A Memory Called Empire

Mahit Dzmare arrives at the heart of the Teixcalaanli Empire to serve as ambassador for a small, independent mining station. Her predecessor is dead, the circumstances are suspicious, and the cultural knowledge she expected to rely on is suddenly unreliable. Working with her imperial liaison, Three Seagrass, Mahit must learn which gestures are courtesies and which conceal threats. The empire's language and artistry fascinate her even as its expansion endangers her home. A murder investigation draws her into a struggle over succession, memory and belonging, where admiration can make resistance more difficult. This opening Teixcalaan novel combines diplomatic intrigue with an intimate account of an outsider negotiating attraction to the very culture that threatens to absorb her.