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N. K. Jemisin: The Fifth Season (Paperback, 2015, Orbit) 4 stars

A SEASON OF ENDINGS HAS BEGUN.

IT STARTS WITH THE GREAT RED RIFT across the …

Review of 'The Fifth Season' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Wow, what a great read! There's a reason this book won a Hugo, it's sequel also won a Hugo, and the 3rd of the trilogy is nominated.

Without spoilers, this book tells the story of three specially talented women on an alternate Earth. This Earth (sarcastically called the Stillness) is ravaged by earthquakes, volcanoes, and other forms of seismic activity, and these women have the mutant power to either quell or enhance that activity at will. This power, however, marks them as outcasts from society, and it is this that draws them (and others like them) together. The relationship between the three women is unique, and the nature of that relationship is revealed masterfully. The author wraps up the plot with a tidy bow, connecting the opening chapter to the last with skill, while still leaving a cliffhanger and plenty of meat for a great next installment.

Stylistically, I compare this very favorably with Hannu Rajaniemi's Fractal Prince book - N.K. Jemisin reveals the world piecemeal, with very little exposition to guide the reader. In other words, lazy readers need not apply. I also think it shares a lot structurally with Anne Leckie's Ancillary Justice (which coincidentally won a Hugo two years before this one), where the story is told in pieces, with alternating storylines occupying different chapters. The reveals this structure brings are wonderful to read when done well, and Jemisin does it very well.

Looking forward to book two, The Obelisk Gate!