The Fifth Season

I came upon a list of queer books and thought I'd give a try to the Fifth season. I haven't Heroic fantasy for more than a decad (apart from a book by Damasio). The book is good : well written, the way the narration is built is brilliant. In terms of representations it is very good as well, compared from what I read in the past. I enjoyed the female characters and the fact that heterosexuality or being cis isn't the norm. Yet the book is definitely speciesist : eating other animals or exploiting them is not questionned. A total page turner. I read it in four sittings, which means I spent a lot of time reading in bed haha. Personnally, I'm both grateful for this page turning effect and uneasy. For me it's totally addictive, I have no motivation to do anything else than reading what comes next. This kind of situation makes me feel bad as I'm unable to do others things I should be doing. This definitely has to do with me and not with the author or the book, but that said I wish these books would not have that kind of effect on me. Jacques Abeille's les Jardins Statutaires is a good example of fantasy book which is both enjoyable without being an absolute page turner forme.

Die Welt ist zu einem einzigen Superkontinent - die Stille - zusammengefallen. Tektonische Spannungen sorgen kontinuierlich für Erdbeben oder Vulkanausbrüche. Besonders heftige Ausbrüche können eine Fünftzeit auslösen - eine mehrjährige Periode aus Asche- und Schwefelregen mit wenig Sonnenlicht und geringen Überlebenschancen für die Bewohner:innen des Kontinents. In dieser Zeit zerfallen Reiche, Gemeinschaften ("Gems)" kämpfen um ihr Überleben und ganze Zivilisationen gehen unter. Allerdings ist die Menschheit der Wut von "Vater Erde" nicht völlig machtlos ausgliefert. Einige Menschen können mittels der Gabe der Orogenie durch Beeinflussung von Wärme und Bewegungsenergie sogar Erdbeben aufhalten und Vulkane abkühlen. Aufgrund Ihrer potentiellen Macht werden die Orogenen gejagt und ermordert. Im günstigsten Fall entdeckt ein:e Wächter:in ein orogen begabtes Kind und nimmt es zur Ausbildung mit ins Fulcrum - dort werden die Orogenen zur bedingungslosen Unterwerfung unter die Wächter erzogen.

Auf verschiedenen Zeitebenen wird die Geschichte der Orogenen Essun erzählt, die als Kind von einem Wächter entdeckt wird und so der Ermordung durch ihre Eltern entgeht, sich gegen das Fulcrum stellt und sich auf der dritten Erzhälebene auf die Suche nach ihrer Tochter begibt.

Neben einem spannenden world-building und interessant angelegten Charakteren werden unter anderem Themen wie Xenophobie, Sklaverei, Kastenwesen und das Verhalten von Menschen unter existentiellen Bedrohungen angesprochen.

Selten hat mich ein Fantasy-Roman so gefesselt. :-)

Wow, what a great read! There's a reason this book won a Hugo, it's sequel also won a Hugo, and the 3rd of the trilogy is nominated.

Without spoilers, this book tells the story of three specially talented women on an alternate Earth. This Earth (sarcastically called the Stillness) is ravaged by earthquakes, volcanoes, and other forms of seismic activity, and these women have the mutant power to either quell or enhance that activity at will. This power, however, marks them as outcasts from society, and it is this that draws them (and others like them) together. The relationship between the three women is unique, and the nature of that relationship is revealed masterfully. The author wraps up the plot with a tidy bow, connecting the opening chapter to the last with skill, while still leaving a cliffhanger and plenty of meat for a great next installment.

Stylistically, I compare this very favorably with Hannu Rajaniemi's Fractal Prince book - N.K. Jemisin reveals the world piecemeal, with very little exposition to guide the reader. In other words, lazy readers need not apply. I also think it shares a lot structurally with Anne Leckie's Ancillary Justice (which coincidentally won a Hugo two years before this one), where the story is told in pieces, with alternating storylines occupying different chapters. The reveals this structure brings are wonderful to read when done well, and Jemisin does it very well.

Looking forward to book two, The Obelisk Gate!