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catrecked's review against another edition
5.0
wow, just wow. An amazing conclusion to an amazing trilogy. Raw and painful, but amazing nevertheless.
maddier9's review against another edition
5.0
You have to be shitting me. This story, the writing, the world, the characters, it’s incredible. I can’t say much without giving away things about the story but read it and take time because you might get sad or mad or confused and need to read it again. I believe this series is one where you could read it many times over and never be disappointed. There were so many things that I loved about this book. I did find the middle a bit boring but it picked right back up and I demolished the rest of it. This is such a complex work with writing unlike anything I have read before. 5 stars to the entire series.
embi's review against another edition
5.0
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
(More coherent thoughts available at some unspecified future point, after friends have read it too)
(More coherent thoughts available at some unspecified future point, after friends have read it too)
tcallands89's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a really long time to come back to this book and finish reading, I’m glad that I did. Great ending to the series
kookamunga's review against another edition
5.0
I quite enjoyed this, as I knew I would from the first and second in the series. I won’t lie, the jumping around in time and place had me a bit lost here and there but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment! Highly recommend this series!
eighnjel's review against another edition
5.0
Such a satisfying finale. We learn all the things and lose faith in humanity
katyslifestory's review against another edition
4.0
This trilogy is a science fiction dystopian fantasy. It is gut-wrenching as an exploration in prejudice and power. There is also a trigger warning of the death of a child. The first book opens with one and there are references through all three books to this death as it acted as a catalyst for the main story. There is more than one of these deaths in the story as well.
Each book is written in second person, as it is being written to someone to recount the events of the story. Because of this, the reader moves through the story both passively and actively. Also, each book is written in three points of view which change, usually in a rhythm every chapter. The points of view are different with each book, but all of it is still overarchingly told by the same narrator.
The first book has a big plot twist that involves the main character, so I can’t really talk about the details of the book. The world has for hundreds of years experienced immense natural disasters that are primarily affected by earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis that decimate the entire planet, called Fifth Seasons, and the effects can last from months to years. In order to survive, people live in comms that are built to weather most of the effects, with storehouses that will hopefully last.
Orogenes are people who can affect the earth, meaning they can cause or redirect a lot of the disasters. But people fear them, sometimes even killing their own child if they exhibit powers. A toddler throwing a tantrum could cause an earthquake that could hurt the comm. However, there are Guardians who are willing to take and train these children at Fulcrums, but orogenes are treated with fear as dehumanized second class citizens. And then, there are stone eaters who not many people have seen but are also considered dangerous.
The other things I enjoyed in the story was the use of language. There is a dictionary in the back of each book that explains a lot of the words. Some seem to be shortened, like comms instead of communities. The utility of this language is to communicate a lot of information in a short amount of words. Their middle name is their faction, like Strongback or Knapper which would tell people what their skills are. And their last name is the comm that they are from.
While I did get lost in some of the description and the science of this world, the plot and character development are really strong. There were clever plot twists and strong commentary on humanity and power and prejudice. I would recommend this series for sci-fi fans with a mix of magic, geology, and social commentary.
Each book is written in second person, as it is being written to someone to recount the events of the story. Because of this, the reader moves through the story both passively and actively. Also, each book is written in three points of view which change, usually in a rhythm every chapter. The points of view are different with each book, but all of it is still overarchingly told by the same narrator.
The first book has a big plot twist that involves the main character, so I can’t really talk about the details of the book. The world has for hundreds of years experienced immense natural disasters that are primarily affected by earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis that decimate the entire planet, called Fifth Seasons, and the effects can last from months to years. In order to survive, people live in comms that are built to weather most of the effects, with storehouses that will hopefully last.
Orogenes are people who can affect the earth, meaning they can cause or redirect a lot of the disasters. But people fear them, sometimes even killing their own child if they exhibit powers. A toddler throwing a tantrum could cause an earthquake that could hurt the comm. However, there are Guardians who are willing to take and train these children at Fulcrums, but orogenes are treated with fear as dehumanized second class citizens. And then, there are stone eaters who not many people have seen but are also considered dangerous.
The other things I enjoyed in the story was the use of language. There is a dictionary in the back of each book that explains a lot of the words. Some seem to be shortened, like comms instead of communities. The utility of this language is to communicate a lot of information in a short amount of words. Their middle name is their faction, like Strongback or Knapper which would tell people what their skills are. And their last name is the comm that they are from.
