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A review by alba_marie
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a hard review to write. The Fifth Season was incredibly very well written and the world building was intricately done.
The issue with it was that The Fifth Season was a bit too stylised. It required a deep dive into the book, investing in at least 50 pages to really immerse oneself in the text, style and world. And normally, I might be into that. Normally I'd probably love that, even. But it was certainly not the right book to read with a newborn! It was supposed to be done before the baby arrived, but the baby had other ideas and he came early. This is a book that requires full concentration and focus. Not a book you'd dip your toes in here and there in between feeds. For that reason, I struggled a bit to connect with it and follow the various characters and time lines.
But it's clear that Jemisin is a very good writer and visionary. She is amazing at world building, and characterisation. She pulls at one thread and a butterfly flaps its wings 300 pages later.
It takes a long time to get into the story, and to see how all of the stories collide and combine. But when they do, there's an "oh shit" moment that I might have caught earlier on if I had been less sleep deprived.
Beware though – one of the POVs is written in "you" format; the style is obtuse and the purple prose is sometimes difficult to understand. This is high brow fantasy. This is the book that proves that fantasy doesn't have to always be fun and games; that fantasy can also be literary fiction.
At its core (pun intended), the book centres on earthquakes, thermal energy, geology, and earth movements – and the people attuned enough with the earth to control them. It takes the reader across barren landscapes, apocalyptic earths, through earthquakes, past ancient lost civilisations, into crowded cities, and onto pirate ships, secret islands and into the heart of the (evil?) institution at the heart of it all.
I will certainly be reading book 2... when my baby is a wee bit older!
The issue with it was that The Fifth Season was a bit too stylised. It required a deep dive into the book, investing in at least 50 pages to really immerse oneself in the text, style and world. And normally, I might be into that. Normally I'd probably love that, even. But it was certainly not the right book to read with a newborn! It was supposed to be done before the baby arrived, but the baby had other ideas and he came early. This is a book that requires full concentration and focus. Not a book you'd dip your toes in here and there in between feeds. For that reason, I struggled a bit to connect with it and follow the various characters and time lines.
But it's clear that Jemisin is a very good writer and visionary. She is amazing at world building, and characterisation. She pulls at one thread and a butterfly flaps its wings 300 pages later.
It takes a long time to get into the story, and to see how all of the stories collide and combine. But when they do, there's an "oh shit" moment that I might have caught earlier on if I had been less sleep deprived.
Beware though – one of the POVs is written in "you" format; the style is obtuse and the purple prose is sometimes difficult to understand. This is high brow fantasy. This is the book that proves that fantasy doesn't have to always be fun and games; that fantasy can also be literary fiction.
At its core (pun intended), the book centres on earthquakes, thermal energy, geology, and earth movements – and the people attuned enough with the earth to control them. It takes the reader across barren landscapes, apocalyptic earths, through earthquakes, past ancient lost civilisations, into crowded cities, and onto pirate ships, secret islands and into the heart of the (evil?) institution at the heart of it all.
I will certainly be reading book 2... when my baby is a wee bit older!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship