The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season / The Obelisk Gate / The Stone Sky
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- Create Date：2021-06-21 08:55:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：N.K. Jemisin
- ISBN：0356513750
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Summary
Broken Earth Trilogy Collection 3 Books Set
The Fifth Season
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。
The Obelisk Gate
The season of endings grows darker， as civilization fades into the long cold night。Essun has found shelter， but not her missing daughter。 Instead there is Alabaster Tenring， destroyer of the world， with a request only Essun can grant。
The Stone Sky
The Moon will soon return。 Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women。Essun has inherited the phenomenal power of Alabaster Tenring。 With it， she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every outcast child can grow up safe。 For Nassun， her mother's mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late。 She has seen the evil of the world， and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed， only destroyed。
The Fifth Season
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。
The Obelisk Gate
The season of endings grows darker， as civilization fades into the long cold night。Essun has found shelter， but not her missing daughter。 Instead there is Alabaster Tenring， destroyer of the world， with a request only Essun can grant。
The Stone Sky
The Moon will soon return。 Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women。Essun has inherited the phenomenal power of Alabaster Tenring。 With it， she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every outcast child can grow up safe。 For Nassun， her mother's mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late。 She has seen the evil of the world， and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed， only destroyed。
Reviews
Brent Johnson
，
What do I say about this work？ No wonder each volume won a Hugo Award the year it came out！ The last time I read a work as arcane and metaphysical as this was the Thomas Covenant Chronicles back in the early 80s。 So profound， and raising so many questions， yet telling a very simple story over the course of three books。 The author tells a tale of oppression。 "But for a society built on exploitation， there is not greater threat than having no one left to oppress。" Her 'rogga' characters are used b What do I say about this work？ No wonder each volume won a Hugo Award the year it came out！ The last time I read a work as arcane and metaphysical as this was the Thomas Covenant Chronicles back in the early 80s。 So profound， and raising so many questions， yet telling a very simple story over the course of three books。 The author tells a tale of oppression。 "But for a society built on exploitation， there is not greater threat than having no one left to oppress。" Her 'rogga' characters are used by humans to maintain geological stability， but killed out of hand when someone fears them。 Jemisin imagines earth thousands of years after people wield an unproven technology in order to tap the earth's core for a source of power that will not run out。 Disaster results。 A apocalyptic world that keeps repeating in cycles of seasons， but no zombies。 Nice to experience a man-made apocalypse without zombies。Only a feminist writer of color can explain through written art what it means to be exploited in our day。 Read this work and learn how to write in the third person， yet use second and first person within the work as well， and tell a grand story。 。。。more
Brittania
，
Completely stunning in its scope， beauty， and originality。 These novels deserve the Hugos that they each won。 The language and narration is so breathtakingly original， the pacing is perfect， and most importantly， the characters are all vibrantly alive。 A must-read。
Jamie
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Didn’t realize Science Fantasy was a genre until now！ Great books。
Rachael Smallwood
，
A really creative new world， great character development， a real page turner。 Jemisin is the first Black woman to win the Hugo， and is the first person to win it 3 times for this trilogy。
Marta Wayne
，
Wow。 Just wow。 If you are an SF/fantasy lover and you were moved by the Black Lives Matter movement， you need to read these。 Even if you weren't， they are quite simply the best I've read in a long long time。 There is a reason that EACH BOOK won the Hugo！ Difficult to describe without spoiling; let's just say beautiful literature， haunting imagery， and a story that makes it hard to put down-- what more can one ask for？ Wow。 Just wow。 If you are an SF/fantasy lover and you were moved by the Black Lives Matter movement， you need to read these。 Even if you weren't， they are quite simply the best I've read in a long long time。 There is a reason that EACH BOOK won the Hugo！ Difficult to describe without spoiling; let's just say beautiful literature， haunting imagery， and a story that makes it hard to put down-- what more can one ask for？ 。。。more
