# Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-desolation-called-peace/

3 people recommended Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine in Hacker News comments and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 12 months, in 3 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a thoughtful depiction of societies, and it is part of a pair of Hugo-winning books. One critic felt the series lost strength by this installment.

Summary written from 3 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Thoughtful depictions of societies (1 comment in the sample): "both Hugo winners, are incredibly thoughtful depictions of societies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47294161))
- Hugo-winning books read as a pair (1 comment in the sample): "I read the two big Arkady Martine books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46924391))

## What people warn about

- Series felt weaker after first book (1 comment in the sample): "The Calculating Stars to A Desolation Called Peace was when I started feeling they were not so strong" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48930181))

## Other science fiction novels people recommend

- [Blindsight by Peter Watts](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blindsight/): 78 recommend, 18 mixed, 23 criticize
- [Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/children-of-time/): 64 recommend, 1 mixed, 4 criticize
- [Accelerando by Charles Stross](https://hackerapproved.com/p/accelerando/): 63 recommend, 7 mixed, 8 criticize
- [There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm](https://hackerapproved.com/p/there-is-no-antimemetics-division/): 57 recommend, 34 mixed, 28 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine", https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-desolation-called-peace/ (3 recommend, 0 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.