The Fifth Season
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- Create Date：2021-05-29 10:54:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：N.K. Jemisin
- ISBN：0356508196
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
This is the way the world ends。。。 for the last time。
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent， spewing ash that blots out the sun。
It starts with death， with a murdered son and a missing daughter。
It starts with betrayal， and long dormant wounds rising up to fester。
This is the Stillness， a land long familiar with catastrophe， where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon。 And where there is no mercy。
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent， spewing ash that blots out the sun。
It starts with death， with a murdered son and a missing daughter。
It starts with betrayal， and long dormant wounds rising up to fester。
This is the Stillness， a land long familiar with catastrophe， where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon。 And where there is no mercy。
Reviews
Conor McCammon
，
（My real rating is 4。5 stars）I had been hearing about Jemisin's books for long enough that I was keen to take a look。 I admit I wasn't as convinced in the first third of the book; it felt a little too aspirationally literary or something， a bit dry。 But as the book progressed and I warmed to the author's writing style， Jemisin's skill really started to shine。 The worldbuilding is phenomenally believable and natural， from language to geography。 The characters are flawed and real。 And the stakes b （My real rating is 4。5 stars）I had been hearing about Jemisin's books for long enough that I was keen to take a look。 I admit I wasn't as convinced in the first third of the book; it felt a little too aspirationally literary or something， a bit dry。 But as the book progressed and I warmed to the author's writing style， Jemisin's skill really started to shine。 The worldbuilding is phenomenally believable and natural， from language to geography。 The characters are flawed and real。 And the stakes become progressively clearer and more intense。I especially enjoyed the last third of the book， which had me in rapt attention， especially with regard to Syenite's plot。 The whole thing wrapped up beautifully， with pathos， a satisfying twist， and enough questions left unanswered to make me want to continue the series。All in all， this book was relentless in its struggle to make me love it， and it ultimately succeeded。 Bravo。 。。。more
Conner
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Jemisin uses the fantasy genre to tell the stories of three women coming to terms with systems of inequality and oppression。 Often with books dedicating entire chapters to different characters， I will find one significantly more or less interesting than the others。 Not here。 I was drawn into each story and loved seeing how it all came together， and Jemisin dedicates exactly enough time to each to give her characters depth while keeping the story moving。While the world Jemisin constructs is fasci Jemisin uses the fantasy genre to tell the stories of three women coming to terms with systems of inequality and oppression。 Often with books dedicating entire chapters to different characters， I will find one significantly more or less interesting than the others。 Not here。 I was drawn into each story and loved seeing how it all came together， and Jemisin dedicates exactly enough time to each to give her characters depth while keeping the story moving。While the world Jemisin constructs is fascinating， I think she overdoes it when it comes to creating new words and phrases。 The novel has not one but two glossaries of terms at the end， and all of this unusual vocabulary make the first chunk pretty disorienting and slow to get past。 Power through and the payoff is more than worth it。 。。。more
Emma
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THIS IS SO GOOD。
Daniel Nurgitz
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Good story， sometimes events that happen in it are on the harsh side。 It's got some grit。 The characters go through a hard time but maybe they get chiseled into something stronger and wiser。 We shall see。。。I flew through this book and am on to the second。 Good story， sometimes events that happen in it are on the harsh side。 It's got some grit。 The characters go through a hard time but maybe they get chiseled into something stronger and wiser。 We shall see。。。I flew through this book and am on to the second。 。。。more
Emily Bosch
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4。5 stars。。。wow。。。
Sulagna Hati
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Excuse me it’s a crime I hadn’t read this yet？？？ 5 stars might go down because I really struggled to get into this book， but right now I’m reeling from that last 30%。 A++ character development and storytelling
Rose
