jpfriday 's review for:

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
5.0
adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
“When the reasoning mind is forced to confront the impossible again and again, it has no choice but to adapt.” N.K. Jemisin has a beautiful way of saying many things at once. In “The Fifth Season,” she tells three tales from a disaster-ridden planet where people with the ability to manipulate the earth are both prized and demonized. The novel is in part about the effects of such dehumanization – the aggression wrapped in a gaze, how murderous hate from “everyone around you” warps your life – and Jemisin’s expert craft holds it all together. With its firm narrative voice and showstopping imagery, “The Fifth Season” produces a sense of awe: like seeing a mythic creature, too large to comprehend, move with uncanny speed.
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