Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Bloody hell, was this book good. So very good.
The Stone Sky is effectively the Book of Hoa, and it is a masterpiece in storytelling. The trilogy builds up to this deep, personal, layered examination of personhood vis-a-vis colonization and genocide. It presents a powerful reflection on the unrelenting greed and desire that underpins dominance, the myths we build to justify that, the choices we make to execute that arrogance, and how they haunt us in our collective memory.
(I'll have to take a break from Fantasy for a while, so that I don't judge the next book too harshly. Very few books -- Fantasy or otherwise -- can live up to Jemisin's writing and world-building here.)
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Middles are difficult but Jemisin introduces a truly great character in Nassun, and her story fills in where the Alabaster/Syenite relationship fades. Things unfold slowly at times but the richness of the story and its world prevents the feeling that the plot is being padded to reach the third book.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Extraordinary world-building with irresistible characters and strong relationships to keep things moving forward during that necessary orientation period at the start of a fantasy series. The result is a thoughtful, rewarding, and surprisingly emotional adventure.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Great conclusion to the series. While the magic, as predicted, never did end up making sense, it was at least internally consistent. The characters were complex and interesting, and the plot surprising while maintaining respect for the reader.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Tough going. You’re going to read it anyway, because you loved the first two so much, but you’re going to struggle through the first four-fifths. The characters will seem hollower, their motivations somehow more mechanical; the Dei ex Machina more handwavy. You will find yourself stumbling more than you expected. You will be rewarded with infrequent jewels—beautiful sentences, powerful sentiments, moments of recognition of your life and your world—and you will be invigorated. You will espy glimpses of the ending, but no, you will not expect it. Not really. Your breath will catch as you get to the finale. And it will be worth it.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Wrapping up the Broken Earth trilogy. Essun finally catches up with her daughter once again, only to find Nassun has clearly increased in skill to at least a ten ring level also. We learn more about the stone eaters and their origins at last, as well as where Alabaster went and what he was doing before Essun found him again. And, of course, we finally learn what happened to the moon in the first place, and what will happen next.
Overall this book felt like a huge tying-up-loose-ends from the past two books; although the various stories did proceed a bit more it felt as if there was less movement in the present and more back-and-forth in time catching us up with what happened in the past. It's still a fascinating and detailed world with good characters, but still a bit of a slow read as you keep track of …
Wrapping up the Broken Earth trilogy. Essun finally catches up with her daughter once again, only to find Nassun has clearly increased in skill to at least a ten ring level also. We learn more about the stone eaters and their origins at last, as well as where Alabaster went and what he was doing before Essun found him again. And, of course, we finally learn what happened to the moon in the first place, and what will happen next.
Overall this book felt like a huge tying-up-loose-ends from the past two books; although the various stories did proceed a bit more it felt as if there was less movement in the present and more back-and-forth in time catching us up with what happened in the past. It's still a fascinating and detailed world with good characters, but still a bit of a slow read as you keep track of multiple story threads and timelines until they finally fit together.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
What a series. So many crazy out there sci-fi concepts, her imagination is relentless and unsparing of the reader’s comprehension. Yet at the heart is a human story, with some excellent social commentary. This is what SF is supposed to be. A really important set of books, even I can recognize that, despite the feeling that there are layers that I missed or couldn’t understand. I would like to read a reader, or some analysis.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This was both a fun and satisfying read, and a thoughtfully appropriate ending to the series. It was also a harrowing read, as little goes well in the short term, and hard choices are the flavor of the day.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This book blew me away, honestly. I think the first two did so well at setting up so many things for the third to be able to use them to twist and flip and reveal things and it worked SO well. Super satisfying read, unbelievable conclusion to the trilogy.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I didn't expect such tenderness from Hoa as the story went on. It was really lovely to see. Schaffa was heartbreaking, and though I hated him, I loved him too. And Alabaster, probably my favorite character in the series... There's too much in this book to try and talk about at midnight on my mobile. It was brilliant.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Honestly, I've never read a trilogy where each book has been just as strong the the others and all blindingly fabulous. How I'm meant to review the final book in the Broken Earth trilogy, I don't know, but I'd urge everyone to read it. If you shy away from epic fantasy because you think it's all like Game of Thrones, fear not, please just give Jemisin's books a try.
With Castrima destroyed, the surviving members of the comm must move and find somewhere new to settle. Do they blame Essun for their predicament? How much of herself did she sacrifice envoking the Obelisk Gate? Nassun is also on the move, her youthful innocence gone now that she sees the true evil of the world. Will mother and daughter meet again before the world ends for the final time?
The narrative structure completely makes sense by the end of this book. …
Honestly, I've never read a trilogy where each book has been just as strong the the others and all blindingly fabulous. How I'm meant to review the final book in the Broken Earth trilogy, I don't know, but I'd urge everyone to read it. If you shy away from epic fantasy because you think it's all like Game of Thrones, fear not, please just give Jemisin's books a try.
With Castrima destroyed, the surviving members of the comm must move and find somewhere new to settle. Do they blame Essun for their predicament? How much of herself did she sacrifice envoking the Obelisk Gate? Nassun is also on the move, her youthful innocence gone now that she sees the true evil of the world. Will mother and daughter meet again before the world ends for the final time?
The narrative structure completely makes sense by the end of this book. The second person narrative wasn't just a stylistic choice, I just loved getting to that moment. The story of the stone eaters is also played out and how the world got to the state it's in. There is even a bucketful of sympathy for the Wardens, as much victims of circumstance as anyone else. It's so emotional, sad and uplifting at the same time.
It is more explicit about slavery than the other books, although it was always there to see reading between the lines; the forced obedience of the orogenes, breeding programmes and how the Stills didn't consider orogenes human. If the world had enslaved you, and people like you, would you seek revenge rather than save it? It is hard not to think of the terrible things that have been done by humans, to other humans and the earth alike.
The undercurrent of climate change has run throughout the books, it's hard to ignore with all the natural disasters kicking off seasons, however I think the message was strongest here. Father Earth may not be a sentient being in our world but we should respect him and know our limits. The Earth is not just one massive resource to be mined until its gone.
Sometimes it's bittersweet getting to the end of a beloved series, but this time I'm excited because I know there's more of Jemisin's work out there already, just waiting for me to discover it. I also think these books are contenders for re-reading, the world is so complex and I'm sure there's more to absorb.
Review of 'The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I was blown away by this book, in the creativity of the universe, the complexity and humanity of the characters, and the approach to the writing, with shifting points of view. Best SFF series I have read in ages and ages.
