A review by emptzuu
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 N.K. Jemisin's "The Fifth Season" is a dystopian science fantasy novel, the first part of the Broken Earth trilogy. The story follows three women, all of whom are orogenes—individuals with the ability to control earthquakes and other geological forces. The main character, Essun, is searching for her missing daughter after her husband kills their son because of his powers. The novel also follows the stories of a girl named Damaya and a woman named Syenite. The fates of these three characters intertwine, and their stories are told in different narrative styles: Essun's story is written in the second person (you-narrator), while Damaya's and Syenite's stories are narrated in the third person (she-narrator).

The novel addresses climate change and humanity's vulnerability to natural forces. The events of the story take place in a post-apocalyptic world called the Stillness, where the climate is unpredictable and harsh. The term "fifth season" refers to various catastrophic natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which regularly destroy living conditions. These seasons can last for years or even centuries, bringing with them cold, famine, disease, and violence.

Cities and communities prepared for earthquakes reflect a world where survival is a central part of everyday life. The descriptions of the environment are impressive and bleak, full of the destruction caused by natural forces and the struggle to survive. This makes the world not only dangerous but also a terrifying and mysterious place, where every moment is a fight for survival.

In this world, Essun must confront her past and survive in an environment where people like her are persecuted. Essun is a middle-aged woman who has experienced a lot in her life. Her skin is dark, which is common in her world. Essun has a strong and muscular build, reflecting her physical strength and endurance. Her face is angular and expresses her seriousness and the heavy trials she has endured. She cuts her curly hair short, which is meaningful as it symbolizes the beginning of a new phase in her life.

Essun's character has been shaped by her harsh experiences. She is extremely resilient, even stone-cold, and accustomed to surviving in the most difficult situations. Essun is distrustful and cautious, which is due to both her orogenic abilities and the hostility of her environment. However, she also has deep love and concern, especially for her children, although this care often manifests as harshness. Her determination and ability to make tough decisions are essential for her survival and success in the world she lives in.

Damaya is a young girl who learns she is an orogene and is sent to be trained to control her powers. She is generally described as dirty and disheveled, due to her tough life situation, especially when she is taken away from home and transferred to a training center for orogenes called Fulcrum.
Damaya is intelligent, curious, and eager to learn. She has a deep need to belong to something and to gain acceptance, which is a natural consequence of her family's rejection of her because of her orogenic abilities. Damaya is also highly adaptable and flexible, as seen in how she handles new situations and threats at Fulcrum.

Damaya struggles with feelings of fear and anger, but she also has a strong survival instinct and the ability to adapt to her surroundings. She begins to understand her own power and gradually builds her own identity within the strict and often brutal environment of Fulcrum.

Syenite is a trained orogene sent on a mission with an older orogene. Syenite has dark skin, which is common in her world where many people are darker-skinned. She has thick, curly hair that is often described as rebellious and hard to manage, reflecting the strength of her character. Syenite is physically strong and sinewy, partly due to her training and life experiences as an orogene. She is also described as beautiful, although she often does not pay attention to her appearance because her life is focused on survival and her duties.

Syenite is a complex character with a strong will and determination. She is very aware of her power and abilities as an orogene, but this awareness conflicts with how others in society view her and those like her. Syenite is resilient and outspoken, unafraid to face adversity. She also harbors considerable anger and bitterness, stemming from how she and other orogenes have been treated by society. However, her character also possesses softness and the ability to love, which becomes apparent in her relationships with other characters.

She is also highly intelligent and capable of analyzing situations quickly. As the story progresses, her character develops as she begins to understand more about herself and the world around her.

The novel portrays a society where people are divided into different castes and races, some of which are in subordinate positions. In particular, orogenes, people who can control the movements of the Earth's crust, face severe oppression and discrimination. The story deals with how they try to survive and recover from the traumas they have experienced. These themes reflect real-world issues of racism, oppression, and marginalization.

The protagonist, Essun, struggles with accepting her abilities and identity. Through her story, the novel explores how surrounding society and circumstances shape a person's identity and life choices. Essun's quest to find and save her daughter after the disaster illustrates the importance of family and the difficulty of protecting loved ones in challenging conditions.

The Fifth Season is, in many ways, a highly skillful novel. It has a strong, assured narrative voice that carries bold and unconventional writing choices with style, including an entire plotline written in the second person. The characters and environments feel alive and real, with depth; the experiences and psyches of the main characters feel credible and well-researched. The novel is set in an interesting and original world that regularly experiences global catastrophes, seemingly blending fantasy and post-apocalyptic science fiction.

Themes of identity, gender, motherhood, belonging, community, and power are explored in many ways, challenging typical fantasy and sci-fi clichés. Jemisin creates voices in this novel that are unlike anything you may have read before in this genre.

However, her stylistic choices significantly disrupt the reading experience. At the beginning of the novel, the thoughts meander in many directions, but the prose remains monotonous. The text consists only of action scenes or occasional world-building. The simultaneous journeys of the three characters feel tedious, and after the fast-paced start, the novel begins to drag.

Jemisin's writing feels stiff, unemotional, and forced, trying so hard to be trendy and witty that the text ends up resembling more of a creative writing class essay than genuine prose. The text is full of italics and clichéd exclamations that come across as artificial attempts to evoke emotion. The reader is not trusted enough to make their own conclusions, with things being over-explained, which flattens the reading experience.

The plot does not bring significantly new elements. Oppression, trauma, and climate change have been addressed in many different ways before. Moreover, many of the plot twists were predictable in advance. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings