WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD 2017 (Broken Earth Trilogy)

This book series is so fantastic. I'm in the last few pages, and I'm already excited to read it again! Now how will I muster the patience to wait for the third book?? Thanks NK Jemisin for this incredible creation of yours!

This series surprised me. It's underrated and exceeded any expectations I had. The writing and foreshadowing makes this series enjoyable and the topic is refreshing for adults who love the fantasy genre.

I can understand that the first two books in this series are Hugo winners. Having said that, I think I am finished with this series. There is great deal of anger in the chief characters and everyone for that matter. There also seems that the characters are not that bright, the same errors are repeated over and over with mortal affects.

The first book was fun to read. Neat to explore a new world. This book didn't really move the needle much.

It was still easy to read, but I'm still somewhat unclear on the actual plot, and who's fighting each other. After a few hundred pages, I'd like to have a better idea of what's going on. I found that I didn't care at all about the main characters, and I ended up starting to skim the later part of the book. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through the 3rd book.

Once again, what I feel could have been a 4 or 5-star review, I have to bump down to 3. Don't get me wrong, this was an enjoyable read. I thought The Obelisk Gate was better and worse in some respects to The Fifth Season.

The Bad:

The use of the 2nd person simply doesn't work. I felt throughout much of the novel how I feel when I watch a foreign-language film in subtitles. Yes, after 10 minutes or so I can almost forget that I don't understand anything anyone is saying and that I'm reading a movie, but the entire time there is a nagging sensation that I would really enjoy it more if I understood the language and didn't have to read English subtitles. Here, I have gotten used to the second-person perspective, but it's a constant irritant in the back of my mind that disallows complete immersion in the novel. No, Jemisin, I am not Essun. I don't agree with some of her motivations and feelings even if you tell me that they're mine. Speaking to me as though this is MY story feels like a constant attempt to guide my reaction to the events of the novel along the lines the author wishes, instead of leaving it up to me to react on my own. It's very heavy-handed on the author's part. It may be that what she has attempted to do is tell this part of the story as a first-person perspective, spoken in the second person, i.e. the "you are doing x" is the narrator expressing her thoughts in a casual manner. It still just doesn't work. When the three storylines came together at the end of The Fifth Season, I hoped that Jemisin would stop it with this 2nd person business and instead employ the 1st or 3rd person perspective (probably 1st is most appropriate). No such luck, and the telling of the story suffers.

Second, the reader is given a great revelation as to the novel power of Orogeny, a power among other things that seemed to have a biological basis that interacted with real-world physics. Yet, after hundreds of pages of reading about a very interesting and unique power, it turns out that way back in the day it used to be called "magic." With one sentence all that intrigue and mystique vanishes and we're left with super powers like in any other fantasy novel, just much better described than most. To be clear, Jemisin's powers of description mitigates the damage done by this misstep somewhat. Jemisin paints the picture of the use of the magic so well that you can't help but feel that fluttering sense of enchantment, and it is a pleasure to read about throughout the book.

Third: the lack of moral reflection by several of these characters is annoying. When a character turns someone to stone, there is some crying about it for a couple days then it's no big deal. Oh, she didn't mean to of course, and she's certainly sad, but these things happen. When this same character then murders and entire village of people, it is justified as "well, those people were wrong." People of this same character's type were hunted down throughout history, yet she apparently feels nothing from killing hundreds of people for no apparent reason, because there is zero reflection from her on this. It doesn't appear to affect her psychology at all. It's the same as when Essun decided to go play pirate in the first novel and drowns ships full of people then just goes on with her day basically. It's all a missed opportunity.

The Good:

I enjoyed the story about Nassun, even if I did find it somewhat unrealistic regarding her journey with Jija. I was willing to overlook it, however, when Jemisin gave me the satisfaction of watching his story unfold to its conclusion. Learning about Nassun was a good addition to the general story and ties one loose-end while introducing some major new ones.

The story is developing in a generally interesting and compelling way. The world's history is told just enough to give the reader an idea that so much has been lost to time. Jemisin does a masterful job there, it makes the world so believable. There are hints of plenty of mysteries left to unfold, ancient secrets to uncover, immense personal transformations to come for several characters, and the brooding hint of cataclysmic conflict with forces of god-like power. There is plenty to like about all of that.

The unrealistic bisexual threesome from the last novel, which I felt was both contrived, and had little effect on the story, is finally given some weight here. It still plays a relatively minor role other than the offspring it produced, but it is better than what was afforded to it in the 5th season. I still think it felt like it was just sort of stuck into the storyline, but my irritation at it is diminishing as the remaining characters at least seem to care about it now. There is a new alt-lifestyle relationship in this novel, and for the first time in a Jemisin novel, the relationship is very subtle, a change I enjoyed only because she had become predictable.

Overall an enjoyable and worthwhile read, and a worthy follow-up to The Fifth Season.

There were "made up" words that, at times, were a little difficult to follow the meaning of them; which in my opinion, was unnecessary to tell her story. And there are scenarios that happen in the book that I didn't care to read about. I ordered all 3 books at the same time and the second one, so far, seems better than the first. Hope the other 2 can help this one.

More of the mystery revealed. It forced me to think about our shared past, present and future. How short sighted we humans are - especially the Trump idiot and others who have never served any except themselves and money. A thousand years is not enough but he is already rendered useless and of no good to those who serve others.

