The Fifth Season

Jules reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, book 1)

Beautifully written but relentlessly bleak

4 stars

I wanted to give this five stars - it's beautifully written, the worldbuilding is incredible and is incredibly fresh and imaginative where so much fantasy feels derivative, while still feeling grounded and believable. The narrative device of telling the three separate stories and only slowly revealing the clues to how they connect was incredibly well executed.

But while I couldn't put this down and tear myself away from the next twist or revelation, I realised I wasn't actually enjoying reading it that much. The story starts with the murder of a child and if anything only gets heavier from there. The book is an examination of what can drive someone to keep going when everything and everyone they love is taken from them again and again, and how they can continue living with themselves when they have been forced to do horrific things to survive. It's an incredible book, but …

I wanted to give this five stars - it's beautifully written, the worldbuilding is incredible and is incredibly fresh and imaginative where so much fantasy feels derivative, while still feeling grounded and believable. The narrative device of telling the three separate stories and only slowly revealing the clues to how they connect was incredibly well executed.

But while I couldn't put this down and tear myself away from the next twist or revelation, I realised I wasn't actually enjoying reading it that much. The story starts with the murder of a child and if anything only gets heavier from there. The book is an examination of what can drive someone to keep going when everything and everyone they love is taken from them again and again, and how they can continue living with themselves when they have been forced to do horrific things to survive. It's an incredible book, but not one I want to read again.

jspquoidire reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)

Cool page turner

5 stars

I came upon a list of queer books and thought I'd give a try to the Fifth season. I haven't Heroic fantasy for more than a decad (apart from a book by Damasio). The book is good : well written, the way the narration is built is brilliant. In terms of representations it is very good as well, compared from what I read in the past. I enjoyed the female characters and the fact that heterosexuality or being cis isn't the norm. Yet the book is definitely speciesist : eating other animals or exploiting them is not questionned. A total page turner. I read it in four sittings, which means I spent a lot of time reading in bed haha. Personnally, I'm both grateful for this page turning effect and uneasy. For me it's totally addictive, I have no motivation to do anything else than reading what comes next. This …

I came upon a list of queer books and thought I'd give a try to the Fifth season. I haven't Heroic fantasy for more than a decad (apart from a book by Damasio). The book is good : well written, the way the narration is built is brilliant. In terms of representations it is very good as well, compared from what I read in the past. I enjoyed the female characters and the fact that heterosexuality or being cis isn't the norm. Yet the book is definitely speciesist : eating other animals or exploiting them is not questionned. A total page turner. I read it in four sittings, which means I spent a lot of time reading in bed haha. Personnally, I'm both grateful for this page turning effect and uneasy. For me it's totally addictive, I have no motivation to do anything else than reading what comes next. This kind of situation makes me feel bad as I'm unable to do others things I should be doing. This definitely has to do with me and not with the author or the book, but that said I wish these books would not have that kind of effect on me. Jacques Abeille's les Jardins Statutaires is a good example of fantasy book which is both enjoyable without being an absolute page turner forme.

JR reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)

Solid

3 stars

Not my favorite book but well crafted and continuing on with the series. A big part is I didn't really love the viewpoint characters, the side characters tend to be more interesting to me.

gabe. reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)

Review of 'The Fifth Season' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Took me a bit to get into it, and the changing of character names over time confused me a bit, but once I got past those two issues, it was a really fun read. Looking forward to the next two books to see what happens on Earth in a possible distant future where earth magic is common and nothing is stable.

Stephen reviewed The fifth season by N. K. Jemisin

Review of 'The fifth season' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Good worldbuilding, although pretty grim at this point. Lots of hate in this world for people who are different (by various metrics). The plot also developed very well, I was surprised a few times. I wish I'd known there was a dictionary at the back though. Most of it is obvious, mind.

Paul reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, book 1)

Review of 'The Fifth Season' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is the first book in a while where I've ordered the next book before finishing the current one (I think the last time was the Shades of Magic trilogy). It's good, solid fantasy, but with enough original elements that you don't think it's just a rehash of something you've read before. Unlike older fantasy novels, there are plenty of female characters who exist in their own right - rather than as an appendage to or a love interest for a male character - and relationships which don't involve a man and a women falling in love, getting married, and living Happily Ever After.

Oh, and I didn't see how the various strands of the novel were connected until about two thirds of the way through, which was a nice surprise.

Radioactivestardust reviewed The fifth season by N. K. Jemisin

Review of 'The fifth season' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

AWESOME, but complicated and very educated and philosphical, I think. Nothing for in between. But a great message.

Norah reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)

Review of 'The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

BRILLIANT and soul-destroying, 100/10, holy DAMN

Leaf 🍂 reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)

Review of 'The Fifth Season' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

You like your fiction post-apocalyptic? How about post-MULTIPLE-apocalypses? Jemisin crafts an emotionally intense read, and a thoroughly detailed and believable fantasy world filled with complicated and relatable characters. Reads a bit like a focused memoir, and a bit like an over-arching look at humanities' cruelty and resilience.

And, excitingly for Jemisin fans, it looks like this might be her first series that continues some of the same characters from one book to the next? Just a guess based on the ending: it will be fascinating to see what comes next!

nemo reviewed The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth, #1)

Review of 'The Fifth Season' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The book is great, except for the ending, which is why I'm chopping off a star from a Hugo winner.

The ending is a bit abrupt, adds more questions than it answers and doesn't really have a proper "present" climax.