The Fifth Season
Ratings1,047
Average rating4.3
I loved the premise. Very original take on fantasy or scifi. I guess in this case, you could choose either, although that wouldn't be your typical hero fantasy. The take on sort of magic is also innovative with power over earth's tectonics.
The storytelling and organization are super interesting. Usually, in such books, you realize what is going on very early on. In this case, however, I was just guessing who is who is around 65-70% of the book while it was revealed maybe at 85%. It's a very satisfying feeling when all the strings combine. It's a wonderful feeling to be slowly discovering the fog of mystery in the book and feel like you are venturing in the unknown.
I had some small issues, like the emptyness of the world or shallowness of the secondary characters, all of them really. However, you can easily say it was in order to strengthen the mystery feeling and make the book really about the main character and her companion. Also, it's funny that the language people in the book speak sometimes resemble the one from the Mistborn series.
I think it is one of the better scifi/fantasy books I have read in recent years. It's not a very dense or hard to read book either. Immediately after finishing it, I bought the second one in the series and started reading.
N.K. Jemisin's “The Fifth Season” is the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy, a novel that has garnered considerable acclaim for its unique world-building and innovative narrative structure. While there is much to admire in this book, several aspects detracted from my overall enjoyment, resulting in a 3-star rating.What I Liked:
1. Unique World-Building: Jemisin crafts an original and immersive world, the Stillness, where apocalyptic seismic activity is a constant threat. The intricate details of orogeny and the socio-political dynamics are compelling and rich.
2. Narrative Structure: The unconventional second-person perspective and non-linear timeline were initially jarring but ultimately intriguing. These choices add depth to the storytelling, making the reader piece together the narrative like a puzzle.
3. Strong Themes: The book delves into themes of oppression, survival, and resilience. The portrayal of marginalized communities and the exploration of power dynamics are thought-provoking and relevant.
4. Diverse Characters: The protagonist, Essun, and other characters like Damaya and Syenite, are complex and multi-dimensional. Their personal struggles and growth are engaging and emotionally impactful.
What I Didn't Like:
1. Pacing Issues: The novel's pacing is uneven. While the world-building is fascinating, it often slows down the narrative. There are sections where the plot drags, making it difficult to stay engaged.
2. Complexity Overload: The density of the world-building and the intricate plot can be overwhelming. At times, it felt like there was too much information to process, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the story.
3. Emotional Detachment: Despite the strong themes and character development, I found it challenging to connect emotionally with the characters. The narrative style, while innovative, sometimes created a distance between the reader and the characters' experiences.
4. Abrupt Ending: The book ends on a cliffhanger, which can be frustrating for readers looking for some resolution. While it sets up the next installment, it felt abrupt and left many plot threads dangling.
Conclusion:
“The Fifth Season” is a novel of contrasts. Its inventive world-building and bold narrative choices are both its greatest strengths and weaknesses. While I appreciate the ambition and creativity, the pacing, complexity, and emotional distance made it a mixed reading experience for me. Readers who enjoy detailed and innovative fantasy worlds might find it more rewarding, but be prepared for a challenging read.
I seriously predicted the plot twist of this book right after I read about the 3 “main” characters. I feel a little sad that after being right all along, I am just not smart enough for this.
I picked this up hoping for a light read about magic and stones. Let's just say I did not look at the blurb long enough.
The world here ends every few hundred years with a "Season", during which human has to cope with extreme weather and such and such calamity. Among the human of this world are orogenes, who have some mysterious power on stones. We follows three orogenes of distinct ages as they wander around the land of Stillness, converging in the beginning of the end.
To be honest, I don't get how the orogenes wield control of the earth. The description lacks no details, yet my mind fail to conjure up any vivid imagery. Still, in those instances, I see the dream of taming Mother Nature, existing from as long as human has known of day and night. Even then, the Earth prevailed and denied all efforts to contain it, a bitter lesson much like real life.
Embed in the yoke of nature's indifference is a precarious society: an oppressing empire forcing unity and order, a caste formed from the fear of magical power, and a dysfunctional moral compass in apocalyptic time. Bespoke kernels of reality lie everywhere, demanding your attention, your reflection, your care. Each character feels as alive as they can be, filled with distinct traits and flaws that any mother, any lover, and any child might possess.
I did find some slight annoyances, especially with how in-your-face Essun's pain were re-iterated. These peeves are definitely personal and in no way affect the enthralling trip you will go on till the end.
The only thing stopping me from giving the book a 1/5 rating is the some what interesting world it presents.
” The world has already ended with her “
هذه كانت بداية القصة ، ملخصها ونهايتها!
this book was very different than what i was expecting it to be but i genuinely enjoyed it!!
Another great book, and I did not expect the reveal near the end. Jamesin has crafted another rich world much like she did with the Inheritance series. I am drawing parallels with who the Stills, Orogenes, and Guardians represent. I look forward to seeing further development of some of the other named groups in the next books.
Took me a while to pick this up, then it took me a while to get into this. The pace is slow and methodical throughout and there's actually very little tension at all until the last 30 or so pages (at which point it gets pretty tense). That being said, this book was fantastic. The world is so wonderfully realized through the three p.o.v. Characters. It felt like exploring a new city, or growing up. You learn and relearn the world along with the characters in a way that felt genuine and natural. Like the way we gradually discover our own world. It's a very human story told on a small scale and set against an epic landscape, so don't expect epic heroes or maniacal villains unless you want to be disappointed.
It was so consistent throughout, so well crafted... the only thing I can fault it for was the pace, which upon further reflection feels like more of a me problem. Very interested to see where the series goes from here!