Way too much of everything! It felt like trying to sort through the debris in a tornado. I tried to read 2 books in the series but will not go any further as it is such a scattering of ideas that I am still lost.

Once again, what I feel could have been a 4 or 5-star review, I have to bump down to 3. Don't get me wrong, this was an enjoyable read. I thought The Obelisk Gate was better and worse in some respects to The Fifth Season.

The Bad:

The use of the 2nd person simply doesn't work. I felt throughout much of the novel how I feel when I watch a foreign-language film in subtitles. Yes, after 10 minutes or so I can almost forget that I don't understand anything anyone is saying and that I'm reading a movie, but the entire time there is a nagging sensation that I would really enjoy it more if I understood the language and didn't have to read English subtitles. Here, I have gotten used to the second-person perspective, but it's a constant irritant in the back of my mind that disallows complete immersion in the novel. No, Jemisin, I am not Essun. I don't agree with some of her motivations and feelings even if you tell me that they're mine. Speaking to me as though this is MY story feels like a constant attempt to guide my reaction to the events of the novel along the lines the author wishes, instead of leaving it up to me to react on my own. It's very heavy-handed on the author's part. It may be that what she has attempted to do is tell this part of the story as a first-person perspective, spoken in the second person, i.e. the "you are doing x" is the narrator expressing her thoughts in a casual manner. It still just doesn't work. When the three storylines came together at the end of The Fifth Season, I hoped that Jemisin would stop it with this 2nd person business and instead employ the 1st or 3rd person perspective (probably 1st is most appropriate). No such luck, and the telling of the story suffers.

Second, the reader is given a great revelation as to the novel power of Orogeny, a power among other things that seemed to have a biological basis that interacted with real-world physics. Yet, after hundreds of pages of reading about a very interesting and unique power, it turns out that way back in the day it used to be called "magic." With one sentence all that intrigue and mystique vanishes and we're left with super powers like in any other fantasy novel, just much better described than most. To be clear, Jemisin's powers of description mitigates the damage done by this misstep somewhat. Jemisin paints the picture of the use of the magic so well that you can't help but feel that fluttering sense of enchantment, and it is a pleasure to read about throughout the book.

Third: the lack of moral reflection by several of these characters is annoying. When a character turns someone to stone, there is some crying about it for a couple days then it's no big deal. Oh, she didn't mean to of course, and she's certainly sad, but these things happen. When this same character then murders and entire village of people, it is justified as "well, those people were wrong." People of this same character's type were hunted down throughout history, yet she apparently feels nothing from killing hundreds of people for no apparent reason, because there is zero reflection from her on this. It doesn't appear to affect her psychology at all. It's the same as when Essun decided to go play pirate in the first novel and drowns ships full of people then just goes on with her day basically. It's all a missed opportunity.

The Good:

I enjoyed the story about Nassun, even if I did find it somewhat unrealistic regarding her journey with Jija. I was willing to overlook it, however, when Jemisin gave me the satisfaction of watching his story unfold to its conclusion. Learning about Nassun was a good addition to the general story and ties one loose-end while introducing some major new ones.

The story is developing in a generally interesting and compelling way. The world's history is told just enough to give the reader an idea that so much has been lost to time. Jemisin does a masterful job there, it makes the world so believable. There are hints of plenty of mysteries left to unfold, ancient secrets to uncover, immense personal transformations to come for several characters, and the brooding hint of cataclysmic conflict with forces of god-like power. There is plenty to like about all of that.

The unrealistic bisexual threesome from the last novel, which I felt was both contrived, and had little effect on the story, is finally given some weight here. It still plays a relatively minor role other than the offspring it produced, but it is better than what was afforded to it in the 5th season. I still think it felt like it was just sort of stuck into the storyline, but my irritation at it is diminishing as the remaining characters at least seem to care about it now. There is a new alt-lifestyle relationship in this novel, and for the first time in a Jemisin novel, the relationship is very subtle, a change I enjoyed only because she had become predictable.

Overall an enjoyable and worthwhile read, and a worthy follow-up to The Fifth Season.

There were "made up" words that, at times, were a little difficult to follow the meaning of them; which in my opinion, was unnecessary to tell her story. And there are scenarios that happen in the book that I didn't care to read about. I ordered all 3 books at the same time and the second one, so far, seems better than the first. Hope the other 2 can help this one.

More of the mystery revealed. It forced me to think about our shared past, present and future. How short sighted we humans are - especially the Trump idiot and others who have never served any except themselves and money. A thousand years is not enough but he is already rendered useless and of no good to those who serve others.

Way too much of everything! It felt like trying to sort through the debris in a tornado. I tried to read 2 books in the series but will not go any further as it is such a scattering of ideas that I am still lost.

I was really looking forward to this next installment so I might have had too high hopes. The story line was good and Jemisin's writing is great (as always) but I was a bit disappointed. I expected a book similar to the first. While the book was well written the plot was fairly simplistic in comparison to the first. Of course to some degree that makes sense but at the end of the book I was left feeling like "that was it?" I wanted more from this book.

A bit disappointing. At times I didn't know whether I was reading and N.K. Jemison book or reading the lyrics to "I am a Walrus" The constant "I am he, and you are me, and we are she, and we are all together stuff was annoying as a "device" for the story.
Good book overall, but not as good as its predecessors.

