Reviews

I read this book back in 2021 and this is my first reread. The Fifth Season still felt as fresh and as unique as it did the first time I read it.

As vague as I was with my review of Recursion, I want to share some of the details of The Fifth Season just to illustrate how enthralling and unique this world is.

The novel is a mashup of post-apocalyptic science fiction and fantasy. This version of Earth is unstable and volatile, forcing it's people to adapt between cataclysmic events, known as Fifth Seasons. Tectonic plates are constantly in motion and every Fifth Season causes a massive shakeup of the Earth's terrain and its people. Finally, there are people known as Orogenes, that can tap into and control the seismic activity of the Earth.

All that being said, there are familiar themes within The Fifth Season. The mixture of these themes and the unique world creates a captivating and fresh story of power struggles, mastering yourself, and trusting those around you. I won't go into much more detail here but I can wholeheartedly recommend The Fifth Season if you're looking for a textbook example of what Sci-Fi and Fantasy can do, present you with a world that is completely different than ours while tying itself back to the dynamics and struggles we are all familiar with.

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series for the first time.

burningseason's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

biokels's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

miocenemama's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a very different kind of fantasy in a world where some people, called orogenes, have the ability to control the movement of the plates and rocks that make up their Earth. These people, however, are generally feared and hated by others and are taught and controlled by government "guardians" who turn them into tools of the government, deciding even who they will mate with to make better living tools for the government. The world is further complicated by the existence of another, more ancient and mysterious hominid race called "stone eaters." The earth these characters inhabit is shaped by "seasons", seismic events that cause prolonged and devastating winters. It is the job of the orogenes to help control these events. In spite of the important role they play, the orogenes are considered less human by the population at large and are hated and berated. This book builds a complicated world, complete with diverse cultures and races. The discrimination in this imaginary world rings true in our current world and situation. The characters in the book struggle to survive and find their way in a world that sees them as a threat if they are not firmly under the control of the government and guardians. As a science nerd, I really enjoyed all of the geology references. The characters were well developed and the story was written in such a way as to keep the reader trying to fit the pieces together up until the end. My only complaint about this book is that I hate books ending with a cliff hanger. I knew from the beginning that this book was the first in a trilogy, but I still like to come to more of a resolution at the end of each book. This is just a matter of personal taste. Other than that, I have no complaints.