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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 16, 2018 Valentin Derevlean rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, hugo-award, locus-award

4 stele meritate.

O lume ciudată, cu un singur continent brăzdat de cutremure și vulcani a căror activitatea a și dus de-a lungul timpului la apariția celui de-al cincilea anotimp - ani lungi de iarnă ce au șters de pe fața pământului civilizații majore. Suntem într-un soi de Renaștere (armele de foc nu prea sunt cunoscute, însă analizele de sânge da), dar și Ev Mediu (dacă ne gândim la structura socială). În această lume se nasc orogenii - ființe umane capabile să manipuleze materia și să provo ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Jeannette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, eclectic-readers

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

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May 08, 2018 Jess rated it really liked it

The Fifth Season is a brutal but beautiful book, with some of the most exciting world-building I’ve seen in awhile. The Stillness—ironically named, because it’s anything but still—is a land characterized by seismic activity. Its cities are built on the rubble of a powerful and mysterious ancient civilization. Jemisin presents us with a main character who can stop and start earthquakes, then does surprising things with the narrative to deepen our understanding of her. Absolutely recommended.

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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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Jun 09, 2018 Ivy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, audible-owned, apocalypse

One of the most powerful novels I’ve ever read. The world building is original, the magic more akin to true power, the characters believable. The ending left my mouth hanging open. I can’t wait to find out what horrible yet amazing things happen next. “This is the way the world ends”. Not a light read by any means, nor is it for the faint of heart. Yet it is absolutely compelling, with some of the finest writing I’ve ever encountered.

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Sep 20, 2019 Kelsey rated it really liked it

I didnt really pay attention to what this book was about, and at the beginning I was a little lost, but once everything started rolling and details started clicking into place, it was really awesome!

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