The Teixcalaanli Empire has long dominated space, its culture spread across planetary systems, influencing every facet of most people’s lives. But what happens when a challenge comes that could end that forever?

A menacing armada waits outside the Empire’s borders. With no open communication lines and an inability to destroy it, Captain Nine Hibiscus is left with only a last-ditch attempt at diplomacy. Enter Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass, still dealing with the fallout of recent battles, who must figure out how to make contact and negotiate a peace with an entity that seemingly has no interest in either.

A Desolation Called Peace continues the epic adventure Arkady Martine began in her Hugo-winning debut novel A Memory Called Empire. Hailed as a new voice reinventing space opera, this thrilling conclusion to the duology cements Martine’s place as one of today’s best, most important writers.