From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)

N.K. Jemisin

Start date: December 21, 2018

Finish date: January 13, 2019

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Cat

Why we're reading this: Group discussion topic December 2018
[close] Group discussion topic December 2018

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 250 topics — 8,801 comments total

Book Discussions

"Cyteen" by C.J. Cherryh
By deleted member · 48 posts · 103 views

last updated May 24, 2025 11:25PM

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
By deleted member · 46 posts · 150 views

last updated Mar 28, 2025 02:28PM

showing 10 of 40 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 29, 2021 Carlex rated it really liked it

Three and a half obelisks

5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 14, 2020 Candice Kamencik rated it it was amazing

Shelves: distopian, fantasy, owned, post-apocalyptic, audio-book, there-be-magic, favorites

Wow. Woooooooow. An easy 5 stars for this amazing book. And trust me, I don't give out 5 stars unless I have to.

This book follows what is seemingly three stories at once, jumping back and forth between them, all while laying out an absolutely original world and pulling readers into it. Managing multiple story arcs at once in no mean feat, and often times I feel that the plots can get muddied or that some of the "strings" aren't as well tended as the others - that is so not the case for this book Wow. Woooooooow. An easy 5 stars for this amazing book. And trust me, I don't give out 5 stars unless I have to.

This book follows what is seemingly three stories at once, jumping back and forth between them, all while laying out an absolutely original world and pulling readers into it. Managing multiple story arcs at once in no mean feat, and often times I feel that the plots can get muddied or that some of the "strings" aren't as well tended as the others - that is so not the case for this book. At the beginning of every chapter, I felt so torn from leaving the character(s) I was just reading about, but at the same time excited to turn the pages to catch up with the story I was returning to as well. Artfully done. While juggling these arcs, Jemisin masterfully created characters that had such depth and intensity; this is one of those rare books where you see purposeful character growth, but it wasn't forced just to acquiesce to the plot. It was easy to get to know the players in this tale, root for them, and feel their pain.

Above the great characters and intricately woven story, I have to commend the would building that happened in this book above all. It was truly unique, and despite the fact that it was very, very detailed with great new concepts for how the world worked (both with the "magic" system used as well as the socioeconomic layout of the planet), the author carefully dolled out these new ideas to the reader as she went. There was no info dumping, no pages upon pages of boring description, etc. Jemisin managed to world build via her characters, introducing concepts as they were pertinent to the story, and building upon it as she went.

Overall I can't say enough good things about this book - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If you like fantasy, if you want multifaceted characters, if you look for original new worlds, if you like to be pulled in and stay up way later than you should because you've just got to turn *one* *more* *page* (even though you need to get up in 5 hours), this is what you're looking for! ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2022 Michael Tamburrino rated it it was amazing

Earth-shatteringly good. This book consumed my life for four full days. It was everything I hoped it would be, and nearly exceeded my astronomical expectations. One the best openers to a fantasy series I've ever read.

The Fifth Season is a paradoxical epic with an intimate focus and a maximalist worldview. It embraces the legacy of the genre's predecessors (Ursula K. LeGuin and Octavia Butler especially) before breaking through the bedrock they've laid down to produce something new and terrifying ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2019 S. rated it liked it

So many mixed feelings about this one. I had picked it up at a local bookstore in St. Paul, MN (Subtext Books, CHECK THEM OUT!) last Thanksgiving, and finally got around to reading it.

This book is an interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction elements, and I loved the concept of orogeny--though I was sometimes, especially in the beginning of the book, utterly confused by how it worked.

Like many others, I am put off by second person POV (moreso than first person POV), and so I greatly dis ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2019 James rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-broken-earth

What to say. Such a brilliant novel. I loved how N.K. Jemisin was able weave such an excellent story together. The world of the Stillness revolves around Seasons. Usually triggered by some catastrophic event.

I have never read a story that has been a perspective like the one presented with Essun. I felt connected with everything that occurred with this character. In ways I rarely feel with a novel. Much like the world Essun lives in, her life was also changed by personal seasons. That redefined ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2017 Nina rated it liked it

Decent story, but it loses half a star for the use of present tense throughout and half a star for the use of second person present tense in the Essun chapters. Harsh perhaps, but it really annoyed me.

Like · see review