While I did get lost in some of the description and the science of this world, the plot and character development are really strong. There were clever plot twists and strong commentary on humanity and power and prejudice. I would recommend this series for sci-fi fans with a mix of magic, geology, and social commentary.
reidob's review against another edition
4.0
With every book in this series, my respect for Jemisin's skill and dedication has increased. I marvel at her ability to build such a convincing world and to keep the reader's attention focused on the complexities of that world and the characters in it.
I have been convinced for some time that all stories deal in some way or another with the concept of redemption. Sometimes there is none, but the desire for it drives the plot of every work. Shakespeare is the avatar of this framework; the story behind every play is ripe for redemption. In the tragedies redemption comes through the death of one or more of the characters, while in the comedies, the comeuppance is less dire. But in each, in order for balance to be restored, some drastic shift in circumstances (up to and including the most dire of all) must occur.
Until I began reading this third volume of the series, it had not been quite clear to me that the theme of the Broken Earth trilogy is (or so it seems to me): Actions Have Consequences. One simply cannot delve into powers beyond one's ken without suffering the backlash of that power; the moon cannot be dealt a blow that careens it out of orbit without retribution being visited upon those who are arrogant enough to do so; one may not use the power of the earth without paying a distinct and appropriate price. And redemption for all the manipulation of the earth's magic seems to come at a rather steep price, but in the story of the Earth as N.K. Jemisin tells it, all actions have repercussions in direct proportion to the severity of the deed. This may be a rough and unforgiving justice, but justice it most certainly is.
This book picks up directly from where the previous ended, with the Earth in a terrible Season caused by The Rifting, a huge cataclysm triggered by a man who wanted to defeat a certain faction. Seasons, in this world, are not merely one type of weather pattern following another, but have become deeply hazardous and distinctly polarizing events. Only the most fit and useful survive.
But Essun and her daughter Nassun, though separated by thousands of miles and events that have remade them both, believe, each for their own reasons, that the seasons must end, that the Earth must be healed, be made whole. Either that, or it must be destroyed completely. They both have the power of orogenic manipulation of the forces of the Earth, though they also discover that there are even more powerful forces at work, forces that come with distinct and shattering consequences when used. This book is the story of their travels and travails, and the price they both pay to fulfill their separate and (in the end) conjoined aims.
While I did enjoy most of this book enormously, I do have to say that I did not share quite the degree of enthusiasm for every little detail of the use of power and how it all aligns Jemisin demonstrates. I found myself a bit impatient for some of the ornate descriptions of lines of power to end and for us to get on with the story. Still, that is a minor complaint in what was, for the most part, a masterful story told well.
I have been convinced for some time that all stories deal in some way or another with the concept of redemption. Sometimes there is none, but the desire for it drives the plot of every work. Shakespeare is the avatar of this framework; the story behind every play is ripe for redemption. In the tragedies redemption comes through the death of one or more of the characters, while in the comedies, the comeuppance is less dire. But in each, in order for balance to be restored, some drastic shift in circumstances (up to and including the most dire of all) must occur.
Until I began reading this third volume of the series, it had not been quite clear to me that the theme of the Broken Earth trilogy is (or so it seems to me): Actions Have Consequences. One simply cannot delve into powers beyond one's ken without suffering the backlash of that power; the moon cannot be dealt a blow that careens it out of orbit without retribution being visited upon those who are arrogant enough to do so; one may not use the power of the earth without paying a distinct and appropriate price. And redemption for all the manipulation of the earth's magic seems to come at a rather steep price, but in the story of the Earth as N.K. Jemisin tells it, all actions have repercussions in direct proportion to the severity of the deed. This may be a rough and unforgiving justice, but justice it most certainly is.
This book picks up directly from where the previous ended, with the Earth in a terrible Season caused by The Rifting, a huge cataclysm triggered by a man who wanted to defeat a certain faction. Seasons, in this world, are not merely one type of weather pattern following another, but have become deeply hazardous and distinctly polarizing events. Only the most fit and useful survive.
But Essun and her daughter Nassun, though separated by thousands of miles and events that have remade them both, believe, each for their own reasons, that the seasons must end, that the Earth must be healed, be made whole. Either that, or it must be destroyed completely. They both have the power of orogenic manipulation of the forces of the Earth, though they also discover that there are even more powerful forces at work, forces that come with distinct and shattering consequences when used. This book is the story of their travels and travails, and the price they both pay to fulfill their separate and (in the end) conjoined aims.
While I did enjoy most of this book enormously, I do have to say that I did not share quite the degree of enthusiasm for every little detail of the use of power and how it all aligns Jemisin demonstrates. I found myself a bit impatient for some of the ornate descriptions of lines of power to end and for us to get on with the story. Still, that is a minor complaint in what was, for the most part, a masterful story told well.