The Kingdom of Gods

Too long. Lots of enjoyable bits but I wanted less.

The Kingdom of Gods is a messy novel. It juggles so many different plot points and characters at once, some handled worse than others. It's a disjointed book and the weakest of the trilogy. And yet, for whatever reason, I found myself fully invested for (most of) the duration of the story. There were plenty of things I didn't like (unnecessary characters that only complicated things and added nothing, some general weird character inconsistency), but the beautiful prose and fascinating world kept me interested.

Well this installment was absolutely nothing like I expected. Part of this is that every blurb, even the quote on the cover “She will destroy them all” led me to believe this was going to be a story about Shahar Arameri. She is the character described on the back, and that would fit the theme of Awesome Lady Getting Way Too Involved with Gods theme of the series. I was surprised however when the point of view character ends up being Sieh and Shahar features... hardly at all. If anything Dekarta is the one getting way too involved with gods.

That immediately had me worried, and made this book hard to begin. Sieh is the god of Childhood and generally exists in the form of a child. Any sort of romantic element was going to be incredibly awkward, I felt. Jemisin, as usual, figures out to deal with the maturation of a child as old as the earth. She writes from the first person POV of an immortal brat, and it's entirely believable. Jemisin is a real master of point of view and the wit and charm of her characters (down to Sieh's “annotations” of the glossary in the back) make this book worthwhile. She also pulls off the neat trick of having the exact ending I predicted from the beginning occur in a completely unexpected way. It made the story both satisfying and surprising.

I didn't bond with Sieh quite as much as I did with Yeine or Oree. I might have preferred the book from Deka's point of view, honestly, but I still am impressed at how Jemisin captures the terror or a nearly omnipotent child combined with the fears and realities of aging. It's still emotionally moving and complex, but it doesn't resonate as much with me personally as the first two.

I do recommend getting the edition with the bonus Oree and Itempas story in the extras section. That capped the trilogy nicely for me. It's a fine ending to a fantastic series, and now I'm going to have to pick up The Killing Moon.

 This is the third book in Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy.  When reviewing The Broken Kingdoms (this one's predecessor), I talked about how that book felt more like a worse version of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (the trilogy's first entry).  I went into Kingdom of Gods hoping that Jemisin would not make the same mistake again.  I am pleased to announce that she very much didn't and instead created something that is quite spectacular.    My favorite thing about Jemisin as a writer has always been her creativity.  She just comes up with concepts and themes that I can't imagine thinking of on my own.  Her brain is absolutely amazing and it's a quality that makes her stand out even among other great fantasy writers.  This remains true here.  The Kingdom of Gods once again shifts the POV, this time to Sieh, a fairly prominent supporting character from the first couple of books.  We see as his world is completely turned upside down by the events in the first couple of books but more importantly one that happens early on here as he loses his immortality.  This is a neat concept that Jemisin explores in really cool ways while also setting up an apocalypse storyline that ultimately feels secondary to Sieh's personal character journey.  That's another thing that Jemisin does well.  Yes her creativity and world-building are top-notch, but they are supported by the characters that exist in the situations that Jemisin comes up with.  A lot of them are truly wonderful and Sieh is no exception.  It's hard to say more without spoiling it but after this book Sieh has cemented himself as one of my all-time favorite literature characters.  He's just so interesting and experiencing his thoughts is a wonderful experience that I'm glad Jemisin gave us the chance to enjoy.  It makes this book a great ride and I'm satisfied with this conclusion to the trilogy.    Now that that's out of the way I'll talk about what I think about The Inheritance trilogy as a whole.  It is not as good as Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, but that's not saying much considering how good that trilogy is.   What the Inheritance trilogy is though is a very strong set of debut novels.  Jemisin isn't as refined here as she is in her other trilogy, but she shows off the characteristics that make her writing so good, namely creativity, strong characters and fleshed-out worldbuilding.  You can truly get lost in Jemisin's settings and I think that is a requirement for a high fantasy writer.  This is a really fun trilogy to read and I'm really glad I went back to it.  Up next for me in terms of her books is The Awakened Kingdom, a novella that was not originally part of the trilogy but was added to the omnibus version that I have.  After that I will check out her Dreamblood Duology.  I can't wait to see what she has in store there. 

