Arkady Martine continues her saga of the Teixcalaan empire, independent-at-present Lsel Station, and Mahit Dzmare, who once again finds herself at the middle of galactic (and personal) conflict. There’s enough here to fill multiple volumes, but I appreciated Martine’s focus on the primary characters. Her ability to wring tension out of diplomacy and logistics—like the galactic postal service (!)—had me racing through the final chapters. I’m unsure if there will be more volumes after this—it feels like Martine is done for now, but she’s constructed a fascinating world that she will hopefully revisit sometime in the future.