Ray Velez
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Fun read
Ericdedwar
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I loved the first in the series， and I enjoyed the follow ups but on a declining scale for sure。 By the time it was over I was pretty ready for it to be over。 It's a situation where the first is great and absolutely worth reading， after which you are basically on the hook for the next two but the ROI isn't quite as high。 Still worth reading for sure， but probably not worth three Hugos in a row， tho I can't say I've read the competition either， so maybe they were the best of the bunch。 I'll have I loved the first in the series， and I enjoyed the follow ups but on a declining scale for sure。 By the time it was over I was pretty ready for it to be over。 It's a situation where the first is great and absolutely worth reading， after which you are basically on the hook for the next two but the ROI isn't quite as high。 Still worth reading for sure， but probably not worth three Hugos in a row， tho I can't say I've read the competition either， so maybe they were the best of the bunch。 I'll have to pick up some runners up when i get a sec。 。。。more
Robyne Wilde
，
Phenomenal series。Extremely well planned and thought out。Excellently written characters with good development。The change in perspectives serves a specific purpose to the plot。Exciting world building。It's not an easy read， and it's not for the light hearted but it's an intricate piece of work that deserves the time it takes to read。 Phenomenal series。Extremely well planned and thought out。Excellently written characters with good development。The change in perspectives serves a specific purpose to the plot。Exciting world building。It's not an easy read， and it's not for the light hearted but it's an intricate piece of work that deserves the time it takes to read。 。。。more
Megan Marie
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Series is bonkers。 So good。 Couldn’t put it down。
Mike
，
I might be reading this book in a perfect place （edge of a desert） in a perfect time （vacation） but I'm totally digging it。 A post-apocalyptic story happening in a world ridden with cataclysmic event and society that lives constantly expecting doomsday（s） - what's not to like :）Like the characters， really like the mystery and love the "Memento" movie vibes - how can you not trust the universal truths （literally） written in stone。。。 and what is those truths are wrong。What I didn't like was a bit I might be reading this book in a perfect place （edge of a desert） in a perfect time （vacation） but I'm totally digging it。 A post-apocalyptic story happening in a world ridden with cataclysmic event and society that lives constantly expecting doomsday（s） - what's not to like :）Like the characters， really like the mystery and love the "Memento" movie vibes - how can you not trust the universal truths （literally） written in stone。。。 and what is those truths are wrong。What I didn't like was a bit limited number of characters （I guess I got spoiled by G。R。R。Martin and Elżbieta Cherezinska） and occasional excerpts written in second person - not really consistent with rest of the books and usually less interesting。 。。。more
Maria
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These blew my mind。 She manages to create complete and complex worlds and characters that experience the full range of human emotion。 N。K。 Jemisin is one of the best living writers of our time。 I only wish I had discovered her sooner。
Joanne Wakeman
，
I gave up a few chapters in when it was clear that nothing was ever going to be explained and instead new twists were introduced。 Eventually it was more frustrating than interesting not having a clue what was going on or what the book was about。
mary_of_t
