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A review by cappuccino136
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
While I felt confused about so many things being dropped into this world in different places, N. K. Jemisin's authorial voice gave me confidence that she knew how to guide me through the story and would reveal information when I needed to know it. She kept her promise. This being a series opener, not all questions are answered. But the strands are woven together and a narrative thruline emerges. This is a brutal story told with viceral language. The plot is intricate and the characters are just as well developed. The relationships between important characters are complicated and nuanced. The storytelling and the writing style are virtuoso level.
There is a war, largely waged in secret, between different human and non-human factions and also Father Earth, who vents his anger at the inhabitants of the planet through violent earthquakes and volcanoes. Ragas are humans who are born with power to manipulate the tectonic plates and quiet or ignite volcanoes. Perhaps Ragas once cooperated with Father Earth, but no longer. The Sanze Empire emerged from the ashes of previous human civilizations and survived through a number of apocalyptic disasters called Fifth Seasons. The empire seeks to control all Ragas - or kill those who won't be enslaved - for their own ambitions. Hated and blamed for their gift, Ragas are hunted and killed or sent to The Fulcrum to be trained and kept in slavery. This is all done in the name of the common good. The story opens with the beginning of an apocalypse. Could this be the tipping point in the larger war? Plenty of trigger warnings: child abuse (mental and physical), rape, child murder, depression, forced reproduction (Fulcrum breeding program).
There is a war, largely waged in secret, between different human and non-human factions and also Father Earth, who vents his anger at the inhabitants of the planet through violent earthquakes and volcanoes. Ragas are humans who are born with power to manipulate the tectonic plates and quiet or ignite volcanoes. Perhaps Ragas once cooperated with Father Earth, but no longer. The Sanze Empire emerged from the ashes of previous human civilizations and survived through a number of apocalyptic disasters called Fifth Seasons. The empire seeks to control all Ragas - or kill those who won't be enslaved - for their own ambitions. Hated and blamed for their gift, Ragas are hunted and killed or sent to The Fulcrum to be trained and kept in slavery. This is all done in the name of the common good. The story opens with the beginning of an apocalypse. Could this be the tipping point in the larger war? Plenty of trigger warnings: child abuse (mental and physical), rape, child murder, depression, forced reproduction (Fulcrum breeding program).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness