A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Mar 02, 2021 Nataliya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hugo-nebula-nominees-and-winners, 2021-reads, favorites

“Bodies die, or suffer, or are imprisoned. Memory lasts.”

When your brilliant and polished first novel - intelligent, original, and engrossingly clever - is a clear crown jewel of Hugo Awards, you have big shoes to fill with the follow-up. Even if they are your own award-winning shoes. Arkady Martine makes it seem like easy work, though. (It must be that History PhD of hers).

“Mahit was too many people, since she’d overlaid her damaged imago with the imago of the same man twenty years fart

...more

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Jun 25, 2021 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021-shelf, sci-fi

It may be just me... but I think that this second book is superior to the first. Let's just ignore the awards the first one earned and focus on the story, the action, and the stakes. We see more of Mahat, but there are a number of new, potentially more interesting characters that pretty much take over my enjoyment here.

Between the emperor's 12-year-old clone or the warrior or the Imago expert (consuming imprints of memories that both help and hinder) and a whole WAR that was made more interesti ...more

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Apr 08, 2021 DivaDiane SM rated it really liked it

Shelves: buddy-read-book-club-read, netgalley-arc

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC of this book, in exchange for a review.

First, I have to say, that the lack of proper formatting in this ARC, was a real hinderance, slowed my reading down no end, and might have contributed to my diminished love for this sequel of A Memory Called Empire. I don't feel like I can complain too much, because I did get it for free and all, but still. It's a shame.

This book was quite a bit different than Teixcalaan #1. There were multiple POVs, which I did lik Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC of this book, in exchange for a review.

First, I have to say, that the lack of proper formatting in this ARC, was a real hinderance, slowed my reading down no end, and might have contributed to my diminished love for this sequel of A Memory Called Empire. I don't feel like I can complain too much, because I did get it for free and all, but still. It's a shame.

This book was quite a bit different than Teixcalaan #1. There were multiple POVs, which I did like, especially the Imperial Heir Eight Antidote's POV. We even got a POV of the dangerous aliens Teixcalaan was at war with, as well as the military captain and Three Seagrass and Mahit, the main characters from the first book. I enjoyed them all, but it might have served more to dilute the story than to move it along. (Not to mention that the lack of formatting did not show clearly when we were changing POV. Luckily, Arkady Martine did show us admirably. I still prefer to get a heads-up!) I did miss Nineteen Adze as a character though.

We got a little bit of Mahit's difficulty having a foot in both worlds, but I wish we had gotten more. I felt so seen.

Spoilers ahead, which I will put in spoiler tags, because I can't really talk about what I liked about this book without including some things it's best not to spoil. Just suffice it to say that I really enjoyed how Martine pulled all the various groups together at the end through a very unusual commonality.

(view spoiler)

I decided to rate it 4 stars, even if my experience with it was less than stellar. I will probably reread both of these one day when I'm at loose ends, because there is a richness that will bear it out. ...more

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May 27, 2021 Dennis rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction, dnf

I wish I could but I don't want to.

DNF: 59%

Time of death: 11:49 p.m. (CEST) ...more

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Mar 15, 2021 Veronique rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read2021, favourites

A Memory Called Empire was my favourite read of 2019 and Arkady Martine’s second book was everything I had hoped for and more. Every aspect was either as good or better!

The narrative picks up shortly after the events of the first book, with all the parties dealing with the repercussions of what happened. Once more we have a story that focuses on identity and empire, but also one that questions alienness further. Instead of analysing how one culture can devour another just by being itself, we are ...more

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Nov 02, 2021 Emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, netgalley, space-opera

Phenomenal! This was possibly even better than the first book. How does one come up with such a complex and creative world where every aspect of cultures and language and sociology are so wonderfully thought out and articulated? I wonder what my Texicalaan name would be.. this book has a more military focus where language and communication, first contact and diplomacy are paramount. Sci fi space opera at its best. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

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Apr 06, 2021 Cathy rated it liked it

Long awaited, finally here. Slightly confusing prelude, but then it moved quickly into territory that felt familiar. Mahit is there and Three Seagrass shows up fairly quickly as well. Notable additions are Eight Antidote, the 11-year old heir apparent to the throne of Teixcalaan and clone of the deceased emperor and Nine Hibiscus, the yaotlek or rear admiral, leading the forces against the incomprehensible aliens invading the edges of known space.

We are exploring personal identity, cultural diff Long awaited, finally here. Slightly confusing prelude, but then it moved quickly into territory that felt familiar. Mahit is there and Three Seagrass shows up fairly quickly as well. Notable additions are Eight Antidote, the 11-year old heir apparent to the throne of Teixcalaan and clone of the deceased emperor and Nine Hibiscus, the yaotlek or rear admiral, leading the forces against the incomprehensible aliens invading the edges of known space.

We are exploring personal identity, cultural differences, politics, war crimes and the principle of proportionality, communication, first contact, concepts of self and collectivity and are scraping the edges of aztec culture.

This dragged tremendously for me. The writing is great, but it is just to wordy for my current disposition. I skimmed a lot from the middle onwards, otherwise I would never have finished this and would have eventually abandoned it.

I like the author‘s dry sense of humour and tongue-in-cheek writing. The plot is fabulous, if somewhat smothered in the wordy navel-gazing and philosophical musings. The exploration of what constitutes a person, the workings of collective though processes, the thoughts on politics — great stuff. I just wish there would have been as much exploration of the plot. Which is good as it is, but could be so much more interesting, if it had received as much attention.

I liked the different POVs, Nine Hibiscus was a great addition. The chapters with Eight Antidote obviously were very important for the overall plot, but the little kite went on my nerves a bit with the aforementioned navel-gazing. I am assuming that the lack of attention to his safety and him running wild and doing improbable things for an 11-year old are intended as educational tools by his peer(s).

Some technical aspect that already seemed anachronistic in the first book popped up here again. Namely the infofiche sticks and lack of electronic mail or information exchange. I understand the concept of only hard matter moving through jump gates. Although I have no clue if it makes sense scientifically. Still, wouldn‘t it be a more organic development to send data by faster means from and to the jump gates?

And then there is the loss of imago lines. A central driver of the story is Mahit‘s dilemma of not wanting her imago backed up on Lsel Station. Simultaneously the loss of imago lines, when pilots are lost, is lamented. Surely Mahit‘s consciousness wouldn‘t be the only one that gets backed-up on a regular basis?

I am so glad I am finally done, it was too overblown for me. I like my stories to be less contemplative and more action-driven. Planned as a duology, it feels as if a third book might be somewhere out there. At this point I am not sure if I would pick it up. ThirtyOne Adaptation signing off.

I received this free e-copy from Tor and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you! ...more

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Mar 28, 2021 Leticia rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley-reads, women-of-the-future-challenge, 2021-sffbc-tbr-clean-up, new-releases-2021, representation-matters

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very well written, but I had a couple of issues with this sequel.
First, the aliens were really puzzling. The otherness of the 'aliens' was such that to the end of the story I still didn't really have a clear idea of them.
Second, too many POVs for me to keep track of. The main character was not as important as in the first book and this didn't work so well for me since I felt that the narra ...more

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Mar 17, 2021 Liam || Books 'n Beards rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, 2021, specfic-buddy-reads, audio, bought-2021, owned-audible

A wonderful followup to A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE! An excellent continuation of the story of Mahit, Three Segrass, Teixcalaan and Lsel Station.

The alien menace discovered by Lsel Station, and the knowledge of which was used to bargain for Stationer independence at the end of A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE, reveals itself and attacks Teixcalaanli ships and seems to be entirely incomprehensible - desperate, the empire calls for a diplomatic envoy, Three Seagrass, to try and find a peaceful resolution. Three ...more

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Dec 28, 2021 Christina Pilkington rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you are looking for a smart, compelling science fiction story with interesting characters and fantastic world-building, the Teixcalaan series is what you need to pick up next.

The plot didn't feel as fast-paced as A Memory Called Empire, but the intricacies of the politics and the nuanced character motivations were more compelling for me to read. It's a slower book, but I believe a more rich and complexly crafted book than the first.

Martine is a surpurb writer and deserves all the awards she ...more

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Mar 30, 2021 Denise rated it it was amazing

Shelves: women-2021

A satisfying and clever ending. I was a bit worried about the aliens getting a more stereotypical description but the author kept surprising me. Also dealt realistically with the romance which was gratifying. Absolutely loved the way the 11year old’s thoughts were inserted into the story.

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Mar 07, 2021 jovena s rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction

4.5 stars

Very impressive — Arkady Martine is such a good writer, not just in language, but also in the politics and dialogue. There were several moments where I laughed out loud (esp w/ 3 seagrass), and intricate plot details everywhere.

I absolutely loved the characters, particularly Three Seagrass and Yskandr. It was really great to see more perspectives, and Eight Antidote’s chapters were surprisingly refreshing as a young emperor.

The plot was really interesting — once you start reading, it’s ...more

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Nov 21, 2020 Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a1-netgalley, authors-female-sf-my-challenge, 2020_reads, 2020_a-z_h-a, 2020_netgalley, a1-i-own-books, 2020_arc_apocalypse, all-sci-fi-my-challenge, 2020_science-fiction, november_2020_reads

A DESOLATION OF PEACE is Book Two of Teixcalaan, the sequel to A MEMORY OF EMPIRE, a carefully-wrought Science Fiction novel starring a strong female protagonist [and the male character whom she retains in her brain stem as an imago], as she continues to navigate the byzantine culture of the Empire, a culture of politely illusory deception and danger.

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Aug 09, 2022 Suzanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, hugo2022

This was the last in my goal to read all of the current hugo best novel nominees. I'm going to try to do this every year because I read some books that weren't previously on my radar, and it was a great experience.
This was excellent, and a good continuation of the first one in the series (which I finally read last month). I liked the ideas of language, first contact, and different forms of communication. ...more

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Apr 01, 2024 Alexis rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

Mahit and the gang are back and trying desperately to navigate the fallout of everything that happened in A Memory Called Empire.

Mahit is trying desperately to find her feet and heal from the desperate actions she was forced into in the first book, only to find that no one is really interested in giving her the room or time to do either of those things and the expression "you can never go home again," is feeling all too real.

Three Seagrass is reeling from her own emotional hits and finds that wh ...more

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Sep 16, 2021 Cindy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks, sci-fi

Wartime adventures (in space) bring our heroines back together as they struggle to communicate with the species their people are battling - a species that appears to wantonly and wastefully destroy planets without caring about the lives lost. Cool alien autopsy plus The Boy/Clone Who Would Be Emperor steps up.

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