I love that Jemisin has an incredible ability to mythologize, and she does it beautifully as usual. I don't know that any other writer captures the ineffability of godhood the way she does. But this book felt like a haphazard means to achieve an end (and I do like the end and think it makes sense, but the getting-there is frazzled and has more than a few confusing plot holes). The character development and relationships are much stronger in the first two books and the main villain/problem are a confusing coverup for the real problem of the book. The story did a lot but it was trying to do even more (probably too much).

That said. I would read a whole novel about Glee Shoth. Please and thank you.

It is a difficult thing writing about gods. Being able to capture, portray and do justice something or someone that sees, thinks and feels in infinities can be an overwhelming task. Which is most likely why the first two books of The Inheritance Trilogy were from the point of view of woman who would become a god, and a woman who would fall in love with a god, respectively. These perspectives were sufficient in giving you the scope of what its like to live among celestial beings, enough to inspire a sense of awe as well as a sense of character to the gods' unique personalities. But it stopped just shy of looking through the eyes of one.The Kingdom of Gods takes an opposite approach to this mold created by the first book by telling the story from the point of view of a god who is becoming mortal. Sieh, the Trickster, god of childhood and mischief, firstborn and favorite of the godlings finds himself turning into a real boy (and then man) after making a pact with two young children, Dekarta and Shahar. While, as a god, Sieh can take on many forms it is against his nature to grow up. But grow up he does, and not just because his new mortal flesh is forcing him to, but because the world around him needs him to. Aside from Nahadoth, Sieh was undoubtedly a favorite in [b:The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms 6437061 The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy, #1) N.K. Jemisin https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1303143211s/6437061.jpg 6626657], so getting to hear his story was a great treat, but the core problem still stands - telling a god's story is difficult, even when that god is not a god anymore. Sieh's brain is childlike, kind of, but it is huge. He doesn't feel or see things the way an ordinary person does. Nonetheless, Jemisin is a very clever story teller. She lets the primary conflict (an unknown god, named Kahl, is manipulating mortal politics and assassinating members of the ruling Arameri family for unknown ends) fade into the background while Sieh tries to figure out his new life and the love he feels for his two sworn mortal friends - as well as trying to get his godhood back - until just the right moment. And as you might have guessed, she uses that moment to rip your heart out.I've been learning a little bit about building magical systems in your stories, and the difference between hard and soft magical worlds. The Inheritance Trilogy is definitely soft, you have very little idea of what magic users - whether gods or mortals - are capable of, but that somehow doesn't seem to hold down the story much. It is, however, a tad overwhelming. Likewise, she gives this universe that already has two books behind it so much breadth in the final installment - introducing a bunch of new godlings and an organization they work under, international politics and culture, and whole new ways for magic to fuck with your mind. It's a lot, but it's also really fun. I mean, heartbreaking, emotionally intense, but still very fun.This book is about evolution, with a little bit of revolution. The Arameri, the villains of the first book, evolve into something much more human the same way Sieh does, allowing him to fall in love with one (or two, depending on which team you're on, I guess), and as such change the fabric of the universe. With the amount of content that is in this book, its a miracle at all that Deka and Shahar get to assert themselves as character, but nonetheless I fell for Deka like a sack of bricks. His thing is that he is smart, sexy and really super magical, and you know what, I'm down with that. No matter what, the feeling that Jemisin wants to invoke is always there - the ruthless complexity of the Arameri, the love and hate of Nahadoth, Itempas and Yiene, and of course Sieh's sense of mischief. It's almost...fanservicey. It's hard to explain why. Jemisin gives you the goods, is what I'm trying to say, even when the story is going in all different directions.There are a handful of authors that I trust with my soul - Jemisin is one of them. I know I'm in good hands as soon as I open up to the first page. This book is complicated and meandering, which is why I'm not giving it the full five stars, but it is still excellent and a more than sufficient final chapter to this trilogy. It gets the important things right - the emotional honestly, the dramatic portraits of gods at their most impenetrable, and of course a little sexiness to sweeten the deal. That's literally what I go to Jemisin for, and she definitely delivered.