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 כל הטרילוגיה הייתה עבורי לא פחות ממטלטלת， אנסה לארגן את המחשבות שלי בנקודות。* הגיבורה - קודם כל איזה כיף שבמרכז ניצבת אישה בגיל העמידה！ כל השאר זה כבר בונוס， אפילו לא ידעתי כמה חסר לי לקרוא על מישהי כזאת עד שפגשתי את אסון。* הורות כמוטיב מרכזי - רוב הדמויות מתמודדות עם סוגיות של הורות - אסון מוכת הצער על אובדן ילדיה; אבא אדמה， מוכה הצער בעצמו על אובדן ילדו; אלבאסטר מוכה הצער על אובדן הילד היחיד שהוא הצליח לכאורה להציל מגורל האחרים; שאפה שהיה דמות אב גם לדמאייה וגם לנאסון ומנסה לגאול את עצמו באמצע כל הטרילוגיה הייתה עבורי לא פחות ממטלטלת， אנסה לארגן את המחשבות שלי בנקודות。* הגיבורה - קודם כל איזה כיף שבמרכז ניצבת אישה בגיל העמידה！ כל השאר זה כבר בונוס， אפילו לא ידעתי כמה חסר לי לקרוא על מישהי כזאת עד שפגשתי את אסון。* הורות כמוטיב מרכזי - רוב הדמויות מתמודדות עם סוגיות של הורות - אסון מוכת הצער על אובדן ילדיה; אבא אדמה， מוכה הצער בעצמו על אובדן ילדו; אלבאסטר מוכה הצער על אובדן הילד היחיד שהוא הצליח לכאורה להציל מגורל האחרים; שאפה שהיה דמות אב גם לדמאייה וגם לנאסון ומנסה לגאול את עצמו באמצעות ההורות האחרונה מחטאי ההורות הקודמת （לשם כך הוא חייב היה לאבד חלק גדול מעצמו）; ג'יה האב הרוצח שמתקשה להתמודד עם הזהות של הבת האהובה וכמובן המאבק הסופי בין האם שמנסה להציל את העולם למען הבת ובין הבת שמנסה להרוס את העולם למען האב המאמץ。את הספר הראשון הצלחתי להתחיל באמת רק אחרי כמה ניסיונות， בכל פעם הנחתי אותו בצד כי הוא לא סתם שובר את הלב， הוא ממש הופך את הקרביים。 אפילו תפסתי את עצמי תוהה האם לג'מיסין יש ילדים - אני מבינה שזאת תהייה לא לגיטימית כי היא לא באמת חייבת לחוות את האמהות כדי להבין אמהות， and yet。בסופו של דבר דרך הפרקים של נאסון ופרק הסיום הבנתי שהיא אכן מבינה את הדינמיקה של יחסי אמהות ובנות ממש， אבל ממש לעומק。יחסי הורים-ילדים רעילים נבחנים גם דרך היחס של אנשי סיל אנגיסט ל-tuners。 הואה וחבורתו הם כלים בידי היוצרים， בעיניהם הם ילדים/ פראים כמו האפריקאים שהובאו לאירופה והוצגו לראווה בגני חיות במאות הקודמות。 מבחינת ההורים/פטרונים הם חיות מחמד שמדמות התנהגות של אנשים - מכאן שהם לא באמת אנשים -。。。I move behind Gaewha and begin plaiting some of her thick， poufy mane of hair。 The conductors seem to like it when we do this， though I don't really know why。 One of them said it was "cute" to see us taking care of one another， just like people。 I'm not sure what cute means。הדרך בה הואה לומד את ההורים דומה לדרך של נאסון לפענח את מצבי הרוח של אביה ולנווט בין התקפי הזעם המסוכנים שלו。* Earthtalk and flaking rust - שפה יוצרת מציאות יוצרת עולם。 אחת ההברקות הסגנוניות באדמה השבורה היא תיבול הקללות בשפה של אסון ושפת האדמה של המכוונים。 אפשר לקרוא ל-tuners מכוונים？ מושגים מתחום הגיאולוגיה מתורגמים לשפה， לצורת תקשורת מקורית מאוד וזה פשוט נהדר; קללות תמיד מוסיפות אותנטיות לשפה， קללות מקוריות שצומחות מתוך עולם ייחודי תורמות מאוד להיטמעות בעולם המומצא。 מרתקת אותי השאלה איך יתורגמו כל ה-earthfires and rustbuckets？ מצד אחד אני ממש רוצה כבר לקרוא את התרגום לכשייצא， מצד שני אני לא מוכנה עדיין לצלול שוב לתהומות הייאוש של הספר הראשון。* בניית עולם - אחת הטובות שראיתי， בעיקר כי היא מתבססת על התפתחויות חברתיות。 הדמויות מתפקדות ומתפתחות בהתאם לתנאים שהן נמצאות בהם， אף אחד לא מגלה פתאום כוחות נסתרים שהיו חבויים בו תמיד אלא מגיב לסביבה。 כל האנשים - אוכלי האבן， אורוגנים， סטילס - כולנו מורכבים בסופו של דבר מהתכונות המולדות שלנו ומעוצבים על-ידי החברה בה אנחנו גדלים וג'מיסין מיטיבה לתאר את זה בניואנסים שונים לאורך כל הטרילוגיה （אהבתי במיוחד את תיאור לידת השבט בספר הראשון）。* עבדות - לאורך ספר וחצי הייתה לי בעיה עם ההגדרה הבסיסית של האורוגנים。 ההקבלה לעולמנו מאוד ברורה， אבל להבדיל מהיחס לעבדים בהיסטוריה שלנו， ביקום הסטילנס לחשש מהכוחות ההרסניים של האורוגנים יש הגיון - מילה לא במקום והאורוגן מקפיא את הסטיל שהרגיז אותו בכח המחשבה。 לקראת סוף הספר השני התחלתי להבין את כוונת המחברת וכשהגעתי לסיפור המקור של הואה， לאנשי ניז， לשאיפה לשעבד את כדור הארץ עצמו， הבנתי סופית שהרעיון הוא בעצם ההרסניות שבשעבוד。קלנלי， חווה של האורוגנים （שגם הסיפור שלה מונע ברובו ע"י יחסיה עם ההורים המאמצים שלה）， מסבירה להואה באחד הפלשבקים את מערך הכוחות בינם ובין האלוהים/הורים -They're afraid because we exist， she says。 There's nothing we did to provoke their fear， other than exiist。 There's nothing we can do to earn their approval， except stop existing - so we can die like they want， or laugh at their cowardice and go on with our lives。* העונה החמישית， שער האובליסק， שמי האבן - שלושתם מצוינים בעיניי， השני רק קצת פחות מהאחרים כי אין לו מבנה ייחודי כמו לראשון ולשלישי。 בנוסף לקח לי זמן להתחבר לפרקים של נאסון， כנראה כי בחוויה שלי אני יותר אמא מבת והטיית הפרספקטיבה דרשה מאמץ מסוים。* טוויסטים - מתה עליהם， חיה בשביל רגעי מיינדפאק כמו הגילוי שדמאייה， סאיין ואסון אחת הן。 הם מעודנים מספיק כדי לא לזעזע ולגרום לי לדפדף אחורנית בטירוף （גם כי את רובם ניחשתי לפני הגילוי החד-משמעי）， ועדיין מספקים מאוד。 אלבאסטר שובר את האדמה， הואה המספר， אנטימוני-גאאווה， האיש האפור-רמווה， נהדר נהדר נהדר。* סיום הסאגה - נורא ונפלא。 בעיניי הבחירה לסיים את הסיפור של אסון בהקרבה ממשיך את מוטיב חקר ההורות - היא לא הייתה אמא טובה לנאסון מנקודת המבט של הבת， אבל היא עשתה את המיטב בכל שלב מנקודת המבט שלה。* קטנות: - אני לא בקיאה מספיק בטרמינולוגיה של סגנונות שיער אפריקאי。 אמנם הבנתי לפי ההקשר איך נראה כל סידור שיער שהוזכר， מזל שהתעניינתי בתסרוקות של בת' ב-this is us， אבל אני מרגישה שאולי פספסתי רובד תרבותי שלם， ראסטינג אירת'。- ייקה היא דמות המשנה הכי באדאס שפגשתי בזמן האחרון。 סוף העולם הגיע？ זאת עדיין לא סיבה מספיק טובה לוותר על איפור העיניים。 אישה כלבבי！- כמה שהעטיפות יפות。 מקווה שיישמרו גם בהוצאה העברית， הן מרהיבות בעיניי ומתאימות מאוד לספרים עם גילופי האבן שלהן。 。。。more
Wilder E
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Groundbreaking。
