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The Fifth Season
(The Broken Earth #1)
by
Original cover edition
here
THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. AGAIN.
Three terrible things happen in a single day.
Essun, masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand ...more
THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. AGAIN.
Three terrible things happen in a single day.
Essun, masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand ...more
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Paperback, 471 pages
Published
August 4th 2015
by Orbit
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Start your review of The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)

Yes, 5 full stars for this one because it's everything I want in a fantasy book. I will explain.
I don't read fantasy and sci-fi because I like magic or space ships or laser swords or what have you. I read fantasy and sci-fi because I want to see something new, and there's no other genre that allows this much freedom of imagination, this much flexibility and bending of reality and this much room for "what ifs". The genres are ripe with tropes and cliches even so, and I'm at that point where it pa ...more
I don't read fantasy and sci-fi because I like magic or space ships or laser swords or what have you. I read fantasy and sci-fi because I want to see something new, and there's no other genre that allows this much freedom of imagination, this much flexibility and bending of reality and this much room for "what ifs". The genres are ripe with tropes and cliches even so, and I'm at that point where it pa ...more

I picked this one up because I greatly enjoyed Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but this novel was even better. Jemisin blew me away with her world-building and beautiful writing. It's the tale of an alternate earth called the Stillness, which is plagued by constant seismic activity. This leads to frequent near-extinction events called "Fifth Seasons" that keep humans on their toes. The evidence of past civilizations litters the planet -- ruined cities, incomplete 'stonelore' handed down fro
...more

Sep 28, 2018
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites
O.M.G.
Post-apocalyptic mixed with Fantasy? My two favorite genre? Hell yes! This was such a good read!
The writing does take some time to get used to (one section the narration is told at the second person for example!) but I didn't find it slow and found myself immersed into it very quickly but more time was clearly put into it than the average Fantasy so it might be why it can take a bit more time to get used to it!
Totally recommend it and I'm planning on reading the whole trilogy pretty much ...more
Post-apocalyptic mixed with Fantasy? My two favorite genre? Hell yes! This was such a good read!
The writing does take some time to get used to (one section the narration is told at the second person for example!) but I didn't find it slow and found myself immersed into it very quickly but more time was clearly put into it than the average Fantasy so it might be why it can take a bit more time to get used to it!
Totally recommend it and I'm planning on reading the whole trilogy pretty much ...more

This book is beautiful, this book is smart, this book is oh so heartbreaking, and this book is a masterpiece. This is one of those books that make you feel absolutely guilty for giving out five stars to other books. This book is unlike anything I've ever read, but it felt so seamlessly woven. This book mirrors the society we live in today and makes you think about all those uncomfortable topics you'd rather ignore and pretend do not exist. This book has the best representation I've ever read in
...more

Feb 11, 2018
Elle (ellexamines)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Elle by:
Melanie
—for all those who have to fight for the respect others are given without question.
I'm re-reviewing this because I accidentally used up a full page of my last essay ranting about it and now I really desperately want to reread. (It's September 8th, why are all of my books still in California.)
The fact that this series won the Hugo award three years running should very quickly establish its degree of quality but I'm going to quickly point out the things that Wowed Me anyway. The writin ...more

Aug 09, 2017
Petrik
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mix of high fantasy & Sci fi fans
4.5/5 Stars
I will not start my review for this book with some praises. Don’t get me wrong, this is an amazing book (oh shit I just did), but I’d like to start this review instead by saying patience is virtue is apt here.
This book and my review will be dedicated to all of you.
The Fifth Season, the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy is, in my opinion, a book that will truly require some ...more
I will not start my review for this book with some praises. Don’t get me wrong, this is an amazing book (oh shit I just did), but I’d like to start this review instead by saying patience is virtue is apt here.
“For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question.”
This book and my review will be dedicated to all of you.
The Fifth Season, the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy is, in my opinion, a book that will truly require some ...more

Deleted my old 4 star review. I didn’t like it so much this time. Not rereading the rest. Unhauling.
The end!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
The end!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

Rating: 4.5 stars

Aug 21, 2016
Twerking To Beethoven
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
load-of-wank
New updated review.
I'm told N.K. Jemisin won YET another ((probably) deserved) Hugo Award this year. Her third in a row.
As some of yaz are probably well aware of, I'm not fond of her writing style nor of herbullshit books. What can I do? I just don't like her stuff. Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, when I tried to read the first installment of "The Broken Earth", I just failed to finish it and ended up throwing the bastard on the barbie along with some shrimps and prawns... ruining both the shri
...more
I'm told N.K. Jemisin won YET another ((probably) deserved) Hugo Award this year. Her third in a row.
As some of yaz are probably well aware of, I'm not fond of her writing style nor of her

