doctabird's review against another edition
4.0
When your book is about ninja priests, you can either go really wrong or really right. N.K. Jemison went really right. Really interesting story that deals with corruption in a very new way. It's not your typical good vs. evil. I'm not even going to attempt to summarize here, because I don't really think it's an easy book to summarize except for.... ninja priests in your dreams!! Excited to read the second/final book in the series.
A few negatives though - The first 6 or so chapters were really difficult for me to get through. I kept feeling like I missed something and had to reread multiple times until I just resigned and kept moving forward. There were just so many names, places, events, customs, and terms thrown out there with little description that I couldn't keep up or keep track. Many of these were explained later in the book (and almost all of them were in the glossary that I didn't discover until about halfway through the book). Other than the introduction of unexplained terms, the writing was difficult to follow at times. Maybe that was just me, but I found myself rereading sentences to understand the content more often than usual.
A few negatives though - The first 6 or so chapters were really difficult for me to get through. I kept feeling like I missed something and had to reread multiple times until I just resigned and kept moving forward. There were just so many names, places, events, customs, and terms thrown out there with little description that I couldn't keep up or keep track. Many of these were explained later in the book (and almost all of them were in the glossary that I didn't discover until about halfway through the book). Other than the introduction of unexplained terms, the writing was difficult to follow at times. Maybe that was just me, but I found myself rereading sentences to understand the content more often than usual.
kepheus's review against another edition
3.0
This is a new take on an old tale of corruption and innocence lost in an atypical setting. Sadly, the setting and characters fall flat, dragging the excellent writing down with it. I would have greatly appreciated more time spent with the setting and magic systems. We could use more depictions of open societies in fantasy fiction as was on display here.
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/10/15/the-killing-moon-by-n-k-jemisin/
Tired of fantasy set in some tired permutation of medieval Europe? The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin is the book for you! The story takes place in a fantasy world that is loosely based on ancient Egypt, but with some major differences. It’s not the stereotypical pharaohs and mummies and cat-gods and tombs, but rather it borrows the social structure itself. The city of Gujarreh has a king, and he’s the supreme power. However, there’s also a powerful priest class that keeps the king in check. These priests are called the Gatherers, and they perform a special function within society. They euthanize anyone deemed corrupt (ie. criminals, dissidents, or even just people who are ready to die), harvesting their Dreamblood, which is used to perform magic to heal the sick and promote general well-being. The Gatherers are respected and seen as peacekeepers, even though to an outsider, their work is chilling.
Ehiru is one such Gatherer. He’s a fervent idealist and truly believes that he is doing the work of the gods. Then Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri discover that there is more to their city than meets the eye. There’s a dangerous creature called a Reaper on the loose. A Reaper is a Gatherer who has taken too much Dreamblood and has been transformed by its essence into a death-giving monstrosity, capable of harvesting the souls of hundreds of people at once. Generally the priest-class is able to prevent Reapers from coming into existence by carefully guarding their knowledge and regulating the actions of the Gatherers, using religious dogma to make sure that Dreamblood is gathered in a safe manner and that no individual Gatherer becomes addicted to the substance. The fact that a Reaper exists means that there has to be some manner of corruption within the organization that exists specifically to prevent it and to keep the peace. This is a major blow to Ehiru’s worldview, and in order to uphold their religious beliefs, he and Nijiri swear to find the evil at its source and destroy it.
One of the things that I loved about The Killing Moon was the moral ambiguity of the Gatherers. When Ehiru harvests the Dreamblood of his assigned targets, he’s simultaneously a well-trained assassin and a religious zealot. That combination is something I abhor, because it’s so easy for an individual like that to be taken advantage of and used for unsavory purposes. The idea of euthanizing people rather than believing in second chances seems to me uncivilized, because I live in 21st century America, where the idea of individual choice is highly valued. Jemisin doesn’t give her protagonists the same cultural baggage, and it’s fascinating.. When you see the world through their eyes, they really are creating a better world, even if their methods offend our own moral sensibilities. They are preventing war, crime, and destruction, and their making sure that each person has a peaceful death and that their souls make their way peacefully into the afterlife. They are respected and seen as essential to society, and they view other societies that are more like our own as barbaric because of the chaos that takes place every day in any major city.
When I first discovered N.K. Jemisin through her Inheritance Trilogy, I was blown away by her writing and by the worlds that she created. The Killing Moon surpassed all of my expectations, and is easily my favorite of her books thus far.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/10/15/the-killing-moon-by-n-k-jemisin/
Tired of fantasy set in some tired permutation of medieval Europe? The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin is the book for you! The story takes place in a fantasy world that is loosely based on ancient Egypt, but with some major differences. It’s not the stereotypical pharaohs and mummies and cat-gods and tombs, but rather it borrows the social structure itself. The city of Gujarreh has a king, and he’s the supreme power. However, there’s also a powerful priest class that keeps the king in check. These priests are called the Gatherers, and they perform a special function within society. They euthanize anyone deemed corrupt (ie. criminals, dissidents, or even just people who are ready to die), harvesting their Dreamblood, which is used to perform magic to heal the sick and promote general well-being. The Gatherers are respected and seen as peacekeepers, even though to an outsider, their work is chilling.
Ehiru is one such Gatherer. He’s a fervent idealist and truly believes that he is doing the work of the gods. Then Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri discover that there is more to their city than meets the eye. There’s a dangerous creature called a Reaper on the loose. A Reaper is a Gatherer who has taken too much Dreamblood and has been transformed by its essence into a death-giving monstrosity, capable of harvesting the souls of hundreds of people at once. Generally the priest-class is able to prevent Reapers from coming into existence by carefully guarding their knowledge and regulating the actions of the Gatherers, using religious dogma to make sure that Dreamblood is gathered in a safe manner and that no individual Gatherer becomes addicted to the substance. The fact that a Reaper exists means that there has to be some manner of corruption within the organization that exists specifically to prevent it and to keep the peace. This is a major blow to Ehiru’s worldview, and in order to uphold their religious beliefs, he and Nijiri swear to find the evil at its source and destroy it.
One of the things that I loved about The Killing Moon was the moral ambiguity of the Gatherers. When Ehiru harvests the Dreamblood of his assigned targets, he’s simultaneously a well-trained assassin and a religious zealot. That combination is something I abhor, because it’s so easy for an individual like that to be taken advantage of and used for unsavory purposes. The idea of euthanizing people rather than believing in second chances seems to me uncivilized, because I live in 21st century America, where the idea of individual choice is highly valued. Jemisin doesn’t give her protagonists the same cultural baggage, and it’s fascinating.. When you see the world through their eyes, they really are creating a better world, even if their methods offend our own moral sensibilities. They are preventing war, crime, and destruction, and their making sure that each person has a peaceful death and that their souls make their way peacefully into the afterlife. They are respected and seen as essential to society, and they view other societies that are more like our own as barbaric because of the chaos that takes place every day in any major city.
When I first discovered N.K. Jemisin through her Inheritance Trilogy, I was blown away by her writing and by the worlds that she created. The Killing Moon surpassed all of my expectations, and is easily my favorite of her books thus far.
slim_pixie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
cluckingbell's review against another edition
2.0
I am often a bit miffed by a book when I award it two stars, but this gets two stars mostly because it produced so little feeling in me of any kind. The story and world sound interesting when told in broad strokes, and the plot should have been electric with emotion and horror, but the writing rarely made me feel much of anything, except a twinge at the occasional inconsistencies and the more frequent inauthenticity of characters (e.g., someone being a bit too slow and coarse to ever succeed in their stated profession). Given all that, and an anticlimactic resolution that offered no incentive whatsoever to read the sequel, I won't be continuing the series. However, I may try something else by this author, eventually, as reviewers who weren't thrilled with this book often praise her other work.
decafplease's review against another edition
3.0
Cos it’s by Jemisin the bar for greatness is automatically higher, which is why it’s only 3/5. I know Jemisin could do better.
geldauran's review against another edition
1.0
A one star rating feels unfair, because this book had some of the most lush and original world building I've encountered-- but the characters left me cold. In theory the characters should have been amazing, but their emotions and interactions felt forced, I found myself utterly uninterested in them, and all my focus was purely pushed to the plot. Too bad that I couldn't enjoy this book more.
I will also add that I have loved some of the author's other books, so I put this particular struggle down to personal preference. The way the story was told just wasn't for me, there was just a certain [something] that was off, something that bled into the characters and made me struggle to finish this one. I still have every intention of reading all the other books N.K. Jemisin has to offer, but I'm also happy to say goodbye to this one.