It’s like she had a good idea but had no idea what to do with it. Read the first thought it was ok, started the second and forced my way to the end. What a waste. The story is so weak, the characters are not well defined and she seems to just glaze over the parts you are waiting for in like a page. Much better books out there. I am amazed how many people have it good ratings.

There was not one character that I cared about. At 1/3 of the book I stopped reading with a feeling of relief. The first book in the series was ok, so I decided to try the second. That was a mistake. No more NK Jemisin for me.

Why does everything nowadays have to be a trilogy? The Broken Earth series has a lot of good ideas, but it goes on way too long. And the endless humorless drumbeat of sex, violence, betrayal, and the end of the world...well, that field has been plowed pretty hard by lots of other authors and it's getting a bit tedious. I think the trilogy disease is a variant of what has happened on cable TV and other media - take an idea that would make a good single novel or movie, and then inflate it so that readers have to pay 3, 4, 5 times to reach the money shot. I see this echoed in other works authors I am reading now, like Ian Tregillis (Bitter Seeds, Mechanical) and Jim Butcher (Dresden, Cinder Spires). Don't get me wrong, I love all the visions of all these authors (some more than others) - I just think that publishers are demanding multiple revenue streams, forcing authors to crank out product which moves like molasses and empties our wallets.

This first book in this series was masterful. Truly outstanding fiction. Sadly, this continuing story left me yawning more often than not. I just kept hoping it would pick up the pace. I know there is supposed to be a third book (or maybe its already out... I haven't bothered checking) but this book got so stale by the end that I don't think I can work myself up to reading the next one.

Overall, I think Broken Earth is one of the most inventive works of epic fantasy in years. Jemisin combines the post-apocalyptic setting, familiar from near-future SF, with a pre-industrial fantasy world prone to seismic instability. Orogeny, a form of magic that can manipulate the earth, is used to keep earthquakes to a minimum across the continent known semi-ironically as “the Stillness”. On the other hand, its practitioners, orogenes, are feared, reviled, and placed under the control of a caste of “Guardians” – if they’re not murdered first.

The Stillness is rather apocalypse-prone, having suffered tens of “Fifth Seasons” (or simply “Seasons”) – continent-spanning disasters – in recorded history. Society has been organized around the idea that disaster may strike at any time, and the fact that certain people and skillsets become more valuable during a Season has resulted in a “use-caste” system combined with a restrictive notion of community membership. When a Season occurs, communities are expected to implement a form of martial law, and anyone not belonging to a community is probably not going to survive.

In The Fifth Season, the first book in the series, we learned of something that has the potential to end the Seasons forever. Then, in The Obelisk Gate, we learn of a conflict surrounding that possibility, which has gone on for generations. The conflict has multiple factions, some of which are not human, but the core point of contention is over the earth itself, and the incident that caused the Seasons to start happening. We learn more about the depth and breadth of orogeny, about the Guardians, and many of the mysteries introduced in the first book are deepened and fleshed out. The book concludes in a tense readiness for an attempt to fix the Seasons forever.

The Obelisk Gate is a perfect middle-of-a-trilogy book. It picks up all of the plot hooks left over from the first book, and resolves a couple of them while tying the rest of them together into a more complex network of relationships that is poised to collide and entangle further during the last book. Orogeny is a mysterious force throughout the first book, but in the second book we understand more of how it works and what its potential is, setting us up to appreciate some truly epic uses of the magic in the conclusion.

"I WANT TO KEEP TELLING THIS as I have: in your mind, in your voice, telling you what to think and know. Do you find this rude? It is, I admit. Selfish. When I speak as just myself, it’s difficult to feel like part of you. It is lonelier. Please; let me continue a bit longer."

This book is the second in a trilogy.

The Fifth Season - 5/5 Earthquakes
The Obelisk Gate - 5/5 Crystals
The Stone Sky - TBR, but I imagine it's amazing.

What is it about?

"HMM. NO. I’M TELLING THIS WRONG."

This is the opening line to book 2 of the Broken Earth Trilogy. As far as opening lines go, I think this one is funny and catching, and will stand out to me for a long time. It also accurately says that there's a lot going on and it's difficult to explain. I tried to explain it to my husband, but that did not go well. 

We know from book 1 that the world is ending, and book 2 is basically the continued struggle for survival. Keep in mind, though, that it's a lot more interesting and complicated than that! 

Was it good?

It was brilliant and beautiful, and I loved it. I especially loved that most of it was told in that 2nd person perspective. It's like you awoke from a coma and someone is telling you what you did and felt. It is such a unique story telling technique and it makes me feel really immersed in the story. I loved it. 

I enjoy the world building and the writing in this book. Jemisin is a talented and inventive author. But again I find none of the characters, except Hoa, likeable. Even the main characters are people I would never want to meet or spend time with. For many people this doesn't matter, but for me part of the enjoyment of reading a book is becoming engrossed with the characters and wanting to see where they go and how they grow. Here I am interested in the fate of the Earth but not the main characters. Perhaps in the third book there will come some redeeming qualities in these characters, but somehow I think not. This is a very dark novel and I believe the third book will continue in that vein. Will I buy the third book? Yes I will. I am invested in the fate of the Earth but not the lives of the characters.

This isn’t a sequel to _The Fifth Season_ so much as the middle section of a continuous epic narrative, and it’s easily as good as the first volume. And, like the first volume, it also won the Hugo and was nominated for the Nebula.