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This is excellent。I got hooked early and remained interested and intrigued throughout the book。 Characters were super interesting。 Love the queer and non-monogamous representation。Extremely good world-building too。 I am eager to continue the series。
Raquel Euphrasio
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Que historia fantástica。。。 Comecei a leitura jogada em um mundo todo novo e sem grandes explicações， mas que delicia ir descobrindo cada detalhe página depois de página。。。 Muitos tapas na cara são distribuídos em meio a tanta filosofia， reflexão e por que não poesia？ Estou encantada e animada para as continuações。
Lorne
，
"Hi i'm the main character and i accidentally killed 100，000 mostly innocent civilians and actually i'm a little sad about it but not like。。。 super sad。 I'm actually doing ok！" "Hi i'm the main character and i accidentally killed 100，000 mostly innocent civilians and actually i'm a little sad about it but not like。。。 super sad。 I'm actually doing ok！" 。。。more
Morwenna
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Wonderful， but emotionally exhausting。 As objectively as I can， i give it a 5/5 but in terms of personal enjoyment I’d probably give it a 4; the treatment of children was one of the most difficult things i’ve ever read。
Lyra Meurer
，
I enjoyed The Fifth Season most for its content。 Jemisen puts forth the kind of worldbuilding I most deeply crave from fantasy: the results follow logically from their premises， she looked at environmental challenges and figured out human society would form around that， and it all comes together in a world built with the story's themes in mind。 It results in a story where the themes -- such as those of the hostility of nature， of oppression and enslavement by the state， of being used as a utilit I enjoyed The Fifth Season most for its content。 Jemisen puts forth the kind of worldbuilding I most deeply crave from fantasy: the results follow logically from their premises， she looked at environmental challenges and figured out human society would form around that， and it all comes together in a world built with the story's themes in mind。 It results in a story where the themes -- such as those of the hostility of nature， of oppression and enslavement by the state， of being used as a utility but not treated as a human -- are well-grounded and rich， perhaps building implications beyond the author's conscious intent。 The whole book just has such a vibe -- I get a feeling when I think about the hostility of Father Earth， the obelisks， and so on。I don't always 100% vibe with Jemisen's writing style。 I'm just not one for short， punchy sentences and sometimes the filler words had me kind of irritated from a writer's standpoint。 Also the in-universe curses felt overused sometimes， and sometimes get stuck in my head irritatingly （"Evil eating Earth" especially。） Despite this， I think Jemisen is one of the few people who can actually pull of 2nd person， and especially 2nd person present tense。 I was lulled along by the changes in tense and POV and didn't find them to be too obtrusive。Similarly， I believe Jemisen pulls off grimdark with aplomb。 I normally hate grimdark， and， granted， this probably is only on the edges of grimdark。 The reason it works is that all the death and suffering has a distinct thematic purpose， because it is a story about oppression。 It's not a story based on flimsy white misanthropy and edginess， but something a lot more justified than that。Basically， even where I was annoyed by the writing style， I found the book to be super engaging and well worth my time。 I would definitely recommend it and am looking forward to starting the next one。 。。。more
Marcelino
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Este libro fue increíble， y la manera en la que esta narrado me dejó sorprendido。 Definitivamente un placer haber conocido a esta autora
Demetria Justablessing
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Mixing sci-fi， post apocalyptic fantasy， and the love story of mother for child， jemisin takes the time to emerge you into the world ， the intersections of characters and the conflicts their faced with along this journey。
Lucas G F2
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Earth skin shattering like a broken eggshell， rivers of magma blazing through the country， whole communities slaughtered for one person。 Orogenes have been hunted for millennia。 For their powers， and to eliminate threats。 But everything changes during a season。 And this is how the world ends， for the last time。
Laura
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I don’t know how to feel
Mikayla
，
So I had high hopes for this。 And honestly， it met them， until I came across some content i don’t want to read about。 Sorry， but not for me。
Salexwood
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Original premise which is surprising nowadays。 Will look to read the second in the trilogy。
Brian Asalone
