The Book Book
Award-winning works
American author N. K. Jemisin is the only person to win three consecutive Hugo awards for Best Novel. She achieved that distinction with her Broken Earth trilogy, a post-apocalyptic epic that could become a classic. This record-breaking work falls into a comparatively new genre best described as science fantasy, but more on that later. Following is a brief summary of each book with minimum spoilers.
“The Fifth Season” is a gripping read that focuses on the life of Essun, a woman on the brink of a dangerous journey as multiple calamities threaten her world. It’s bad enough the empire is being destroyed by a madman’s vengeance, but a personal tragedy forces her to flee her home. She must venture into unknown territory, a place where a great rift in the continent threatens all life. The massive continent on which she lives is routinely plagued by immense apocalyptic events which rage for generations. To survive you must be part of a protected community (or Comm) that waits out the destruction and rebuilds before the vicious cycle begins anew.
Above the world are huge floating crystals that seem immune to the destruction. Little is known about them, although Essun will eventually discover more as the story unfolds. We know that she belongs to a group with special powers that cause others to fear and hate them. It greatly reduces her chance of being accepted into a Comm before the next disaster strikes. But she doesn’t care if the world is ending because she’s heartbroken after a loved one is taken from her.
The second book is “The Obelisk Gate”, where we meet a young girl who can control seismic activity and a woman named Syenite who undertakes an incredible quest and finds shelter with a new Comm. Syenite finds advantages to living here, but soon another group invades and there will be heavy losses on both sides. This book contains a parallel story where we learn what happened to the person Essun lost.
The trilogy ends with “The Stone Sky” in which Essun awakens after fighting to defend her Comm. It’s thought the world may be saved by a superhuman feat, which Essun grudgingly agrees to try. It requires a months-long journey that’s made worse by an overwhelming longing to find her loved one. There’s a final, brief battle that requires monumental sacrifices as it pushes love and endurance to the limit.
In books two and three there’s little time spent bringing readers up to speed. Combining that with the author’s clever handling of characters prompts me to recommend reading these in quick succession if possible. The first book introduces us to Essun’s world, the second rips it apart and the third throws us into furious end-of-the-world mode on a planet that shows no mercy.
The narrative skillfully dances between first, second and third perspectives. This provides an effective way of putting us in the character’s shoes as it bestows interesting perspectives which provide immediacy to the story. I experienced a few confusing moments which I thought were due to the author’s juggling of perspectives and characters. Later I realized she was providing a neat revelation which clarified nearly everything, doing so in an impressively astute way.
This story contains themes that will be familiar to her fans, such as oppression, cultural conflict and casting a planet as an antagonist to its people. Other motifs include motherhood and identify. Her shrewd use of exploitation themes and derogatory terms are seamlessly woven into a narrative which cautions that being useful doesn’t mean being equal. There’s also some symbolism, such as the use of Essun’s travel pack to represent life or how metal shards indicate Earth’s revenge on people. Juxtaposed against the harsh climate is the softness of a mother’s heart, a softness she can’t afford to show to those she needs to protect. This provides elements of literally global conflict and the final sacrifice is a tearful scene.
In the past, fantasy and science fiction were considered separate genres and there are still works that fall into one or the other camp. This segment of the literary world continues to evolve and there’s a relatively new genre dubbed science fantasy, which blends scientific explanation with elements of the supernatural or magical. Some suggest books such as “Dune” and “The Hunger Games” fall into this category and this trilogy effectively mixes geologic science and the supernatural with an ambitious storyline.
Jemisin is one of those authors I regret not discovering earlier, as I’m amazed by the breadth and detail of her writing. The good news is that she’s a prolific writer. She’s written other series and anthologies, short stories and novellas, plus a non-fiction titled “Geek Wisdom” she co-wrote with Genevieve Valentine. In 2020 she started a DC Comics series named “Far Sector” that’s set in the Green Lantern universe.
This twenty-first century author is deserving of the many accolades she’s won to date and is the first black writer to win a Hugo award. Some claim the Broken Earth trilogy is a masterpiece and that it reinforces her reputation as someone skillful at weaving social issues into her writing.
Fans of geology or high fantasy will find things to enjoy in this detailed trilogy with good characterization and shifting perspectives that not only add to the world building, but also pull readers into it.