I will also add that I have loved some of the author's other books, so I put this particular struggle down to personal preference. The way the story was told just wasn't for me, there was just a certain [something] that was off, something that bled into the characters and made me struggle to finish this one. I still have every intention of reading all the other books N.K. Jemisin has to offer, but I'm also happy to say goodbye to this one.
spacey_gracie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first encounter with [a:N.K. Jemisin|2917917|N.K. Jemisin|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1334966221p2/2917917.jpg]. I planned to read The Inheritance Trilogy for some time now, but I accidentally stumbled upon this book and thought 'Why not?'
The start was rough. Unknown terminology, world, customs... And each chapter sported a different protagonist. It took a lot of concentration and some patience until I understood it. But eventually the book got its claws in me, and I was reading chapter after chapter eager to see what happens next.
It's hard commenting on the characters and the plot and not spoiling something.
The story follows an array of characters: prince, priests, spies, soldiers while they try to untangle (or tangle a little bit more) the events that are happening. I found the events quite intriguing and although plotters in conspiracy were obvious (at least to me), what are they trying to achieve was a constant surprise and always changed.
The world in the book is unique mix of Egyptian and Nubian culture with a mix of philosophies and theories by Freud and Jung. (I am not a psychology expert, so I would have probably did not know this if I did not read interview with the author at the end of the book.)
Also big plus is that there is no cliff-hanger ending. Everything is resolved so I think if you are not interested to read more about weird city of Gujaareh, you can stop after this book.
As for me, I will definitely read the sequel [b:The Shadowed Sun|11774295|The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood, #2)|N.K. Jemisin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331143933s/11774295.jpg|14757897]. And it is released any day now. Yay!
The start was rough. Unknown terminology, world, customs... And each chapter sported a different protagonist. It took a lot of concentration and some patience until I understood it. But eventually the book got its claws in me, and I was reading chapter after chapter eager to see what happens next.
It's hard commenting on the characters and the plot and not spoiling something.
The story follows an array of characters: prince, priests, spies, soldiers while they try to untangle (or tangle a little bit more) the events that are happening. I found the events quite intriguing and although plotters in conspiracy were obvious (at least to me), what are they trying to achieve was a constant surprise and always changed.
The world in the book is unique mix of Egyptian and Nubian culture with a mix of philosophies and theories by Freud and Jung. (I am not a psychology expert, so I would have probably did not know this if I did not read interview with the author at the end of the book.)
Also big plus is that there is no cliff-hanger ending. Everything is resolved so I think if you are not interested to read more about weird city of Gujaareh, you can stop after this book.
As for me, I will definitely read the sequel [b:The Shadowed Sun|11774295|The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood, #2)|N.K. Jemisin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331143933s/11774295.jpg|14757897]. And it is released any day now. Yay!
kriswasp's review against another edition
4.0
This is my second foray into N. K. Jemisin’s literature, my first being her Broken Earth trilogy, which I gave 5 stars across the board. This duology being earlier, felt earlier.
I loved the setting, and this idea of benevolent dream vampires acting as a sort of end of life career. No sooner than you have that idea implanted than Jemisin runs right through it with all the ways it can be corrupted. Broken Earth was brutal, this is no different.
She certainly likes her tropes, powers needing mastery, master and apprentice, journeys that test a person as they uncover the depths of their power. No bad thing, she knows what she likes and she explores these relationships in many different ways.
Ultimately though, I felt like this was a standalone novel, not part of a bigger story, and the pacing just felt a little off at times, or maybe I wasn’t as drawn into some of the aspects as I should have been.
Still, her imagination is terrific, and the way she describes now the dream magic works and how it is used is sublime, making it feel simple and straightforward and as if any one could do it, just how I felt about her descriptions of Orogeny.
I loved the setting, and this idea of benevolent dream vampires acting as a sort of end of life career. No sooner than you have that idea implanted than Jemisin runs right through it with all the ways it can be corrupted. Broken Earth was brutal, this is no different.
She certainly likes her tropes, powers needing mastery, master and apprentice, journeys that test a person as they uncover the depths of their power. No bad thing, she knows what she likes and she explores these relationships in many different ways.
Ultimately though, I felt like this was a standalone novel, not part of a bigger story, and the pacing just felt a little off at times, or maybe I wasn’t as drawn into some of the aspects as I should have been.
Still, her imagination is terrific, and the way she describes now the dream magic works and how it is used is sublime, making it feel simple and straightforward and as if any one could do it, just how I felt about her descriptions of Orogeny.