My Review of. . .
A Desolation Called Peace
This is the second
book in the ‘Teixcalaan’ series by Arkady
Martine, and it rounds off the story in a profoundly satisfying way. Here’s a
taster from the back cover blurb.
*******
An alien armada lurks on the edges of
Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and
Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options.
In a desperate attempt at diplomacy with the
mysterious invaders, the fleet captain has sent for a diplomatic envoy. Now
Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass—still reeling from the recent upheaval in the
Empire—face the impossible task of trying to communicate with a hostile entity.
Their failure will guarantee millions of deaths
in an endless war. Their success might prevent Teixcalaan’s destruction—and
allow the empire to continue its rapacious expansion.
Or it might create something far stranger . . .
*******
Our story continues several
months after the events in A Memory
Called Empire. Nineteen Adze is now emperor, acting as regent until Eight
Antidote comes of age. Three Seagrass has received a promotion of sorts, and
now works within the Ministry of Information under the 3rd
Secretary. And Mahit Dzmare
has returned home to Lsel Station to take a break from state affairs for a
while so she can recharge her batteries before returning to the fray.
All nice and
cozy. . .
If only life
was that easy.
This is the
Teixcalaanli Empire, don’t forget, and cutthroat politics is always eager to
peek out from beneath the thin veneer of high society sophistication. And it
soon does.
As the blurb
highlighted, an alien armada is making its presence felt along the far reaches
of Teixcalaanli space. They are strange and mysterious. Unfamiliar in their
practices and customs. And definitely creatures who cannot be classed as
‘people.’
One of the
Empires most highly decorated and proficient fleet captains – Nine Hibiscus,
recently promoted to Yaotlek for outstanding service – is sent to determine the
danger, and act accordingly. A mammoth, complicated task, for tens of thousands
of lives are under her immediate care, as are the billions more throughout the
empire if she fails. And the aliens possess physics-defying technology, and an
almost preternatural ability to know what’s happening everywhere at once,
allowing them to anticipate her every move.
She needs
help. And that help arrives in the form of Three Seagrass and Mahit Dzmare,
who, it transpires, are having to deal with conflicts of their own. (This IS
the empire, don’t forget, and everyone is out to get you, no matter how high
your station or who you work for.)
A predicament
Nine Hibiscus soon comes to appreciate. The situation demands she tread
carefully, Very carefully. This is a first contact scenario with a species who
appears to be outwardly aggressive. But is that really the case? Or is it
merely because they can’t establish an effective way to communicate? Yes, Nine
Hibiscus is tiptoeing on thin ice, and she finds it difficult to maintain her
balance with rivals out to upstage her at every turn, and spies from the
various government departments concealed within the fleet itself. You’d think
everyone would be on the same side? But no, those spies serve masters with
their own agendas, and it makes a volatile situation almost incendiary.
Excellent
stuff!
It really
is. I found A Desolation Called Peace
to be an intelligent, thoughtful and refreshingly different take of the usual
‘Space Opera’ slant. And to my mind, it highlights the dangers of assuming
‘humanity’ can’t possibly belong to those whose culture and appearance are so
far removed from what YOU think is normal, that you come to look on them as
extermination fodder. Oh, how karma can bite!
A promising
debut series. I’m keen for more.