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good writing and the reader gets involved with the characters。 But the book feels like a series of vignettes of various characters and events that are interesting in themselves but not connected。 This only occurs at the very end。
Nikki Johnson
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Absolutely amazing fantasy book。 I'm on the fence if she is better than Sanderson and I think she very well might be。 Best book I've read in years。 Absolutely amazing fantasy book。 I'm on the fence if she is better than Sanderson and I think she very well might be。 Best book I've read in years。 。。。more
Harley
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4 Stars
Lance
，
If once a year I got to rate a book with 6 stars， this would be it。
Victoria
，
AHHHHHHHHHHHThis was just a really great book， I might read it again right away， which says something。Why does the next one have to be on hold for so long？？？
Patty White
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Wow！ Wow！ Wow！ This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read。 I'm an easy grader， but this deserves 10 stars。 I had so many moments of "Ohhhhhhhh。" The world building is so beautiful and seamless。 Jemisin doesn't just tell you what the world is， she shows you。 You feel the events viscerally because she pulls you into the story and makes you care deeply about the characters。 Every character is so strong。 I can't handle how good it is！ Wow！ Wow！ Wow！ This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read。 I'm an easy grader， but this deserves 10 stars。 I had so many moments of "Ohhhhhhhh。" The world building is so beautiful and seamless。 Jemisin doesn't just tell you what the world is， she shows you。 You feel the events viscerally because she pulls you into the story and makes you care deeply about the characters。 Every character is so strong。 I can't handle how good it is！ 。。。more
Persizae
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QUELLE AVENTURE ？？？？？ c’était inattendu et ça faisait longtemps que j’avais pas lu quelque chose d’aussi différent et spécial。 L’univers est fouillé， la narration est folle et l’autrice joue de A à Z avec son lecteur。 J’ai adoré et c’est vraiment un livre qu’on apprécie lorsqu’on s’y investit à 100% et au fur et à mesure。 Les personnages ont fini par réellement me toucher et juste wow。 Je comprends pourquoi cette trilogie a reçu un prix Hugo！Je voulais de la SF， j’en ai eu comme je l’imaginais e QUELLE AVENTURE ？？？？？ c’était inattendu et ça faisait longtemps que j’avais pas lu quelque chose d’aussi différent et spécial。 L’univers est fouillé， la narration est folle et l’autrice joue de A à Z avec son lecteur。 J’ai adoré et c’est vraiment un livre qu’on apprécie lorsqu’on s’y investit à 100% et au fur et à mesure。 Les personnages ont fini par réellement me toucher et juste wow。 Je comprends pourquoi cette trilogie a reçu un prix Hugo！Je voulais de la SF， j’en ai eu comme je l’imaginais et en mieux。 On a droit à des personnages diversifiés， qui ont plusieurs couches et qu’on apprend à connaître et à apprécier comme de véritables personnes。 Ils étaient très humains paradoxalement à ce que certains sont （= des orogènes）。 En plus， la représentation de personnages de couleurs ou LGBQT+ est présente et ça fait du bien d’en lire <3Bref ma review est très fouillie mais c’était vraiment trop trop cool même si je pense que le rythme ne plairait pas à tout le monde ！ 。。。more
Cindy
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This is probably one of the most unique books I’ve read in a while in terms of the writing style。 Not just the different narrative perspectives which caught me off guard at first， but also the diction。 I was in shock by the choice of words Jemisin used in the writing。 This is a really gritty post apocalyptic fantasy world and the writing was also very blunt and I felt a little scandalized in reading the choice of words。 I enjoyed the use of jargon unique to this world。It’s definitely rough to ge This is probably one of the most unique books I’ve read in a while in terms of the writing style。 Not just the different narrative perspectives which caught me off guard at first， but also the diction。 I was in shock by the choice of words Jemisin used in the writing。 This is a really gritty post apocalyptic fantasy world and the writing was also very blunt and I felt a little scandalized in reading the choice of words。 I enjoyed the use of jargon unique to this world。It’s definitely rough to get into right away because you’re thrown into the world and discovering it’s history， politics， and the magic system as you read along。 The story telling is also very character driven; the plot is laid out in the opening scene， a mother （you） is looking for her husband to find her daughter after the death of her son。 In this journey， the perspectives shift between the story of a girl and a young woman to lay down majority of the world building。 （view spoiler）[When the big twist is revealed it definitely all comes together。 Which I feel very ignorant that although I was a bit confused reading through the chapters， mostly on how the magic works。 Trying to get used to all the new terms， politics， geography， and world building， reading the three individual’s perspective never made me question when the events were taking place。 （hide spoiler）]There are three stories being told and more chapters are spent with Essun and Syenite， that sometimes I forget we still talking about Damaya。 I think for any new reader going into this blind， it’s important to note that the three stories of these females are told from different time periods in the Stillness。 For a character driven story， I feel terrible that I don’t care for them which is probably why my enjoyment and overall rating is a 3 rather than a 4。 I think the storytelling， was told brilliantly because it’s often hard to accomplish a coherent story is this format; it’s a bold move to stray away from traditional linear story telling， especially with the use of 2nd and 3rd person perspective。 A lot of the my intrigue is in the world building。 A post apocalyptic world where the Earth is trying to kill its inhabitants through natural disasters， giving birth to a group of individuals with the ability to control and manipulate the energy in the Earth to deter those disasters。 These Orogenes are not only essential for their survival but also feared in a society built on systemic oppression and caste system。 I feel that maybe on a re-read I can appreciate this first book more knowing how it all comes together。 But as of now， I find Father Earth and the unanswered questions about this world much more interesting than the characters leading this story。 。。。more
Madisonsbooknook
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** I do not give star ratings**I have heard that this book and this author are polarizing， either you love or hate it。 I really enjoyed this book。 It has an interesting narrative style as one of our POV's is told in 2nd person， something I have never read before。 For that reason the book can be a little jarring and hard to get into at first but I came to really enjoy the 2nd person POV。 I felt that the choice for 2nd person was needed and it enriched the story Jemisin was telling。 This author al ** I do not give star ratings**I have heard that this book and this author are polarizing， either you love or hate it。 I really enjoyed this book。 It has an interesting narrative style as one of our POV's is told in 2nd person， something I have never read before。 For that reason the book can be a little jarring and hard to get into at first but I came to really enjoy the 2nd person POV。 I felt that the choice for 2nd person was needed and it enriched the story Jemisin was telling。 This author also has a very strong authorial voice and you could tell she was there throughout the whole story。 I can see why this would not work for a lot of people， the world building I think is really good but the author does not hold your hand in understanding the world， you have to pick it up on your own。 There was some reveals that happened in the later half of the book that I was shocked by and had me second guessing what I had already read。 I think this was a really excellent book and you should give it a try。 。。。more
Sarah
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So good！！ Big fan！！ Must read！！ It’s mysterious and enthralling and has so many good twists and turns。 Also refreshing to read a fantasy/sci fi book not by a white person or by a man。 It just lead to a more diverse character set and woman who weren’t written terribly and always talk about how small their boobs are （literally lord of the rings direct dialogue） ？！？ （And a majority of sci fi books don’t at me 🧐） I really enjoyed it I’m already half way through book two！ I wanted a book that would m So good！！ Big fan！！ Must read！！ It’s mysterious and enthralling and has so many good twists and turns。 Also refreshing to read a fantasy/sci fi book not by a white person or by a man。 It just lead to a more diverse character set and woman who weren’t written terribly and always talk about how small their boobs are （literally lord of the rings direct dialogue） ？！？ （And a majority of sci fi books don’t at me 🧐） I really enjoyed it I’m already half way through book two！ I wanted a book that would make me excited to read this is it。It takes a second to get into the book it starts out more mysteriously but then it gets more and more wild and enthralling。 The world is built so well and the details are so good。 Just written so well！！！ Definitely recommend。 。。。more
Chris Gousopoulos