Essun (who once was Damaya and then was Syenite) is a very powerful orogene, a manipulator of the geology of the Earth (which, one begins to suspect for various reasons, is actually our Earth, perhaps in the far future), has found sanctuary in a community that includes many others of her kind -- which amazes her, since people like her are universally feared and frequently killed as children, as soon as they begin to show their abilities. She hasn’t given up her search for her daughter, Nassun, but the trail has gone cold. The Guardian who monitored her in the old days has also become a POV character, and he’s been greatly changed by his own series of traumas. (He was scary before but now he’s coldly terrifying.) Nassun herself -- who is also an increasingly powerful orogene -- also gets a much larger share of the story as she grows and develops her own abilities. Jemisin also plumbs her unavoidably warped personality, which makes her as fascinating a person as her mother.

The writing is first-rate and people’s actions and motives are entirely credible, which isn’t that common in fantasy fiction. And I’m definitely looking forward to discovering how they get the Moon back.

In the second book in the Broken Earth trilogy, we follow Essun and now her daughter Nassun as they explore their orogenic powers by connecting to the obelisks floating above the continent. Castrima is threatened by another comm demanding they give up every orogene if they want to live. Nassun learns how to control her power in the Antarctics under Schaffa's watchful eye while Essun learns everything she can from Alabaster in his weakening state. But is it enough to bring the moon back?

Jemisin's magic continues as we see through both Essun's and Nassun's eyes. You are still Essun, but there is a new POV, there is an I. The jumps from first, second, to third person flows seamlessly because each POV is written so well that it's not as noticeable as one would think. While both Essun and Nassun believe they are trying to save the earth, at this point we have no idea whose methods will win, or even if that win is good for not only earth but humanity as well.

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

It was absolutely lovey to be re-immersed in tho the Broken Earth world. It felt like coming home because I was able to be back in the world of magic and mystery. I am always stunned by Jemisin's fantastic and deeply poignant words. The words are easy to say, to pronounce, to roll off your tongue, but they are difficult to feel. They slide through those cracks in your armor, seeking those tender spots.

I only love this trilogy more and more. So I'm expecting grand things for the third. And I know it will preform even better than I expect. There's all these threads that I know will come together and I am writing this review in anticipation. Jemisin weaves us into this immersive and rich world.

Essun--previously Syenite, previously Damaya--has found shelter in an underground comm, where orogenes are not hated; in fact, the leader is an orogene. She has not found her daughter, Nassun. Instead, she has found Alabaster Tenring, former lover, author of the destruction of the world. He has a request for her. He wants to train her as his successor, to complete his work--which has started the destruction of the world

Meanwhile, Nassun, carried off by her father after he killed her brother, is struggling to survive--including surviving her father, without whom, a little girl of nine, she can't survive alone. They've been found by a Guardian who recognizes Nassun's potential, and whose daughter she is. He promises her father that in his school, he can teach Nassun not to be an orogene.

We get major revelations in this volume of the trilogy, about Alabaster, about the Guardians and the history of the Imperial Orogenes, and about the history of the planet.

About why Father Earth is so angry.

And Nassun, who has had to grow up far too quickly, is discovering her powers.

Jemisin's complex textured world-building and equally complex, textured character development, continue in this volume. Yes, it's about the end of the world. Yes, I never read apocalyptic fiction.

And yes, you should read this book. It's gripping, compelling, beautiful.

Highly recommended.

I bought this audiobook.

This fantasy/sci-fi book series is unlike any other, with so many innovative world-building, character-development, and storytelling elements! All the love and praise for Jemisin's genius and evident hard-work in creating the extraordinary and unique world of the Stillness, full with fresh forms of magic, rigorously-managed science details, and rich character diversity. Both The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate gradually explore the many layers of this intricate universe, consistently making for a most intriguing read as further mysteries are revealed. The experience is also made very compelling thanks to Jemisin's personal and sometimes visceral writing style.

I have come to be skeptical about how good stories with super-powered individuals can be, as the ensuing imbalance is very often hard to manage and often leads to failures in logic, unrelatable characters, challenges that feel forced, poor treatment of ethical and moral issues, or unrealistic politics. Orogenes in The Broken Earth are capable of very easily summoning death and throughout the series flirt with world-altering powers. It seems like a recipe for a story that can badly fail to deliver, and yet Jemisin manages for the most part to maintain it believable, personal, and deeply engaging. However, I must say that the balance is not perfect and, as the main characters continue to grow in power in The Obelisk Gate, some cracks begin to appear. As an example, just take the final battle which for me was far less investing and climactic than the one in The Fifth Season.

I enjoyed this book very much and cannot wait to read the final installment. However, even as it maintained some of the best elements that blew my mind in the first entry, I think it fell below the very high standard set by its predecessor. Aside from the overpowered magic issue and the notching-down in the action I mentioned, this sequel also represents a downgrade in the interesting relationships between the multiple POV characters in The Fifth Season.

I just finished the Obelisk Gate last night and I can't stop thinking about it. Jemisin's writing provokes, prods and pushes the reader to new discoveries and realizations not just about the book and its characters but also about human nature itself. It is clear that the author understands dialog, pacing, epic fantasy etc. and this book has everything I want when I am yearning for a good story. But what really sets The Broken Earth series apart is the thoughtful delving into human relationships and the deft way the author uses those relationships to expound upon deep societal issues like racism, discrimination, abuse, love and power. The world that Jemisin has created is completely original and like nothing else I've read.

