I really enjoyed A Memory Called Empire, but this I didn't enjoy nearly as much. I'm not entirely sure why. I think part of it was that Memory built an interestingly different world and learning about it was part of the fun of the book. Desolation, on the other hand, is just another story set in that same world. I didn't feel it did as much to add to the world, and I didn't find the story all that engaging. Don't get me wrong, it's fine, but I definitely found this book disappointing after the first one.