, romance, and political fiction---into a cohesive whole. I will definitely read more of her writing! Next up, I'm looking forward to getting back to [Robert Jackson Bennett](/books/authors/robert_jackson_bennett/)'s [_Shadow of the Leviathan_](/books/series/shadow_of_the_leviathan/) series series with [_A Drop of Corruption_](/books/a_drop_of_corruption/). ## Reviews that mention _A Desolation Called Peace_ - [_Artificial Condition_](/books/artificial_condition/) - [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/) - [_On Basilisk Station_](/books/on_basilisk_station/)† † _Mentioned via a link to the series._ ## Related Books - [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/) by [Arkady Martine](/books/authors/arkady_martine/) --- ★★★★☆: A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine, is the first book in the Teixcalaan series. It follows Mahit Dzmare, an ambassador from the space station Lsel, as she tries to save her home from being annexed by the Teixcalaanli empire. - [_Field of Dishonor_](/books/field_of_dishonor/) by [David Weber](/books/authors/david_weber/) --- ★★★☆☆: Field of Dishonor, by David Weber, is the fourth book in the Honor Harrington series. It reduces the scale of the narrative, trading fleet battles for political maneuvering and personal grudges. - [_The Short Victorious War_](/books/the_short_victorious_war/) by [David Weber](/books/authors/david_weber/) --- ★★★★☆: The Short Victorious War, by David Weber, is the third book in the Honor Harrington series. Harrington takes command of the battlecruiser Nike as the People’s Republic of Haven makes its move and a revolution brews in Nouveau Paris.