I also LOVE that the characters are mostly people of color and when there are white characters the author specifically mentions their skin color with descriptors such as 'Antarctic' with 'flat hair' and 'ice white eyes'. SciFi and Fantasy is dominated by white authors and I am so tired of reading books with fantastical worlds and amazing creatures where the humans are all or mostly white. Most authors today describe their characters as having 'brown hair and blue eyes and tall etc." but they only mention skin color when the character is not white, such as 'the man had dark skin'. The assumption that all people are white unless the author specifically mentions their dark skin is just ridiculous. Jemesin turns this trope on its head with her world of brown peoples where white skin is remarked on. And I say this as a blond haired blue eyed 'Antarctic' who frankly finds this white bias annoying and Jemesin's clever characterizations refreshing.

I always struggle when writing reviews for N.K. Jemisin’s books. First of all, I’m always afraid that I can’t do the books justice. Jemisin writes such complex worlds, characters and stories with so many layers baked in that I can’t possibly understand all of it, never mind capture it in a review. Secondly, I just love the books so much that all I want to do is gush and make everyone read it. And that is not conducive to writing a coherent review. This always leads to me procrastinating on actually writing these reviews, but today is the day and I’m just going to push through it and review The Obelisk Gate.

So let’s get the inevitable gushing out of the way first. I LOVE this book. It is brilliant and the story absolutely broke me. Jemisin manages to shatter my heart into a thousand pieces every time just by making me care so much for her characters. The Obelisk Gate has been nominated for a Hugo — like its predecessor The Fifth Season, which took the rocket home — and it is an absolutely deserved nomination (full disclosure: I nominated it as well).

As with The Fifth Season the story is told from three different points of view. In the first book there was a clear division in the various narrations, which were brought together through the reveal towards the end of the book. In The Obelisk Gate the division is still there without having the same twist as the characters are clearly identified through the chapter headings, which reveal that they are either about Essun, Nassun, or Schaffa. What is revealed through the narrative and the structure is that the actual narrator of the story is Hoa. At first, I only thought he was narrating the second person arc, yet it dawned on me that he might actually also be narrating the other two arcs as well. That he is in fact telling the entire story to Essun at a future point. Perhaps one of the reveals in the third book will be why Hoa is telling the story the way he is; I hope it will be.

Essun, with Hoa and Tonkee, finds herself holed up at Castrima in a comm filled with orogenes where to her surprise she finds Alabaster. But it is an Alabaster who is very much transformed by his actions of the previous book. His transformation and Essun’s coming to terms with their shared history and Baster’s role in that were powerful. Her frustration, anger, and — despite everything — abiding love for him were affecting and I was left in tears by their final scenes together. Essun’s finding herself having to reassess most if not all of her relationships in the course of the book. Her feelings for Hoa, her perception of his nature, her treatment of her daughter Nassun, her regard for Lerna, how she relates to other orogenes—all of it is changed and turned upside down. There is so much growth in her story and she is so incredibly tenacious and strong. Essun is certainly one of the most memorable protagonists of the past five years for me.

Nassun’s story is one of equal growth, though perhaps that is a less surprising fact as Nassun is also still a young teen, who cannot help but grow and change, that is part of their nature. What fascinated me about Nassun’s story was how her perception of her parents changes over the course of the novel. She has to come to terms with the abuse she has faced over the course of her life from both of them, even if in Essun’s case it was meant to ultimately protect Nassun. Abuse can never be excused or justified by intent, but realising that intent may help the victim parse what has happened to them. As such, it is also intriguing — and somewhat ironic — that Nassun forms such a close bond with Schaffa, Syenite’s former Guardian. He becomes her trusted adult, while everything in me screamed for her not to, because as a reader I knew of his past with her mother. But then, Schaffa isn’t the man he once was and his motivations have changed or have they? I loved the complexity and mystery of his character and point of view and I loved learning more about his world.

Both Essun and Nassun have to find a place in a new community: Essun in Castrima and Nassun in Found Moon. I love how Jemisin manages to convey so much through the communities and the way that they are put together. Each place is trying to find its own way of dealing with the current crisis of this latest Season. In Castrima orogeny and orogenes are a central part of the comm, yet they are still regarded as other and in the end the distrust that regard engenders seemingly wins out and destabilises everything. In Found Moon orogenes are also a central part of the community but in a completely different way: they are kept apart from the non-orogenes and told that they can be ‘cured’. I found the portrayal of the two different comms fantastic and the people in them equally compelling.

Jemisin has so much crammed into this novel, that it is impossible to unpack everything in one review. There are commentaries on race, sexuality, and gender, on the realities of being differently abled, of grief, of anger, hope, love, forgiveness, and of sacrificing everything to save the world. This review can’t do The Obelisk Gate justice, but I do hope it has made you curious to discover more of the world of The Broken Earth series and to dive into Jemisin’s amazing story.

N.K. Jemisin's THE OBELISK GATE is book two in The Broken Earth series and the direct sequel to last year's Hugo-winning THE FIFTH SEASON. That book was far and away the best book of the year; THE OBELISK GATE may be close to being the best book I read from 2016. It suffers from being "the second book in the trilogy syndrome", but that's not a fair accusation. That malady is usually given to second books in a series which exhibit a dramatic drop in quality from the first book. The difference between THE OBELISK GATE and those other second books is that the word "dramatic" can be removed from the previous statement.