Tyler
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Gender Equality: 5/5Anti-Racism: 5/5Anti-Colonialism: 5/5Body Image Inclusivity & Positivity: 5/5Non-human animal， plant， fungi， and broader land relations: 4/5Humour: 3/5Positive Views of Homo/pan Sexuality: 5/5
Nina Nesdoly
，
These books didn’t quite live up to the hype for me but they were solid and I think it depends on what you’re looking for。 The books begin with the world ending so it is definitely not light-hearted。 The world is very interesting and unique albeit a little bit bland in my opinion。 Definitely more sci-fi than fantasy despite there being ‘magic。’ The first book was strong and left me really curious。 I was very eager to start the second book and sure enough it brought a lot of intrigue。 There some These books didn’t quite live up to the hype for me but they were solid and I think it depends on what you’re looking for。 The books begin with the world ending so it is definitely not light-hearted。 The world is very interesting and unique albeit a little bit bland in my opinion。 Definitely more sci-fi than fantasy despite there being ‘magic。’ The first book was strong and left me really curious。 I was very eager to start the second book and sure enough it brought a lot of intrigue。 There some big reveals that were well done。 I did not finish the 3rd book， though， because I stopped caring what happened to the characters。 Or the entire world， for that matter。 。。。more
JES
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[Note: this review covers the entire series， not just a single title。 I bought the books separately and not as part of a boxed set， if that makes a difference。]Recently， I came across reports of some medical studies about the dermatological condition called rosacea。 （I think the studies themselves are fairly recent; here’s a summary。）The gist of these studies: possible connections， even correlations， between rosacea and the presence on the skin of a common type of mite， and the bacteria that the [Note: this review covers the entire series， not just a single title。 I bought the books separately and not as part of a boxed set， if that makes a difference。]Recently， I came across reports of some medical studies about the dermatological condition called rosacea。 （I think the studies themselves are fairly recent; here’s a summary。）The gist of these studies: possible connections， even correlations， between rosacea and the presence on the skin of a common type of mite， and the bacteria that the mite carries in its gut。Of course， dermal mites don’t （as we understand them） have anything like conscious intent — even less so， the bacteria they carry。 But imagine， if you will， that these tiny creatures are conscious enough at least to know that they can get something from human beings that they can get nowhere else — something needed not just to survive， but to flourish。 Imagine that they have evolved and are shrewd enough to learn that they can pull even more of this something from us than is available merely on the surface。 Imagine the horror when a human host discovers this， begins swatting at its face， douses itself with pharmaceutical and cosmetic substances， trains lasers at itself……imagine the fury， the hatred in the human host， then， when it learns that none of these superficial “treatments” helps; they seem， in fact， to make things even worse。 How might the human host respond， finally？And now: picture the Earth， and billions of creatures swarming across it…__________Speaking purely intellectually and scientifically， the speculative-fiction author named N。K。 Jemisin is a representative of the species known as Homo sapiens。 At another level， though， it’s obvious that she has actually been transported among us from somewhere extra-galactic。 How else to explain her 100% convincing knowledge of things human， but outside human experience？Let us consider the present case， that is， these three justly celebrated， best-selling novels。 （Jemisin is the only author ever to have received three consecutive Hugo Best Novel awards， in three successive years， at that。） Each is plenty big enough to stand alone （total paperback length: 1400+ pages）。 But collectively they depict， in depth， an Earth that no one alive has ever lived on。 （Indeed， for a while I couldn’t decide: was this an Earth that existed a million or so years ago？ or was it an Earth that will exist that far in the future？ or， perhaps， was it Jemisin’s own home planet， its history simply recounted in translated-to-humanspeak form？）Yet Jemisin’s Earth has many features we might recognize as those of our own Earth — for instance:-- It’s spherical， its surface comprising both land masses and seas， subject to climatic and geological forces。