• A Desolation Called Peace

  • Teixcalaan, Book 2
  • By: Arkady Martine
  • Narrated by: Amy Landon
  • Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,661 ratings)

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A Desolation Called Peace  By  cover art

A Desolation Called Peace

By: Arkady Martine
Narrated by: Amy Landon
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Publisher's summary

2021 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year

"[An] all around brilliant space opera, I absolutely love it." (Ann Leckie, on A Memory Called Empire)

A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space-opera sequel to Arkady Martine's genre-reinventing, Hugo Award-winning debut, A Memory Called Empire.

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....

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2020 Arkady Martine (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Lambda Literary Award - Nominee, 2022

Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, 2021

What listeners say about A Desolation Called Peace

Average customer ratings
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Read this book!

Gorgeous writing and a truly compelling story. I can't wait for more from this author!

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This is an amazing series

This is an achingly beautiful, subversive, delicious story. Language, identity, exile and the impact of Empire in the minds of the people who endure one.

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What an incredible sequel

I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the world described by Arkady Martine. This book introduced several new characters and they all stand out. Really well done sequel.

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All around great…

Compelling story, powerful concept, engaging characters, satisfying conclusion(s)—and excellent performance. I always listen at 1.25x and it was perfect at that pace.

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so good

I love this series and I wish there was more. a great continuation from the first and it kept me on the edge of my seat. 5/5

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Fantastic 2nd installment

2nd in series, Raises the bar again!

Strongly recommend this series to anyone looking for a unique and beautifully written adventure!

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At least as good as the 1st

I may have enjoyed this second book even more than A Memory called Empire.
The characters are more compelling and interesting. There are some unexpected twists as they figure out the alien enemy. I am hoping for more books in this series because there’s a lot more story to tell.

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A beautifully realized space opera

Arkady Martine paints a fantastic universe with brilliantly real feeling civilizations and cultures. As compelling a picture of cultures and questions of identities as Dan Simmons works on space, time and spirituality.

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Wow! Thought provoking new ideas.

Not a big fan of first contact Sci Fi or of stories about telepathy or thought sharing. This one was awesome. The first in the series was worth reading, ok, but this one was great. Best first contact story since Speaker for the Dead. Like that one it was about so much more.

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a love poem for a threat

this series is both beautiful and demanding. if you like Ann leckie you'll like this

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4 people found this helpful