The novel starts out pretty much where the first one left off - right after that killer last sentence. In that last sentence, we discovered that the planet used to have a moon; in fact, it is referred to as "the" Moon, which leads me to feel (and this is my deduction) that we are on a far future Earth. The lack of the Moon is what is causing all the seismic disturbances that have been plaguing the planet - or at least contributing to them. The reader can then infer (at least I did) that the orogenes, the Guardians, and the Stone Eaters all developed in response to the planet's instability.

In THE FIFTH SEASON, we followed the story of Damaya, Syenite, and Essun. By the end of that book we discovered that the three of them were in fact the same person at different stages of her life. Damaya had her Guardian (as does every orogene) in the person of Schaffa, and Syenite traveled with Alabaster, the ten ring orogene - the most powerful orogene there is - who caused the event that resulted in the latest Season. Essun was in search of her daughter Nassun, who was traveling with her father Jija, who killed their son Uche.

THE OBELISK GATE brings things more in focus while simultaneously exploring the complexities and the vast story of the Stillness. This book focuses on Essun and Nassun. Essun has been requested by Alabaster to build the Obelisk Gate to bring the Moon back, which has apparently been sent into an elongated, elliptical orbit, and does pass near the planet periodically. Nassun, while traveling with her father who clearly hates orogenes but can't bring himself to hate her, meets up with our old friend Schaffa. Nassun has become an extremely powerful orogene at a very young age, probably more powerful than her mother Essun. Her power and her decisions could possibly make the situation brought upon by the Season worse than it already is.

And there are the Stone Eaters, who play a much more prominent role in this story. We learn throughout the course of the book of the thousands year old war with multiple sides involved, and how the Stone Eaters, the Guardians, the orogenes, and the Stills (standard humans) are players in that war.

This is a truly complex book, as Jemisin takes what we know about the Stillness from THE FIFTH SEASON and expands upon it, reveals more about its history, and leaves us wanting for more, all the while teasing us about the origin of all these types of characters, and how they fit in to the grand scheme of things. As with THE FIFTH SEASON, there's a lot going on here, and I can't go much further into it without giving things away. Suffice to say that the both the story and the characters have great depth and complexity, and they go hand in hand in order to make this book work beautifully.

As with most second books in trilogies, this one really doesn't settle much of anything; rather, it opens up more questions and plot threads that Jemisin will need to follow up on and close off in the final book, due out this year. After the first two books, I firmly believe that Jemisin is up to the task. I'm eagerly awaiting the final chapter in this story. It should be terrific.

I absolutely loved The Fifth Season when I read it a couple of weeks ago – it made my top five books of 2016 despite reading it in late December.

I’m avoiding spoilers for both The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate in this review, which is going to be a little tricky. At the end of The Fifth Season, we (and Essun) find out a little about what exactly is wrong with the world of the Stillness. The Obelisk Gate picks up pretty much exactly at that ending. We get a couple of new viewpoints – Schaffa, Syenite’s former guardian, and Nassun, Essun’s missing daughter who has been through more in a year that a person should have to bear in a lifetime.

We delve more into the world of the Stillness into this book, Essun isn’t as focused on her grief since she’s had some time to process things, and she’s lost Nassun’s trail. Her purpose changes, and she finds a community and starts paying attention to the wider world again. It turns into a more conventional (but still excellent) fantasy story – politics, alliances, defending your home from a threat, figuring out how to save the world. Nassun and Schaffa’s stories explore other plans for the world that are being made in parallel to Essun’s story, but have the potential to establish even more conflict.

This world is utterly brutal, and it’s shaped the people who live in it to be pretty monstrous as well. I’m not usually a fan of protagonists who commit heinous acts, but even though all three protagonists do this multiple times, N.K. Jemisin writes so well that I ended up feeling (almost) nothing but sympathy for them. Broken as they are, they’re the only people with the power to change things, and they’re reasonably well-intentioned. Some of the events makes it easier to understand why people are scared of orogenes, though, and I hope there are going to be some consequences in the third book for them. Right now the main consequences seem to be that the protagonists feel bad about themselves, but that doesn’t stop them from not being in control of themselves later.

Even though this was an outstanding book, it’s still very much a middle book, and by the end, the pieces are in place for what seems like it’s going to be an explosive (in multiple ways) finale. Only about six more months to wait for The Stone Sky!

4.5 stars. Jemisin is simply masterful. She continues to weave a story and flesh out a world of her imagination, grounded in complex and heartbreaking characters, elemental and existential threats, and the ephemera of magic and mystery. This middle book of the trilogy holds up beautifully against the first and lays the groundwork for what promises to be a stunning conclusion. Essun remains in the underground comm, surrounded by crystal, struggling to wrest sense from Alibaster's teachings, deciphering Hoa's designs, and finding a way to make a home in a place where she doesn't have to hide who she is. Nessun is on the road with her father, trying to find shelter in a season and trying to survive that father's mingled love and loathing, eventually crossing paths with a figure from Essun's past. The characters spiral out, stills and oragens, stone-eaters and Guardians, and the very Earth itself. Worth the time of any reader.

The Obelisk Gate won the 2017 Hugo Award. It is the second book of the Broken Earth Trilogy, the fantasy epic that began with the Hugo Award-winning The Fifth Season.