Edit, 10:52 pm, tonight. :) N.K. Jemisin is the WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) Was there any doubt?
Old Review (from a few hours ago):
Re-Read 8/20/16, the day the Hugo Awards Ceremony is to take place for the novel I voted for. :) Coincidentally, I'll be reading the sequel tomorrow. :)
So was it as good as I remember? Actually, better. But that's mostly because I'm in on the trick and the secret of the MC is is laid bare and the whole novel then becomes a character exploration for me as we ...more
Old Review (from a few hours ago):
Re-Read 8/20/16, the day the Hugo Awards Ceremony is to take place for the novel I voted for. :) Coincidentally, I'll be reading the sequel tomorrow. :)
So was it as good as I remember? Actually, better. But that's mostly because I'm in on the trick and the secret of the MC is is laid bare and the whole novel then becomes a character exploration for me as we ...more

this book started off a bit rocky and slow, but i am so relieved that it eventually grew on me. i didnt love it as much as i wanted to (mainly because i misread the synopsis, so this was completely different than i thought it would be) but there is still much that i enjoyed about it.
- this story blends both sci-fi AND fantasy. i know many books are lumped into the SFF genre, but this is the first story where both elements are present and coexist seamlessly.
- the representation in this is endle ...more
- this story blends both sci-fi AND fantasy. i know many books are lumped into the SFF genre, but this is the first story where both elements are present and coexist seamlessly.
- the representation in this is endle ...more

Really good.
N. K. Jemison’s 2016 Hugo Award winner’s world building is as good as Frank Herbert or Ursula LeGuin and with magic rules as well thought out as Brandon Sanderson and with an intimate talent for complex characterization as good as Octavia Butler.
All comparisons aside, Jemisin’s work is wildly original and she has created a far future fantasy that provokes thought and entertains. Evoking Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth, this is far, far in the future (if it is even Earth) where some peop ...more
N. K. Jemison’s 2016 Hugo Award winner’s world building is as good as Frank Herbert or Ursula LeGuin and with magic rules as well thought out as Brandon Sanderson and with an intimate talent for complex characterization as good as Octavia Butler.
All comparisons aside, Jemisin’s work is wildly original and she has created a far future fantasy that provokes thought and entertains. Evoking Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth, this is far, far in the future (if it is even Earth) where some peop ...more

Feb 27, 2017
✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition

💀 DNF at 38%. Please someone give me a medal.
The gif is strong is this one. Consider your little barnacled selves warned.
This was such a delightful read.

Just kidding. Bloody stinking fish, this was painful as shrimp.
99,99999% of you People of Despicable Book Taste (PoDBT™) thought this was deliriously mind-blowing and scrumptiously original and fantabuliciously well written and all that crap, which can mean only one thing:

Full video review here https://youtu.be/04wHHH-IBdQ
...more


4.5 stars. What you know for sure is that you're not a child. You don't want to know what would happen if you were (this world is nasty). But you walk. Restlessly, you walk. At this point you're not sure it means something. You go on, though, because you're intrigued. Orogene, guardian, pirate, commless, you're part of the humanity anyway (they don't think you are). You're no stranger to rules (death awaits if you are) yet life destroys them at times (this is the way the world ends, again). ...more

Even though I struggled with it at times (we all know fantasy is not my usual genre, lol), there is no question that this book is a masterpiece. Wow. Wow wow wow. I can't wait to read everything else Jemisin has ever written.
...more

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷
★ This is my first pick for my book club “The Book Clinic” and after finishing it, I am so glad that I did choose it. I think it is a book that can be enjoyed by YA and adult fantasy readers, which was the main reason that made me pick it up.
★ This is my first novel I read by the author, I read her short story Emergency Skin last y ...more
“Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we? Get it over with and move on to more interesting things.”
★ This is my first pick for my book club “The Book Clinic” and after finishing it, I am so glad that I did choose it. I think it is a book that can be enjoyed by YA and adult fantasy readers, which was the main reason that made me pick it up.
★ This is my first novel I read by the author, I read her short story Emergency Skin last y ...more

Apr 08, 2019
Markus
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
put-some-brakes-on-the-hype-train
"Every time the earth moves, you will hear its call."
The Fifth Season is another interesting experiment by N. K. Jemisin. And while I would argue that it has been tremendously overrated, it is still overall a pretty good book with a lot of qualities. It reads more like an unpolished, interesting debut novel than an award-winning piece by an experienced author, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Let’s start with the criticism, why don’t we? (That is my attempt at paraphrasing the book’s o ...more
The Fifth Season is another interesting experiment by N. K. Jemisin. And while I would argue that it has been tremendously overrated, it is still overall a pretty good book with a lot of qualities. It reads more like an unpolished, interesting debut novel than an award-winning piece by an experienced author, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Let’s start with the criticism, why don’t we? (That is my attempt at paraphrasing the book’s o ...more

OK, I'm going to have to shell out for my WorldCon membership just so I can nominate this book for a Hugo.
____
I recently noticed that Nora Jemisin's Goodreads profile lists her "influences" as Tanith Lee & Ursula K. Le Guin. I'm not sure if she put that in there or someone else did - but those just happen to be two of my most favorite authors; and yes, I can see the 'influence' on this book.
Previously, I've only read Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - her first book. It was good enough that ...more
____
I recently noticed that Nora Jemisin's Goodreads profile lists her "influences" as Tanith Lee & Ursula K. Le Guin. I'm not sure if she put that in there or someone else did - but those just happen to be two of my most favorite authors; and yes, I can see the 'influence' on this book.
Previously, I've only read Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - her first book. It was good enough that ...more

