Posted in: Books | Tagged: afrofuturism, epic fantasy, N. K. Jemisin, The Broken Earth, The Fifth Season

N.K. Jemisin's "The Fifth Season" Is An Expectation-Breaker

There are some writers who stick out because of their consistent clarity of voice, insight, and unique vision. N.K. Jemisin is one of those rare people. The Fifth Season, book one in her Broken Earth trilogy, gives us a world formed by massive earthquakes and those who can protect others from them.

The book focuses on the two main characters (Essun and Alabaster) and their relationship with each other and the world around them as they try to save — or destroy — the world they know. The characters are well-rounded and grounded in the rich world Jemisin created, reacting and acting in believable and sometimes utterly heartbreaking ways. Like in her other books, Jemisin plays with perspective and ideas of how we create our identities, what makes a family, and power dynamics, without faltering into formulaic repetition.

The Fifth Season is a great introduction to Jemisin's works, as well as a lead-in to the rest of the series. The final book in the Broken Earth trilogy comes out in August, giving you plenty of time to enjoy and catch up with this series.

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