For those that have not read any of The Broken Earth Trilogy, The Obelisk Gate is the second part of one long story. You absolutely must read The Fifth Season before you read this book.

For those that have read The Fifth Season and liked it, The Obelisk Gate is not a letdown. The story continues. A few more mysteries are solved and a few more mysteries are introduced. There’s a little more action, with higher stakes. The writing style is the same, with the second person POV still being used for about half of the chapters.

For those that have read The Fifth Season and did not like it, you are probably not going to like this book very much either.

The Fifth Season was a stunning first volume. The version of magic was unique and the voice of the author was unlike anything I've ever read, especially in fantasy.

The Obelisk Hate does a great job expanding and filling out the world that was so compellingly drawn in The Fifth Season. It's slower, but we get more characters, more mythology, and we start to question what we thought we knew. It's fun and exciting and utterly unique.

I can't wait to pick up The Stone Sky (and then probably all the rest of Jemisin's work too).

The second book in the trilogy, even better than the first with only a few flaws in pacing.
Frank Herbert's "Dune" series is the cornerstone of the world-building sci-fi/fantasy genre and William Gibson is the current Gold Standard
While Ms. Jemisin falls right about in the middle. There is nothing here that smacks of soap opera drama unlike a more popular series that has
Reached critical mass in terms of current commercial success and multiple spin-offs.
The problem with this book is in the pacing toward the end where the action is meant to be much faster than the pace established. Some of the descriptions fail to convey the sense of seamless experience that preceded. It is as if events happen in fits and starts instead of flowing.
Regardless; anyone invested in the series this far will eagerly anticipate and dread the final book.
Fans of the books "Winterlong" and "Engine summer" will know what I mean.

Amazing follow up to THE FIFTH SEASON. A pitch perfect trilogy middle book. There aren't as many twists and surprises as there were in the first book, but the characters--and the "magic system"--continue to grow in expected and sometimes unexpected ways, making this a more intimate story (though it's just as vast as book 1). Not to mention, there are revelations galore, though plenty of mysteries are left for the third and final book. Which, obviously, I cannot wait for.

I thought that the first book in this series was very interesting but slow moving. It didn’t bother me too much since the world is so intricate and the author needed to introduce us to it. But, now after reading 1000 pages in this series, I feel like the author is just being stubborn. I should know more by now. The pacing is really beginning to frustrate me, and I have a feeling that another 1000 pages will pass before we really know what’s going on. Still, the writing is so good, the world so interesting that I’m probably on the hook for a least another book in this series. Recommended with reservations.

This series is fascinating. This fantasy world is masterfully-constructed and the organization of this book (The Fifth Season) was perfection. When the pieces really fell into place my jaw literally fell. I have, of course, now finished the entire series and it is excellent from start to finish. I absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy. And while you're at it, check out her Inheritance Trilogy as well... As for me, I'm on to the Dreamblood Duology. Like binging a TV show I anticipate a real sense of withdrawal when I catch up and am eagerly awaiting her next publication...

Like its predecessor, The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Book 1), The Obelisk Gate is a beautifully composed and incredibly dark dystopian tale. I want to warn for body horror that I found quite tough to read, though those difficult scenes are very moving and certainly add power to the overall narrative. This is a case of a book being very well written, but just Not For Me. The characters are wonderfully drawn, the pacing is slowly and deftly built as the book goes on, and there are few writers who can match Jemisin for cohesive and intriguing worldbuilding.

As a geologist, this trilogy is so detailed, with so much attention to detail, Jemisin's fantastical world is truly scientific. As a bibliophile, the lore-like narrative style and the unknown of the fantasy world she's built and the fate of the characters she's developed so complexly, dynamically, and deeply makes this a story to get truly invested in, regardless of the fact it's the longest book I've read (except book 1) in years! Even better than book 1 and looking forward to picking up book 3!

This second volume of the series was, for lack of a better word, epic. Somehow dust got caught in my eyes as everything started falling into place. This series has actually raised the bar for the genre. In a 2104 interview Brandon Sanderson said "We haven't hit what epic fantasy is capable of yet", but I believe that N.K. Jemisin has produced some rich and new with this series. Can't wait for the next book. For the audible edition I just have to note that Robin Miles did a great job narrating this book. Perfect pitch and tone.

What a fantastic book. It perfectly continues what THE FIFTH SEASON started. I had assumed that this book would be a more straightforward structure after the intersecting storylines of the first book, but this one managed to be in many ways even more impressive, using its narrative voice subtly and ingeniously to both pick up where THE FIFTH SEASON left off while also propelling us into the third act of the larger series. Just as much emotional heft as the first book, if not more, and the inherent social commentary left me breathless at times. Just a wonderful, vibrant, vital story. Can't wait for the third book.

Oh gosh, what a great Act Two. I really loved seeing Essun and Nassun figure things out - coming at it from such different perspectives. What a brilliant, complex world Jemisin has crafted. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK IMMEDIATELY.

This one took a bit of getting used too. I have never read a book with a POV like this. Most of it is told as if relating a story of something in the past but it is telling what YOU did. for example; Then you went to the other room ........ It was strange and kind of awesome. I listened to the audio book so it was probably more effective that way. A very interesting plot and magic system also. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book.