-- It has one moon。-- Of the creatures who populate the surface， humans remain （a bit precariously） at the top of the food chain。But then， so much about Jemisin’s Earth is so， well， weird… E。g。:-- Nearly its entire surface area is squeezed together on on one side of the planet。-- The Moon orbits very eccentrically; it goes away for centuries at a time， and when it returns， it hangs around for only a few days。-- Humanity， on this fictional Earth， inhabit nothing resembling what we’d call cities （although people call them that） — more like towns， hamlets， villages — because all such settlements survive （if at all） for no more than a couple thousand years， after which they’re all reduced to uninhabitable rubble and ash… all at the same time。 Periodically， then， all humans must become nomads， and start something like “civilization” all over again。So， you might think: this is a novel of Earth， post-apocalypse。 But not exactly， no; it’s a novel of Earth， post-apocalyseS， plural。 Its geology runs amok， unpredictably。 And， somehow， a rudimentary humanity carries on。What an Earth。 And especially， what humans…__________Occasionally in my nonfiction reading over the years， I’d encountered the word orogeny — always （I think） capitalized in such phrases as the Andean Orogeny and the Alpine Orogeny。 I’d never bothered to look up a definition， because （a） it obviously had something to do with mountains， and/or with geologic ages associated with them， and （b） I’d just， well， never encountered it often enough to be more curious about it。 （So many words， so little time。） After all， I did get the whole continental-drift， plate-tectonics thing; I’d read plenty about the general concepts。 （Among other things， I’d read， and loved， the entirety of John McPhee’s five-book series collectively called Annals of the Former World， which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999。 The word orogeny makes dozens of appearances therein。）So orogeny， I “knew。” But until Jemisin’s series， I’d never seen the word “orogene。” （I’m confident she must have invented it; it’s perfect for her purposes。） I shall leave the details to your own imagination and curiosity， and perhaps reading， but， on Jemisin’s Earth:First， the biological taxonomic genus Homo survives， all right， in good old species sapiens form。…but scattered around among the humans exist an uncanny subspecies， or perhaps a different species altogether， collectively referred to as orogenes。 Outwardly， they differ from “regular” humans not at all， and indeed have all the same physical traits we recognize as human: varying skin tones and hair textures， for example。 They have the same skeletal structures， the same eyes， the same number of fingers and toes。 Clearly， they’ve evolved from， and alongside， Homo sapiens。And as an obviously heavily-outnumbered minority， orogenes suffer all the same burdens of prejudice as so-called “races” and “outsider” groups on our own Earth。 The majority fear and hate them for their difference; they sequester orogenes in sub-communities of their own， especially as children who haven’t yet learned their alleged place in the primitive-but-civilized world of the majority。 （Orogenes are sneered at， and even assigned their own epithetic slur: they’re called roggas — another very clever invented word， crackling with the same sweeping vocal contempt as its counterparts on this earth。）So apart from their value as imagined “others，” convenient victims， why do the rest of humanity permit — encourage， even embrace — orogenes’ existence？Answer: their survival value to the species as a whole。 The value is right there， in the word “orogene。” The geologic forces which have come to shape Jemisin’s Earth act not only （as here and now） over the course of eons， but in the form of occasional continental， even global cataclysms — volcanic eruptions and entire chains of eruptions， bursting explosively through the surface， dividing the continent into land masses separated not by water but by fire。 The sky， for centuries after such events， rains ash。 People forget what sunlight even is。 The lucky ones manage to scratch out existence， somehow。 In fact， that these events have not completely destroyed all life is attributable solely to the interventions of （yes） the orogenes。Throughout the time I was reading the series， I thought about natural disasters we ourselves know （or at least know of）: hurricanes and tornadoes， tsunamis and floods， earthquakes and volcanoes， meteor and asteroid strikes… We accept， grudgingly， that they constitute a class of events we can do nothing about; we don’t think about them unless they clobber us， personally。 And even then， well， what can we do except react to them， ex post facto — organize relief programs， send in the doctors and the undertakers？ （This futility certainly lies behind the absurd resistance to climate-change science and warnings。）With her orogenes， Jemisin has provided an “out” for the rest of us （called “the stills” in the books）。 For orogenes， it seems， cannot just sense the approach of seismic events; they can counter them。 They do so via a pair of organs， part of the neurologic system， called “sessapinae” — the act of sensing such events is referred to as sessing them; the act of controlling them， simply orogeny or， more grandly， geomagestry。（The stills also possess sessapinae， as do animals， but they’re useful only in triggering a vague sense of disquiet: Something is about to happen—， they think。 And then it does。）So that’s the general geometry， then， of society on the Earth of the stills: simply awaiting the next worldwide disaster， ignoring the certainty until it happens， coping with the aftereffects of the previous one in the meantime， all while living in tremulous， uneasy harmony （which sometimes dissolves into discord） with the orogenes… They， in turn， become tools of the majority， quelling tremors and micro-tremors （while occasionally flaring up in righteous， disastrous anger）: managing， to the extent possible， the rebellious Earth。__________I won’t get into details of specific characters， plot points， relationships， “the way things work” on， yes， this broken Earth; that’s where your reading pleasure lies ahead of you。 I did， though， want to touch on a couple elements of the style in which book’s written。The first book， The Fifth Season， opens with a prologue called “you are here” （all lowercase）。 The prologue begins， in turn， like this:Let’s start with the end of the world， why don’t we？ Get it over with and move on to more interesting things。First， a personal ending。 There is a thing she will think over and over in the days to come， as she imagines how her son died and tries to make sense of something so innately senseless。 She will cover Uche’s broken little body with a blanket—except his face， because he is afraid of the dark—and she will sit beside it numb， and she will pay no attention to the world that is ending outside。 The world has already ended within her， and neither ending is for the first time。 She’s old hat at this by now。What she thinks then， and thereafter， is: But he was free。And it is her bitter， weary self that answers this almost-question every time her bewildered， shocked self manages to produce it:He wasn’t。 Not really。 But now he will be。 I won’t say much about this， other than to note some things perhaps obvious to you already， from what I’ve said so far:-- The only proper name， Uche， evidently identifies a small person， probably （“he is afraid of the dark”） a now deceased little boy。-- Something very， very bad has happened — “the end of the world” — is currently happening， has happened before， and will no doubt happen again。-- The bitter， weary “she” of this passage is an unnamed someone who not only knows what has happened （“She’s old hat at this by now”）， but knows that it’s part of a cycle and， perhaps， what her role in it might be。 She is horrified not only by what has happened to the world at large， but what has happened， specifically， to her son Uche。I will say， though， that it took me a long time to work all this out。 I started reading the book in early 2019， so can’t claim to have been pandemic-distracted。 But I was still working fulltime， and reading， almost exclusively， only in the half-hour or so before conking out at night。 I don’t remember and certainly did not record when things changed for me， but it may have been this passage， about a quarter of the way into the book。 It’s a fragment of what is apparently some ancient writing which has somehow survived to the present （on Jemisin’s Earth） age:Listen， listen， listen well。There was an age before the Seasons， when life and Earth， its father， thrived alike。 （Life had a mother， too。 Something terrible happened to Her。） Earth our father knew He would need clever life， so He used the Seasons to shape us out of animals: clever hands for making things and clever minds for solving problems and clever tongues for working together and clever sessapinae to warn us of danger。 The people became what Father Earth needed， and then more than He needed。 Then we turned on Him， and He has burned with hatred for us ever since。Remember， remember， what I tell。 By this point （Ding！） I was well awake。 I still didn’t quite “get” everything; that would all come together at the close of the third book。 But yes， it did take me a while to understand and then grow enthusiastic about what I was reading。 （Maybe I was simply propelled by the book’s success。） Whatever the reason for my slow start， I read probably the last third or so of The Fifth Season in just a couple of massive gulps。