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7/10 This book is written in a structure that seems perfect for building tension and mystery but It had the opposite results for me。 While it is an intelligent approach， somehow it made me care less for the main characters and some of their stories。 The first chapters made me feel that I am going to be a huge fan of this book but the story didnt went to the direction I hoped for and became less exiting for me but thats totally subjective。I liked the dystopic setting and the role of the nature a 7/10 This book is written in a structure that seems perfect for building tension and mystery but It had the opposite results for me。 While it is an intelligent approach， somehow it made me care less for the main characters and some of their stories。 The first chapters made me feel that I am going to be a huge fan of this book but the story didnt went to the direction I hoped for and became less exiting for me but thats totally subjective。I liked the dystopic setting and the role of the nature a lot。 Jemisin is talented in describing awe inspiring vistas or the ambience of places and situations。 Her prose style is a bit laconic but sharp and effective。 She keeps you hooked。Even though I do not sound very excited and didnt rate it highly， I read that pretty fast for my standards and I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopic， post apoc， high fantasy settings with diverse background and original ideas both in style and substance。I just hope the sequels will be closer to what I had in mind while I was reading those first chapters。 。。。more
Pat
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Torn between 4 and 5 stars。 There was so much to love， mainly the complete absence of reader-coddling， the worldbuilding， acerbic humour and， in spite of myself， the writing style。 （The parentheses。） It's not often that you as a reader are thrown in at the deep end and just have to learn how to swim。 Bravo！On the other hand though， none of the relationships seemed to have any real substance， except - twistedly - the one between Syen and her guardian， and even that one was mostly tell and no show Torn between 4 and 5 stars。 There was so much to love， mainly the complete absence of reader-coddling， the worldbuilding， acerbic humour and， in spite of myself， the writing style。 （The parentheses。） It's not often that you as a reader are thrown in at the deep end and just have to learn how to swim。 Bravo！On the other hand though， none of the relationships seemed to have any real substance， except - twistedly - the one between Syen and her guardian， and even that one was mostly tell and no show， with some poignant exceptions。 But the bond between mother and child， between husband and wife， between friends， lovers？ Everybody seemed weirdly untouched by human contact。 I felt the writer could have done better there。So after all， 4 it is。 。。。more
Xin Zhang
，
What an entertaining and wild read。 Interesting form of narration， strange but compelling world building and finally a story that did not disappoint。。。 （view spoiler）[Until the very end。 This is not a finished book by the time it ends。 I have not read many modern fantasies but the ones I did read seem to suffer this problem of lacking a conclusive ending。Although I like the world building overall， it is not without fault。 The whole social system from the glimpse we had， seem very strange and uns What an entertaining and wild read。 Interesting form of narration， strange but compelling world building and finally a story that did not disappoint。。。 （view spoiler）[Until the very end。 This is not a finished book by the time it ends。 I have not read many modern fantasies but the ones I did read seem to suffer this problem of lacking a conclusive ending。Although I like the world building overall， it is not without fault。 The whole social system from the glimpse we had， seem very strange and unstable。 Particularly， it is unclear exactly how far the technology has advanced in this world。 A centralized government with tight grip on all the regions on earth？ How exactly the government communicate with the comms and how the economic works？ How the civic system works？ State rights vs federal rights？ Those are left unanswered。 But the most strange thing that has not been explained is why are the orogenes oppressed by the normal people when they possess great amount power？ It is explained implicitly through the pirate that the wild （feral） orogenes are far less powerful than the properly trained ones and the properly trained ones are tightly constrained by both the bureaucracy of the Fulcrum and the brutality of the guardians。 Fine， but if that is the case then why would Alabaster be allowed to freely move around？ What is the purpose of the guardians hunting him down with momentous resources and great secrecy？ All of those are unanswered and we are only experiencing the world from a narrow perspective （or three perspectives？）。（hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Fifth Season
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Fifth Season&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Fifth Season&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0