Arkady Martine

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. Whether they succeed or fail could change the fate of Teixcalaan forever.

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court. Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.

Als Mahit Dzmare, die Botschafterin einer kleinen Raumstation, in der riesigen Hauptstadt des Teixcalaanlischen Imperiums ankommt, muss sie feststellen, dass ihr Vorgänger verstorben ist. Obwohl niemand darüber spricht, ist es ein offenes Geheimnis, dass der Botschafter keines natürlichen Todes gestorben ist. Mahit versucht, mehr über die genauen Umstände herauszufinden, doch das ist am politisch und sozial hochkomplexen Hof des Teixcalaanlischen Imperiums ein gefährliches Unterfangen. Und wenn sie nicht ihr eigenes Leben und das Schicksal ihrer Heimat gefährden will, muss sich Mahit jeden Schritt genauestens überlegen ...

Fascynujące połączenie pełnej akcji międzygwiezdnej powieści przygodowej z mroczną zagadką kryminalną. Ambasador Mahit Dzmare przybywa do stolicy obejmującego wiele układów planetarnych Imperium Teixcalaanlijskiego i dowiaduje się, że jej poprzednik, ambasador ich małej, lecz zawzięcie broniącej swej niezależności stacji górniczej, nie żyje. Nikt nie chce przyznać, że jego śmierć nie była wypadkiem – ani że następną ofiarą może być Mahit, ponieważ polityczna niestabilność sięgnęła już najwyższych kręgów cesarskiego dworu. Mahit musi odnaleźć winnego, ocalić własne życie i uratować ojczystą stację przed nieustanną ekspansją Teixcalaanu. Jednocześnie musi nauczyć się funkcjonować w obcej kulturze, wdaje się w intrygi na własną rękę oraz ukrywa straszliwie groźną technologiczną tajemnicę, która może spowodować koniec jej stacji i jej sposobu życia… albo uratować je przed zagładą. „Pamięć zwana Imperium w perfekcyjny sposób równoważy dynamiczną akcję z problemami władzy i tożsamości. Znakomita space opera. Byłam zachwycona tą książką!”. Ann Leckie, autorka Zabójczej sprawiedliwości

Dust jacket illustration by David Curtis. Arkady Martine, the acclaimed author of the Teixcalaan Series, returns with an astonishing new novella. Basit Deniau’s houses were haunted to begin with. A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is a common thing: a house that is an artificial intelligence, infused in every load-bearing beam and fine marble tile with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else altogether. But now Deniau’s been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect’s will: all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other. Dr. Selene Gisil, one of Deniau’s former protégé, is permitted to come into Rose House once a year. She alone may open Rose House’s vaults, look at drawings and art, talk with Rose House’s animating intelligence all she likes. Until this week, Dr. Gisil was the only person whom Rose House spoke to. But even an animate intelligence that haunts a house has some failsafes common to all AIs. For instance: all AIs must report the presence of a dead body to the nearest law enforcement agency. There is a dead person in Rose House. The house says so. It is not Basit Deniau, and it is not Dr. Gisil. It is someone else. Rose House, having completed its duty of care and informed Detective Maritza Smith of the China Lake police precinct that there is in fact a dead person inside it, dead of unnatural causes—has shut up. No one can get inside Rose House, except Dr. Gisil. Dr. Gisil was not in North America when Rose House called the China Lake precinct. But someone did. And someone died there. And someone may be there still. Limited: 1000 signed numbered hardcover copies

Dust jacket illustration by David Curtis. Arkady Martine, the acclaimed author of the Teixcalaan Series, returns with an astonishing new novella. Basit Deniau’s houses were haunted to begin with. A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is a common thing: a house that is an artificial intelligence, infused in every load-bearing beam and fine marble tile with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else altogether. But now Deniau’s been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect’s will: all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other. Dr. Selene Gisil, one of Deniau’s former protégé, is permitted to come into Rose House once a year. She alone may open Rose House’s vaults, look at drawings and art, talk with Rose House’s animating intelligence all she likes. Until this week, Dr. Gisil was the only person whom Rose House spoke to. But even an animate intelligence that haunts a house has some failsafes common to all AIs. For instance: all AIs must report the presence of a dead body to the nearest law enforcement agency. There is a dead person in Rose House. The house says so. It is not Basit Deniau, and it is not Dr. Gisil. It is someone else. Rose House, having completed its duty of care and informed Detective Maritza Smith of the China Lake police precinct that there is in fact a dead person inside it, dead of unnatural causes—has shut up. No one can get inside Rose House, except Dr. Gisil. Dr. Gisil was not in North America when Rose House called the China Lake precinct. But someone did. And someone died there. And someone may be there still. Limited: 1000 signed numbered hardcover copies

Cuando la embajadora Mahit Dzmare llega al centro del multisistema imperio teixcalaanlí, descubre que su predecesor, el anterior embajador de su pequeña y ferozmente independiente estación minera, ha muerto en extrañas circunstancias. Y nadie parece dispuesto a admitir lo innegable: su muerte no ha sido accidental y ella podría ser la siguiente. En medio de la tensa atmósfera que se respira en los niveles más altos de la corte imperial, Mahit debe averiguar quién está detrás del asesinato y proteger su estación de la incesante expansión de Teixcalaán, al mismo tiempo que investiga una fascinante cultura alienígena, manipula sus engranajes políticos y se esfuerza por preservar el letal secreto tecnológico que esconde; uno que podría rescatar su estación de la aniquilación... o sepultarla para siempre.

L'ambasciatrice Mahit Dzmare è in viaggio verso la capitale dell'Impero del Teixcalaan, ansiosa di assumere il nuovo incarico che le è stato assegnato. Quando arriva, però, scopre che il suo predecessore è morto, ma nessuno è disposto ad ammettere che non si è trattato di una morte accidentale. Né che Mahit potrebbe essere la prossima vittima. E adesso Mahit deve, nell'ordine: scoprire chi si cela dietro l'assassinio; rimanere viva; proteggere dalle mire espansionistiche del Teixcalaan la sua patria, Lsel, una stazione mineraria piccola ma decisa a difendere la propria indipendenza a ogni costo. E tutto questo mentre si trova a esplorare una cultura aliena fin troppo affascinante, tessere intrighi e nascondere un segreto tecnologico che potrebbe segnare la fine di Lsel, o salvarla dalla distruzione.