A review by onthesamepage
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 Fools. That’s what you get for pissing off my rogga.

Reading this series reminds me of all the things I love about epic fantasy. The complexity, the constant confusion as you learn new things about the world and the characters that completely change your perception of what is going on, the feeling that the characters have massive impact on their world, and that their choices may save it or break it. This is why I once loved reading series like The Wheel of Time. Jemisin manages all of this with truly stunning writing, a diverse cast of characters that make me feel all sorts of things for them even when they do terrible things, horrors that are written into the story in such a way that it feels almost accidental, except she doesn't waste a word and is definitely highlighting the kind of themes I love to read about. And it's only 3 books long. I'm honestly in awe.

Even as the characters are grappling with a new season and all that entails, there is a lot of room for Jemisin to showcase humanity, the good and the bad. One of the things that I thought she really highlighted well are cycles of abuse. Essun was abused by her guardian Schaffa, and by the Fulcrum, and she passed that on to Nassun. It was interesting to see how both Schaffa and Essun now regret the choices they made and the harm they did, and how Nassun, even though she understands that her mother is the way she is because of the Fulcrum and Guardians like Schaffa, somehow doesn't blame Schaffa for Essun's abuse (and in fact loves him like a father), but blames her mother for the way her father turned out.

As with the first book, there are so many mysterious hints dropped in the narrative. Some of those do get explained, but for the rest I only have a lot of wild theories as to what is going on. That is part of the fun for me, and I trust Jemisin to deliver a cohesive whole that will explain everything by the end.

This is an experience unlike any other, and I completely understand why each book won the Hugo award. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings