I must preface this review with some necessary context about
myself, which of course will ramble a fair bit as I often do.
Over the past several years I’ve come to realize that what I write
at this blog aren’t really reviews, as my ‘reviews’ often don’t really
summarize the books I discuss. Likewise, I’ve never claimed to be a critic, as
this certainly isn’t an academic exercise and I (mostly) don’t critically
discuss and analyze the text. What I write is both for those who haven’t read
the book and for those that have. What I write about is my reaction to books –
there may be some summary and there may be discussion on how a book converses
with genre and other aspects of the world – but what I do here is express my
opinion about the book and how I reacted to it. In short, my writings here
(usually) are not conversations with those who have or have not read the book I
discuss, but conversations with myself.
So, to aid you in understanding this particular conversation with
myself, I will provide some important context. Because this book, more so than
most books I read, was very specifically set-up to be a book that I would fall completely
in love with or became so annoyed with that I could not tolerate it even a
little bit. This is a book that could almost certainly have no middle ground
whatsoever. You may be asking yourself why. In a word: geology.
My day job and even where I put a huge amount of volunteer effort,
is in geology, specifically engineering geology, but that is neither here nor
there. My ‘expertise’ in this world is in applied geology. This is what I do,
and since I live in a society that is defined by that career/jobs we are boxed
into, in many ways, it is what I am.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is geology applied to epic fantasy in a way I
have never seen it before. No, it’s not dinosaurs with people, or clever
geologic names, or even a geologically influenced map. The Fifth Season is geology made into epic fantasy, primarily
through magic. The magic of this book occurs through people (and other
‘beings’) directly manipulating geologic forces. The world is one in constant
geologic upheaval and some people have the power to reduce or enhance these
phenomena.
Hopefully, my long preamble is starting show some focus. The Fifth Season would live or die by me
on all of the little, tiny details that won’t matter or mean much to 99% of its
readers. I suppose, conversely, that means that this review (or reaction?),
probably won’t mean much to 99% of those of you out there. But you’ve made it
this far, so why not see it through to the end (no worries, I write about much
more than just geology)?
Typically when I read fiction, and most of that falls squarely in
the greater SFF world, I don’t have much problem with suspending belief. Particularly
with geology. I can usually pretty well ignore any issue or inconsistency. It’s
not hard – because hey, it’s fantasy. But with The Fifth Season it’s too much in my face – it is geomagic (my
word, not Jemisin’s – hers is much cooler). This is the dying earth metaphor in
the form of fantastic geology. The folly of humanity, geologic retribution.
So far I’ve laid hints, but not flat-out said which extreme my
reaction fall into. So, I’ll say it now – I love this book! The geologic
aspects are very well handled – and orogene is an excellent name for a
‘geologic sorcerer’ (for a quick lesson, while it’s not technically a word in
English, orogene plays on orogeny, which can mean a lot of things, but at its
most basic, it refers to a mountain building event in geologic time). If I
tried really hard, I could come up with some nitpicking, but considering that I
would have to try so hard in a book that puts geology front and center, well
that is an accomplishment. Also joyfully worth noting, geologic names for
characters – Syenite, Alabaster, Carnelian, etc. (all are rocks and/or
minerals).
OK, I do need to talk about some other aspects of this book. First,
I think a lot of people will be talking about this book because there really is
a metric shit-ton of interesting stuff in this book (yes, ‘shit-ton’ is a
geologic term…at least for me it is). I’ll start with what the book is – the
synopsis I read speaks of apocalypse and post-apocalyptic happenings (usually
this is an instant no-go for me in a book, but that is another essay altogether).
It certainly fits the general idea of epic fantasy – there’s a quest, there’s
magic, etc. But what it really fits is the dying earth motif*. Past sins of
humanity destroyed the natural order of the world and humanity barely survived.
And the cycle of disaster now repeats itself, with humanity ever approaching
the point where they don’t survive. Is this the story of the end?
Additionally, the story is told through a beautiful mosaic of
diversity. The cast is largely non-white, generally lacking specific analogs to
the racial and ethnic breakdown of our world. In addition to a female lead,
other descriptors of the major and minor characters include transgender, gay,
and bisexual. What’s best is that none of those details matter all that much to
the plot. They are simply there because that’s the way it is. Which is the way
it should be.
Voice. Voice makes or breaks a work of fiction, and what may be
the most significantly interesting characteristic of The Fifth Season is voice. First, there is second, as in second
person. This rarely used narrative voice lends both distance and intimacy to
the description of the end of the world. Particularly since it’s more than the
end of the world, as the voice is that of someone whose world has already
ended. There is a journey as a three points of view slowly converge on clarity
in the face of chaos. The journey of woman – child to teen/young adult to
mother. Conflicts and emotions are different, yet relatable. And the world
ends.
The Fifth Season is the first book in The
Broken Earth Trilogy. Emotionally and thematically The Fifth Season provides a full plot arc as the first book in a
trilogy is supposed to do, if not exactly ending with the triumphant pause in
the three-act play of a trilogy. Plot-wise, there’s something of a cliff-hanger
that really has me wanting to read the next book now.
I’ve thrown around the term dying earth in this review a few times
as it can be a very powerful metaphor for the folly of humanity. In The Fifth Season you can choose your own
analog. And this blends well into the tragedy of single human lives that make
for such compelling literature. Again, in The
Fifth Season you can choose your own analog for that tragedy. The Fifth Season is the story of a dying
earth, it is the story of an apocalypse in a world of repeating apocalyptic
events, though this just might be the end of it all. It is also the story of
very personal journey(s) through a time of upheaval, and one that creates
opportunity to relate on many levels. As a mother, as an outcast, as a talented
and ambitious professional, as a slave to society. As I say above – choose your
own metaphor – Jemisin laid the ground work for at least half a dozen, which
opens the door for even more.
The best fantasy does not strive to restore the status quo. It
seeks progress, progress that can be ugly…very ugly. In many cultures and
traditions death is not the end, but an end. In that end there is the
implication for rebirth, the implication of progress along a greater journey. I
have a sneaking sense that what Jemisin is doing in The Broken Earth Trilogy is not just the end, but also the
beginning of progress toward something more.
So, my own journey with The
Fifth Season began with the superficial connection to a single metaphor. Or
you could say that it began with the earth (maybe even the Earth). And while I
quite clearly reveled in that connection, drilling deeper, to the core of the
story kills the connection to the earth. In that death there is the birth of
the connection to humanity, which completes the circle for a personal
connection.
The Fifth Season is SFF of potential, perhaps the most potential that can be had
at this moment in time.
The
Broken Earth Trilogy
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)
*It’s worth noting that Jemisin has said that the Stillness of the
The Broken Earth Trilogy is not
Earth and was never intended to be Earth. It is a secondary world, though I
stand by my assertion that at least in the case of The Fifth Season, there is far more kinship to Dying Earth motifs
than the dime-a-dozen post-apocalyptic SFF series plaguing genre these days.