This should have been a favorite since it features Sieh (he was my favorite character), but I'm sad to say that I was disappointed by the story. :(

Why not believe most fervently in mortalkind and its potential? We, certainly, could benefit from a little dedication and discipline.


“And what does it make you to threaten all that they know and love?” She fell silent in confusion and growing anger, and I leaned close so that my breath would caress her cheek. “A monster too cowardly to accept her own hideousness.”


“It's just that mortals are dangerous to love. They break easily. In time, they die. It hurts.” I shrugged. “It's easier, safer, to just use them for pleasure. But that's hard, too, because it's impossible for us to take pleasure without giving back something of ourselves. We are not ...” I groped for the words in Senmite. “We do not ... It isn't our way. No, it isn't natural to do things that way, to be nothing but body, contained only within ourselves, so when we are with another, we reach out and the mortal gets inside us — we can not help it — and then it hurts to push them out, too ...” I trailed off, because Shahar was staring at me. I'd been talking faster and faster, the words tumbling together in my effort to convey how it felt. I sighed and forced myself back to human speed. “Being with mortals isn't anathema, but it's not good, either. It never ends well. Any god with sense avoids it.”


Only learning oneself better, and understanding one's place in the world, made the touch of another mundane.


So fascinating, this conversation. Our mouths moved, speaking about things neither of us cared about, a verbal mask for entirely different words that did not need to be said.

Ce dernier tome de la trilogie de l'Héritage de N.K. Jemisin nous permet de suivre le dieu Sieh que nous avons rencontré dans le premier ouvrage de cette série.
C'est un vrai plaisir de se replonger dans l'univers créé par l'auteure. Ce livre est le plus faible des trois au niveau du développement de l'intrigue et cela malgré sa longueur. Il reste très agréable à lire et conclut la trilogie de manière très satisfaisante.

Hinduism (and other, sister religions like Buddhism and Jainism) has an interesting concept: samsara, which is a term used to describe the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that the human soul undergoes. One is born, one dies, and then one is reborn again, with the circumstances of one's rebirth being determined by one's karma (the quality of one's actions). This is an oversimplification of the concept, I know, but it's a very good way of describing in broad, general terms what the concept is.

It is also a concept that writers have played with over the years, in various ways and with equally various effects. Some writers use it to explore deeper themes: a good example would be Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt, which goes so far as to use a specifically Tibetan Buddhist take on the concept for the purposes of the novel. Other writers do not take as explicit a route as Robinson does, simply borrowing the concept of reincarnation that lies at the heart of samsara for whatever purpose they deem it suitable - I have seen romance novelists use the concept for their own purposes, usually taking the idea of two lovers whose souls are bound together for the rest of eternity, following and finding each other through each and every incarnation. The concept has also found itself drifting into sci-fi from time to time, but it has found a home for itself in fantasy, since the cyclical nature of the concept lends itself very well to many fantasy stories.

Of course, not all writers do a very good job using the concept, but the few that do use it well make it into a powerful vehicle for themes about love, forgiveness, and - most important of all - redemption. That is the case with The Kingdom of Gods, the final book in N.K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy.

Set a generation or two after the events of The Broken Kingdoms, The Kingdom of Gods is narrated by Sieh, the god of childhood, introduced in the first novel and who makes a brief appearance in the second. In The Kingdom of Gods, he meets a pair of Arameri twins, Shahar and Dekarta, the head of the Arameri family. If the names are familiar, there is good reason: Dekarta was the name of Yeine's grandfather in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, while Shahar was the name of the founder of the Arameri line, a high priestess of Itempas during the Gods' War. He befriends them, somewhat-reluctantly, and in order to solidify that friendship attempts to make a blood pact with them. However, the blood pact goes awry, and when Sieh next wakes up, eight years have already passed since the failed blood pact, and he is slowly becoming mortal. He returns to the city of Sky-in-Shadow in order to reconnect with the Arameri twins to find out what exactly happened, However, when he gets there he finds out that a deeper, more dangerous game is afoot, and that this game is dangerous not just to himself, but to all the gods, even the Three.