I'm usually confused when a story is told from different angles and timeframes, but here somehow it worked. All the POVs and the peculiar way they come together at some points were just enough misleading to create “aha” moments, but at the same time provided setting and background information in all the right moments. Putting this patchwork together was masterfully done. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
I don't think I'd call this a book. It doesn't really have an ending (nor does the next one). The trilogy is one continuous story without separation. Probably could have saved on covers by just putting it all in one. Basically has to be read that way anyway.
And it's pretty good, but I'm not interested in reading the word "silver" ever again, thank you.
SO FUCKING GOOD.
I admit, it took ages for me to pick this book up because how much I disliked The City We Became, but I'm so glad I didn't skip this book.
The way the story unfolded was BEAUTIFUL. The writing was gorgeous, the story was FUN. My heart is palpitating...
It really feels like a testament to how much fantasy and sci-fi I've read that I could guess every single twist before it happened but that in no way discredits how GOOD they were and how SATISFYING it was to be correct.
This book had me jumping around my room shouting “I FUCKING KNEW IT. I KNEW IT.” Multiple times.
The most fun I've had reading a book in a LONG time. Will definitely be picking up the second entry.
i have,, very contrasting feelings about this lol
the gist of it is that i loved the premise
and that ending!!
but there were some things that made me uncomfortable so i can't call it a favorite unfortunately
Damn this was awesome! An incredible onslaught of idea after idea and layer after layer, cleverly constructed and immensely readable. With characters you care about and world-building most writers can only dream of. Can't wait to read the other two.
It took me embarrassingly long to figure out what was happening with the perspectives. But, I love the world building based on doomsday prepping, feels like fantasy specifically made for me. Can't wait for the next book. I love NKJ.
There are a lot of fascinating ideas in this novel. As many reviewers have mentioned, Jemison's world-building is imaginative. I love the idea of the Orogene's superhuman gifts during an age of environmental turmoil. Syenite and Alabaster's friendship/relationship/mentorship was nice. I appreciated the diverse characters and the unusual polyamorous relationship that formed, which I don't often see in a sci-fi fantasy book. I was also glad to see a vital female lead; one where the writer doesn't self-consciously draw attention to that fact.
I didn't love the book. About halfway in, I was increasingly bored and wanted more. Part of it might have been the three-way divided narrative. The chapters with the child Orogene had the most potential to involve me. I would have appreciated more about her relationship with her Guardian. I also wish Jemison had expanded on how that Guardian/Orogene system came to be. It feels less like a fleshed-out story and more like a hazy (but lengthy) tour through this world with the three different Orogenes in different stages of life. I wonder if this would have created a better build up if they had told the story of Damaya (who grew to be Syenite, who changed her name to Essun) in a linear way.
The Orogenes are the most powerful (in terms of “magical power”) and necessary people while simultaneously being the most hated and feared—not to mention slaves to the powerless Stills. This sounds like a great source of tension and conflict for the story; it doesn't live up to its potential. Enslaving the Orogenes is like enslaving a bunch of Firestarters; in King's book, the government fails to control her and she's all alone.
This inconsistency is exemplified in the scene where Orogene Essun is leaving the town of Tirimo to look for her daughter. The town leader allows her to leave but other citizens have learned what she is. They foolishly attack her, and she kills them all with no fuss or muss on her part.
Why would the Orogenes, with this superpower, put up with this treatment, other than (possibly, it's not defined) internalizing the global belief that they are born “evil”? The sheer numbers of the Stills maybe, yet that is not enough. They may not be able to combine their power but they could certainly cooperate together using their intelligence. Part of the job of the author is to make this work, make it believable.
The idea that the Guardians have an affectionate yet contentious relationship with their charges was another potential avenue of conflict not developed. The Guardians are basically slaves as well; once they lose their grip on their abilities they are put down like rabid dogs. There could have been a compelling inner conflict where the Guardians have ambivalent feelings about their role. Instead, they amount to a vague source of menace to the Orogenes.
I would have liked to have seen a little more intensity from the story and characters. (Constant anger is not the same as intensity, nor is it a personality trait.) As it is, I'm not engaged enough to continue the series.
There were parts of this that were really hard for me to read. That said: the humans in this book are so relatable. The world building is so good. Everything feels very real.
The twists, if you can call them that, were surprising every time. I'm not sure if I was just so caught up in the narrative that I didn't see them coming, but dang. I can't wait to start the next one.
good to start the year with a 5 star!
n. k. jemisin is a genius, actually. the sheer amount of effort and craftsmanship is something to behold, but the emotionally gripping and meaningful story she was able to weave in this, oof.
even if it was challenging to understand everything in initially, sometimes all i wanted was to binge it but i'm kinda glad it took me some time to finish, as it allowed me to savour it more. and, well, i did plenty! i feel like i could go on about what happens in each chapter; there's no filler, no fluff, everything seems to have a purpose.
this book had my mind stirring and the brain juice flowing, i don't remember having so many theories on a single piece of media, i really really loved it.
one of the theories i had when i was about a third or a quarter of the way into the book was that they were the same person and i was right about that! i'm proud of myself for getting the hint from the author!! one of the things i also love about this is that the twist, whether is shocking or not to some readers, makes the journey and also jemisin's writing abilities so much more admirable. These “3” characters were so distinguishable from one another and they're not even different people! masterful
brutal, blunt, and so dark, and i will need a short break with lighter reads, but STILL (lmao) so amazing.
already ordered the rest of the trilogy, because i need more of this world
Starts really weirdly and the prose is a bit hard to get used but the story is fascinating.
Enjoyed that one a lot.
Everything I want in a fantasy. N. K. Jemison is an absolute master of her craft and this is perfect.