4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/07/20/b...
This book had the distinction of being on both my most anticipated SFF lists for 2014 and 2015, due to the publisher’s decision to push its release date back a year in order to give N.K. Jemisin more time to work on the sequels. So it was with no small amount of excitement when an advance copy finally made it into my hands. Proof that it was really happening.
And oh boy, was it TOTALLY worth the wait.
Initially though, my ...more
This book had the distinction of being on both my most anticipated SFF lists for 2014 and 2015, due to the publisher’s decision to push its release date back a year in order to give N.K. Jemisin more time to work on the sequels. So it was with no small amount of excitement when an advance copy finally made it into my hands. Proof that it was really happening.
And oh boy, was it TOTALLY worth the wait.
Initially though, my ...more

From its ominous opening, "This is the way the world ends. Again", N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season offers an original and amazingly immersive experience! Jemisin's world-building exists side by side with a world teetering on the brink of destruction. But this has happened before. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes have wreaked havoc on the Stillness, the super continent and only land mass of this world. Previous generations/civilizations have been unable to avoid the destruction
...more

Dec 29, 2015
Tatiana
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tatiana by:
Catie
Updated 8/23/16 Even better second time around. I think it deserves a bump up to 5 stars.
It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I did, it was a smooth, fun ride. Awesome mythology. The polyamory scenario wasn't bad either. ...more
It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I did, it was a smooth, fun ride. Awesome mythology. The polyamory scenario wasn't bad either. ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

So clever....more
I've been on a reading binge of mostly sci-fi/fantasy fusion and let me tell you, this book will rock your world.
Hats off to Ms Jemisin. In all honesty I can't fathom how the idea and execution for this series could have originated from someone's brain.
A must read for lovers of sci-fi fantasy!

So I started reading this book in the evening before bed but I got really into and I just stayed up reading it and then I bought the other two and just spent the next day finishing them. I really enjoyed this but I think it might have blurred together with the other two and I'll try not to talk to much about the details in case I forget what happened when. I don't know how I felt about the second person point of view parts of the book, that felt less strong to me than the rest of the book. Also
...more

Sale Alert: Amazon Daily Deal 19Jan18 $2.99
4.5 Dystopianesk Fantasy Stars
This was pretty different. It there is such a thing as dystopian fantasy then this is that. Not only are you on a world where there are the regular humans and lands and society. But there are also people wh ...more
4.5 Dystopianesk Fantasy Stars
“When we say “the world has ended,” it’s usually a lie, because the planet is just fine. But this is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. For the last time.”
This was pretty different. It there is such a thing as dystopian fantasy then this is that. Not only are you on a world where there are the regular humans and lands and society. But there are also people wh ...more

This book is intimidating. I’ll just get that out of the way. I was genuinely scared I’d fail at reading this the same way I did for my expedition into Dune. N.K. Jemisin is an absolute titan of the genre(s), though, and so many authors I love admire her in return. And while I was able to successfully read the first of the series, I don’t want to understate the immensity of this book and world. It’s a big venture to begin, but utterly worth it by the end.
In the beginning, though, there can be a ...more
In the beginning, though, there can be a ...more

This is by far the best book I've read all year. I don't even have words right now
...more

Well, shit. I now see why this won all those awards.
This book has won all the awards for fantasy. The Hugo, the Nebula, the Locus, everything! If there is an award for fantasy writing, this one has it! So, as you can imagine, I was pretty nervous to read it. What if it didn't live up to all the hype? What if it wasn't the masterpiece everyone claimed it was? What if it wasn't everything that I wanted it to be?
What if all the hype was for nothing?
Thankfully, my fears were for nothing, because bo ...more
This book has won all the awards for fantasy. The Hugo, the Nebula, the Locus, everything! If there is an award for fantasy writing, this one has it! So, as you can imagine, I was pretty nervous to read it. What if it didn't live up to all the hype? What if it wasn't the masterpiece everyone claimed it was? What if it wasn't everything that I wanted it to be?
What if all the hype was for nothing?
Thankfully, my fears were for nothing, because bo ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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SciFi and Fantasy...: "The Fifth Season" - Full Discussion *Spoilers* | 126 | 725 | 1 hour, 57 min ago | |
Reading Women: 7) Reread a Favorite Book | 25 | 341 | Jan 25, 2021 11:30PM | |
SciFi and Fantasy...: "The Fifth Season" - First Thoughts *No Spoilers* | 130 | 497 | Jan 12, 2021 11:57AM | |
Pick-a-Shelf: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth #1) | 58 | 32 | Oct 31, 2020 10:21PM | |
I can't. | 5 | 188 | Oct 14, 2020 01:00AM |
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