The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) in /r/Fantasy Discussion Group

Aug 15, 2015 Althea Ann rated it it was amazing

OK, I'm going to have to shell out for my WorldCon membership just so I can nominate this book for a Hugo.
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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

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Sep 21, 2016 Chelsea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: suggested-series-firsts, fantasy

Stunning novel. Bits reminded me of a compulsively readable Margaret Atwood.

It took me a bit to adjust to the POV and style, but once I did? WOW. Utterly engaging and the story unfolds in a clever and precise way.

HIGHLY recommended. My favorite read of the year so far.

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Aug 06, 2017 Chris Comerford rated it it was amazing

It's tricky to be objective and rational about a book which is just so demonstrably good. Employing a unique style and a gripping anachronic structure, The Fifth Season is one of the most ambitious books I've ever read. Fortunately, that ambition is more than met by the talents of author N.K. Jemisin.

The world's ending, and Essun has lost her family; her 2-year-old son has been murdered by her husband, and her daughter has gone missing. Leaving the safety of her village to find them, Essun cross It's tricky to be objective and rational about a book which is just so demonstrably good. Employing a unique style and a gripping anachronic structure, The Fifth Season is one of the most ambitious books I've ever read. Fortunately, that ambition is more than met by the talents of author N.K. Jemisin.

The world's ending, and Essun has lost her family; her 2-year-old son has been murdered by her husband, and her daughter has gone missing. Leaving the safety of her village to find them, Essun crosses paths with others who seek to weather the coming apocalypse. Concurrently, a girl named Damaya is forcibly inducted into an order of terrifying power, and a young woman named Syenite travels with her irascible companion to solve a far-off coastal town's shipping woes. All three stories might just be connected to each other.

The vague plot details above are thin frosting on a delicious mudcake of high concept ideas, plot turns and character beats, masterfully put together in a dizzyingly deep world by Jemisin. This is a well-paced story that plays out in an engrossing, richly-layered world which can stand with the best of Brandon Sanderson and J.K Rowling; a living, breathing narrative landscape with an immediate lived-in quality.

As good as it is, The Fifth Season's high quality is matched only by the degree to which one can't (or, perhaps, shouldn't) talk about it. Jemisin succeeds not just in executing the twists themselves, but in developing a method which makes even the more obvious turns much more gripping. I guessed one of the mid-book reveals quite a ways before it came to pass, but I wasn't prepared for how that reveal would be made, nor its ramifications. Veer away from spoilers on this one, folks.

The unique style also comes with a massive Your Mileage May Vary tag, with each plotline told in present tense with both second-person (Essun) and third-person (Damaya and Syenite) viewpoints. That style actually leads to one of the book's more significant plot twist, but it may not work for those who prefer a more straightforward narrative style. I personally loved it, absorbing the story more smoothly than I'd've expected for such an experimental way of telling it.

The Fifth Season is, unequivocally, a must-read. This is not always a happy book, detailing quite a bit of misery and hardship, featuring at least one scene that made my eyes misty. But there's still an innate hope at the centre of its gut-wrenching, apocalyptic narrative, all the better to enliven an enthralling cast of characters in a complex fantasy world. It's a book any self-respecting fantasy fan should read.

Also, it won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novel, marking the first time ever that an author of colour has walked away with that accolade. So, y'know, it's kind of a big deal. ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 C.M. rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

In the beginning I had a tough time with the multiple POVs, especially with the one in second person. And it was slow. But then mid-book the tension cranked up and I was totally into it. Even for a series I felt the ending was quite abrupt though. Will I read the next book? Maybe not but I am glad I read this one, my main motivation being because it was a Hugo winner.

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