The Fifth Season
A SEASON OF ENDINGS HAS BEGUN. 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 familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy. This description comes from the publisher.
Stats for nerds
15recommend
36mentions
31people
2016–2026years
47% recommend36% neutral17% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- A great fantasy book is "The Fifth Season" by N. K. Jemisin. The whole broken earth trilogy by Jemisin is amazing. Here's to fantasy books!
- It's funny, I found the three body problem to be challenging and unrewarding to read, which is similar to some of those old Hugo winners. Might have worked better as a novella than a 3 part series.
If I were asked to pick winners from the last 15 years that will still be recommended reads in 2050, I'd pick Ancillary Justice and The Fifth Season. From nominees not winners, perhaps Seveneves or Too Like The Lighting would qualify. The most recent book I can say will definitely be on the to-read list is 2000's winner, Vernor Vince's A Deepness In the Sky
- In case anyone else is thinking about picking up the Broken Earth trilogy, I'll offer another opinion. The Fifth Season still stands out to me as one of the best sff novels I've read in many years and I recommend it wholeheartedly. I remember feeling sorry for authors who had novels published the same year, because The Fifth Season was so obviously going to sweep the awards (on merit). Had a similar reaction to R F Kuang's Babel, but different outcome there, obviously.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Tongue_(Elgin_novel)
A sort of Sapir-Worf hypothesis Sci fi book.
Arguably the Fifth Season by NK Jemesin is a geology Sci Fi.
And Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler an anthropology and gene editing Sci Fi.
All wonderful works.
- The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin
It’s a recent Hugo award winner. Generally speaking if you like SiFi/Fantasy novels, you can find a trove of excellent books by looking at the list of past Hugo and Nebula award winners and nominees. The Fifth Season is more fantasy, but has aspects that I consider SiFi’ish. Superbly written, and wonderful world building.
- Can't read the article but the audiobook of The Fifth Season was really good.
