Desolation Called Peace
Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martineby Arkady Martine
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
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.
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.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Thoughtful depictions of societies
“both Hugo winners, are incredibly thoughtful depictions of societies”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?” Hugo-winning books read as a pair
“both Hugo winners, are incredibly thoughtful depictions of societies”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?” “I read the two big Arkady Martine books”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “Where did all the starships go?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Series felt weaker after first book
“The Calculating Stars to A Desolation Called Peace was when I started feeling they were not so strong”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “Book Prizes Don't Work How You Think”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Desolation Called Peaceby Arkady MartineThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The Calculating Stars to A Desolation Called Peace was when I started feeling they were not so strong”
“both Hugo winners, are incredibly thoughtful depictions of societies”
“I read the two big Arkady Martine books”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.