One of the first things the reader will note, after the first two novels, is the change of narrator. I really like Sieh as a character, have liked him since The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but I was expecting Jemisin to continue the pattern established by the first two novels and get a female narrator to tell the story (in this case, Shahar, since she is mentioned in the book blurb). Of course, learning Sieh was the narrator did not put me off at all, at least in terms of his narrative voice: he is as excellent a narrator as Yeine and Oree were, which is a good thing because I think that any novel that attempts to use a first-person perspective must have a narrator with an interesting voice. Sieh is certainly that.

There are many similarities in his tone to Oree's voice in The Broken Kingdoms, but I think that's mostly to do with the casual nature of their narration: Oree because she is a commoner, and Sieh because he is a god. The difference comes primarily from the fact that Sieh is far, far more careless about what he says than Oree, which is unsurprising because he is a god and doesn't have to care about anything, least of all mortals. That changes, though, as the novel progresses, especially once Sieh finds himself in the company of Dekarta and Shahar.

And now that I mention the twins, here's where I hit a snag with the novel. While I like the role they play in Sieh's development, I wish there was more of them as people apart from Sieh, gotten more development as characters in their own right. I think it would have been interesting to tell this novel with two first-person narratives: Sieh's and Shahar's, perhaps, or maybe even three, including Dekarta's (though this desire to see Dekarta narrate is mostly due to the fact that I want to learn more about how he constructed the system of magic he creates for himself). It would definitely make the novel longer, but the length would be very much worth the time I'd put into it if one or both of the twins were given a voice. It would also go a long way towards explaining why they are so important to Sieh, why he finds them so attractive, which is crucial to understanding the ending of the novel.

Speaking of the end, I think that Jemisin could not have come up with a better conclusion for her trilogy. I mentioned samsara earlier in this review, and that is pretty much what happens at the end. Debts are paid in full, truths are revealed, and, more importantly, people are forgiven, accepted, and redeemed (not least Ahad, for whom acceptance is a key component of his storyline). And though characters die - Sieh and Dekarta, notably - death is merely another type of transformation: when Shahar finally passes after living a full life, she essentially "midwifes" Sieh (who is no longer Sieh) back into existence, who then takes both Dekarta and Shahar with him to become another Three, in another realm entirely. As for Itempas, he dies, but does so sacrificing himself for humanity, which fulfills the conditions that were laid on him at the end of the first novel, and he returns to his original form - and, in a short story found at the end of the novel, finds his way back to Oree. Very few endings are capable of reducing me to literal tears, but this novel managed to do just that, and so very handily, too.

Overall, The Kingdom of Gods is a fantastic conclusion to a beautiful and heartbreaking trilogy - primarily because it does not focus on the typical things a lot of contemporary fantasy novels focus on. Though there is a lot of political maneuvering, scheming, and mentions and threats of war and bloodshed all over the place, they are not the central focus of the books. Instead, these novels are about characters, and how they relate to one another, whether they be mortals, demons, godlings, or gods. The only failing I can think of in the entire trilogy is one that rests in this book: the lack of development for Shahar and Dekarta, who are important enough to need it, but do not seem to get it (whereas other characters, like Glee and Ahad, get good development, which is odd since they are technically just supporting characters). Despite this one failing, however, the trilogy as a whole is a wonderful read, and definitely more than worth spending one's time - and tears - on.

This series got better and better through each book. Loved the way things all got put together at the end. You could see a lot of it coming but there were enough surprises as well. My favorite book of the series and I'm looking forward to more books by the author. It was a pleasant surprise to see how the author grew in her craft through the three books of this series.

If I had to rate this trilogy by how much I liked each book, it would go like this:
1. The Broken Kingdoms
2. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
3. The Kingdom of Gods
However, this does not mean that this is a bad book. Far from it. It was beautifully written, had incredible character depth and development and a great ending. It's just that the plot was kind of all over the place at times. You didn't know which thread to follow or whether there even was a thread, other than Sieh's journey.
I liked this book a lot and will read anything N.K. Jemisin writes in the future.
For a full review, go to SFF Book Review