I was exhausted， thereafter， and didn’t pick up book #2 （The Obelisk Gate） for another year。 It， and #3 （The Stone Sky）， went down in almost a single stupendous binge-read which just ended last weekend。Very highly recommended。 Bring some patience， and some open-mindedness as well。 There’s a lot going on， including shifting points of view and the occasional hand-waving， verging-on-scientific “explanations” of science-fictional/fantasy worlds。 （It’s easy to forgive in Jemisin’s world， since science itself has been periodically destroyed and rebuilt many times over the course of millennia。）But as in so much other great， epic literature， the Broken Earth trilogy has less to do with the sweep of historic global events than with the drumbeat of human decisions and relationships。 People — of whatever （sub）species — aren’t just pawns of the storytelling: they’re the whole point。[Review verbatim from the corresponding post at my blog， Running After My Hat。 。。。more
Samantha Ann
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These were my first books of 2021 and wow， what a way to start the year。 Due to stress and anxiety I’ve been re-reading old， predictable YA fantasy favorites， but a friend loaned me the first book of this trilogy and before I was halfway through it I’d ordered myself the boxed set。 It’s amazing。 It’s a post apocalyptic dystopian series in a setting I’ve never seen before （and I read A LOT of post apocalyptic dystopian fiction）， a really unique magic system， interesting character development， and These were my first books of 2021 and wow， what a way to start the year。 Due to stress and anxiety I’ve been re-reading old， predictable YA fantasy favorites， but a friend loaned me the first book of this trilogy and before I was halfway through it I’d ordered myself the boxed set。 It’s amazing。 It’s a post apocalyptic dystopian series in a setting I’ve never seen before （and I read A LOT of post apocalyptic dystopian fiction）， a really unique magic system， interesting character development， and LGBTQIA representation （something I haven’t seen much of in the fantasy genre space）。 。。。more
Matt Rudman
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Interesting subvertive themes explored in this well written sci fi novel set but hard work reading it due to the glacially slow progress of the story。
BagelBitch 69
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peak jemisin。 this trilogy reaches really high， and achieves everything it sets out to do。 i was left thinking about the main question of the books: at what point does a society become too corrupt to be redeemed？
Lincoln Shand
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This story was so incredibly satisfying to read。 I devoured all three books within a matter of weeks。 The characters were unique， and the plot was unlike any other that I had read before。 The lead characters have their flaws， but their actions are dictated by necessity， and their reasons for their actions become more evident as you read their stories。
Mia Burgwald
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4。5 StarsFirstly， I would like to start with some massive praise for these books: Jemisin created an epic fantasy series which reads a little bit like Young Adult Fiction， with all the seriousness and importance of High Fantasy。 The style is something I had to get used to at first， but the characters are extremely well written and fleshed out， and the world building is absolutely impeccable。 I have not read a book with such an interesting， well thought-out， epic-feeling and gripping setting in a 4。5 StarsFirstly， I would like to start with some massive praise for these books: Jemisin created an epic fantasy series which reads a little bit like Young Adult Fiction， with all the seriousness and importance of High Fantasy。 The style is something I had to get used to at first， but the characters are extremely well written and fleshed out， and the world building is absolutely impeccable。 I have not read a book with such an interesting， well thought-out， epic-feeling and gripping setting in a very long time！ It was a joy to immerse myself into it， and I wanted to learn everything about it from the very first page on。 It was also very refreshing to read something with such a diverse cast， so many female characters， and POC， who were written as complex， flawed human beings， done in such a way that they actually felt real at times。 Their actions were always comprehensible to me， and I understood why they made certain choices。 I also loved Orogeny and the underlying mechanisms of magic， at times their descriptions actually gave me goosebumps。 That being said， the reason these books only get 4。