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The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)

N.K. Jemisin

Start date: December 21, 2018

Finish date: January 13, 2019

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What Members Thought

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

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Feb 12, 2020 Rebecca rated it really liked it

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Jun 21, 2021 Brandon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the beginning of a powerful and imaginative story that evokes feelings of empathy, anger, and injustice. The tale begins in a world that is broken, and continues to break from seasons of intense geological activity called fifth seasons. Fifth seasons can last weeks to years to decades or more, and the people of this world have adapted to its instability and violence. The world Jemisin creates is profoundly bleak, and one that is based on bigotry and hate towar The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the beginning of a powerful and imaginative story that evokes feelings of empathy, anger, and injustice. The tale begins in a world that is broken, and continues to break from seasons of intense geological activity called fifth seasons. Fifth seasons can last weeks to years to decades or more, and the people of this world have adapted to its instability and violence. The world Jemisin creates is profoundly bleak, and one that is based on bigotry and hate towards a subset of people, who, from no fault of their own, are born differently from others.

We follow the characters of Damaya, Syenite, and Essun who were born orogenes. Orogenes are people born with the ability to manipulate the planet’s geology and create seismic events. For this, they are hated and forced into intense training at the Fulcrum, or outright killed. The three characters we follow suffer the tragic life of being hated and discriminated against. Damaya is taken from her parents at a very young age and forced to learn how to control her orogeny at the Fulcrum. Syenite is forced to breed with another orogene named Alabaster, and sent on a mission at a faraway coastal comm. Essun watches her child get beat to death by her husband after he learns of his son’s orogeny. Each tale is a powerful look at discrimination and suffering at the hands of others. While the story is tragic and bleak, we do see bits of compassion and moments of intense love woven into the story. Jemisin is a master of storytelling as she invites us readers to grow and feel along with her characters.

The plot of The Fifth Season is engaging and moves forward at a steady pace. It has enough mystery, world building, and action to keep us interested. This novel is the first in the Broken Earth trilogy, and isn’t a complete story within itself. It’s the beginning of an unbelievably tragic tale, and the ending leads into the second novel. Keep in mind that this is one book in a trilogy and to get the complete story, the trilogy needs to be read in its entirety.

Overall, I would definitely recommend The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. It is a masterfully told story that will ask its readers to suffer alongside the characters, and it is also a story full of love and meaningful relationships. ...more

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