5 instead of 5 Stars is because they were so。。。。devastating。 They are outstanding pieces of literature， in my opinion， and I would definitely recommend them to everyone who's interested in fantasy， but there is such little hope to be found in this story。 My heart was broken time and time again， as the characters lost every good thing in their lives， and not just lost it， but had it torn apart， burned and evaporated in such violent manners that it left me feeling hollow and sad every time I finished a chapter。 Whenever there was something good， it was sure to be ripped apart after a short time， and the characters were all but broken and beaten from these experiences。 Having your entire cast consist of such fucked-up people takes a toll on the reader as well， and maybe I was just not in the right mental place to read this series at this particular moment， but it made my heart ache。 I could not really connect to any of the characters， and felt removed from them and their struggles after some time。。。which does not mean that they were badly written - in fact， I would argue that Jemisin did an incredibly good job at developing her characters and their respective arcs; especially Nassun's arc was perfectly executed。 So， this is a huge recommendation from me， if you like to read books that tackle heavy issues like genocide， slavery and racial injustice， as well as having non-gratuitous mentions of breasts and a deep and wonderful understanding of how to write female characters。 They are just not very cheery， like， at all。 Nonetheless， I will continue to praise them， because they absolutely deserve it。 。。。more
Roberto Faria
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What an absolutely great read。 Amazing world building and plot。 5/5
Aditi
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A wonderful trilogy with climaxes that are ACTUALLY worth waiting for。 The three main characters in the first book （ those who've completed the trilogy are probably laughing reading this statement but， well， it is how it is ） are so wonderful that you get attached to them in a very short span of time。 The first book， needless to say， is my all-time favourite。 But， the other two are just as well written and beautiful in their own right。 A wonderful trilogy with climaxes that are ACTUALLY worth waiting for。 The three main characters in the first book （ those who've completed the trilogy are probably laughing reading this statement but， well， it is how it is ） are so wonderful that you get attached to them in a very short span of time。 The first book， needless to say， is my all-time favourite。 But， the other two are just as well written and beautiful in their own right。 。。。more
Darel Linebarger
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One of those few books that made me think that I will definitely want to reread in the future。
Cece Lia
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DAMN。 Not sure if there is a more perfect fantasy/sci fi series。
Christy Stevens
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Started strong but stalled during the last book。 Confusing to follow at first， expected a bit more on how humans have eviscerated the earth
Jenni Ritchie
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I'm cheating by reviewing this set instead of the 3 individual audiobooks I actually listened to， to save time。 I liked the world-building， character development， and wonderful descriptions of the sights， sounds， and textures that enriched the imagining of the tale。 This could make a great movie。I also liked the environmental and caste themes woven in。 It's a bit difficult to reconcile all the parallel stories going on and switching back and forth between people who are the same but with a new n I'm cheating by reviewing this set instead of the 3 individual audiobooks I actually listened to， to save time。 I liked the world-building， character development， and wonderful descriptions of the sights， sounds， and textures that enriched the imagining of the tale。 This could make a great movie。I also liked the environmental and caste themes woven in。 It's a bit difficult to reconcile all the parallel stories going on and switching back and forth between people who are the same but with a new name in a new time period -- that makes the audio versions more challenging。Thoughtful and engaging。。。just be prepared to have to read all 3 in order to get to a resolution！ 。。。more
Mountain
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So So SO SO good - an absolute masterpiece， each one of these books and the entire series more than earned all their awards。 Epic， masterful， （and coherent） world-building， character building， and storytelling。
Lauren Harr
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