This was another very heavy book to read, emotionally. Considering the main character's background, that's hard to avoid. Still, I was drawn in right away, no real lull from where the previous book left off.

I wondered what the author would do with the POVs, since she had such a unique approach to the previous book, which would not have worked for this one. Instead of what she did in The Fifth Season, the other characters were simply others who had been important but estranged from Essun.

This author really knows how to break the heart of a reader, writing some impressively poignant, gut-wrenching tragedy. It's not just that some characters die, although of course some do, but it's the way it happens. Some authors who specialize in shocking deaths, like George R.R. Martin, could really learn from Jemisin's storytelling style. Her deaths fit the story, are often foreshadowed, but still manage to be utterly devastating in unexpected ways.

One thing I had hoped to see, and was not disappointed, was more Guardians. They were just so creepy and mysterious. There's a lot more about Guardians in this installment, and I have to say, despite what I've learned, they're still creepy and somewhat mysterious.

I really feel for Essun. As someone with kids of my own, I don't want to let myself get too much into her mentality, because it's too horrifying to imagine the things she has been through, but I'm really attached to her, and I find myself also caring a great deal about the people she loves.

I've had a sense of dread as I've been reading, because I'm having trouble seeing how this can end well. I'm still hoping it will. I expect the last installment to be gripping, and really powerful.

This book is even better than the first, I can't even imagine what the last in the trilogy will do. The story really unfolds, and it's all emotionally powerful, exciting, interesting stuff. If you've not read the first one, you really need to start it and pick up this book, the second installment in the Broken Earth trilogy.

This series is so difficult to explain - science/earth/magic based - with such wonderful characters and a very complicated premise and plot. In book two the strange world depicted is more familiar from the standpoint of the reader so it’s easier to delve into it more quickly with a full range of emotion.

I can understand why this won awards. It is masterfully written, slightly bizarre, and creates a rich world populated with fascinating characters and history. I can't recommend this book enough. On a special note, if you're a fan of some of the stranger anime (specifically Neon Genesis Evangelion) you will probably LOVE this book.

A fantastic continuation of the series. A lot of middle books in trilogies can feel a little flat, but Jemisin balances the rising action with enough breathing room to build on the plot and characters she established in The Fifth Season. The first book had a little more "oomph," but for a second act, The Obelisk Gate is exciting without becoming overwhelming.

This second book in The Broken Earth series fulfills the promises of the first book, and betters it. Much that was foreshadowed in the first book is revealed here, as is much of the reason for the way the book is structured and the nature of the points of view through which we see the story unfold. Again, I can't do justice to the story, the setting, or the characters in trying to describe them; I'll leave that to Jemisin's masterly writing. In fact, there's not much I can say, other than this is a fitting sequel, and a promise of much more to come in the 3rd book. I look forward to the conclusion of the trilogy in The Stone Sky with excitement and anticipation.

A noticeably weaker offering than the first book - the pace has slowed substantially while exposition is fed to the reader, with less interesting bits to tide things over. This should probably have been made part of the first or third in the series, instead of being its own novel.

I loved The Fifth Season when I read it last year, and I was excited to get the sequel Obelisk Gate for Christmas this year. Man this is a fantastic and heartwrenching searies. N. K. Jemisin ups the anti and it is spectacular. If you like your fantasy original, intelligent, beautifully written, and with brilliantly, realistically flawed characters, then look no further than the Broken Earth trilogy. I can't wait for book 3.

I couldn't finish this book fast enough. Now I'm looking for Book 3! Orogenes still making a mess, ha. One of them caused a rift so big that it is causing a 5th season. And this season is such that the world may not survive with any humans. Read this series!

The first book in the series was okay. This one was boring. I found myself not really caring about any of the characters at all. Everybody speaks highly of this series and it's one so many awards and yet it's such a disappointment.

Holy moly this series sucks you in and just keeps being phenomenal! I am constantly surprised by the plot, I love the characters with all their passions and flaws, and this conception of humanity’s future is so original. Read it and then start buying it for everyone you know.

This book involves a some interesting characters, and a unique plot. This book offers unique 1st 2nd and 3rd person point of views. It has magic in ways I’ve not experienced in other books. Love it :)

The solution to every problem is literally magic. The book is too close to sci-fi to offer such lame explanations for all of the abilities and races. I’m not even interested in reading the 3rd book because it is clear that the answers to the mysteries will not be satisfying.

As always, I'm in awe at the brittle grace of Jemison's work. She uses her characters' ties of love and family to embody the story of a world suffering from cycles of catastrophy, war, and dehumanization.

That said, this is not a book that stands alone. A reader who doesn't mind floating in a lot of unknown context might enjoy it, but understanding all the references to the previous book vastly improves the experience.

start this series now! one of the most creative and compelling series I've read, and I read all the time. can't wait for the last book already... what an epic and extraordinary tale! i recommend a long weekend as you can't put it down once started.

Good read. Interesting characters with interesting powers. I’m a science geek so this is right up my alley.The characters social lives, the idea of beauty, and their idiosyncrasies are well articulated in this book and I love it.

So well written, and a great new concept on supernatural abilities. It is wonderful to read such a gritty story in the 'magic' genre as the storyline provides a very dramatic backdrop. The characters are so deeply developed that I can relate to them all despite their different backgrounds and ages. I am so looking forward to the next book!

One of the best books I've read this year, and I read a *lot*.

Superb world-building and characters; extremely good writing; a nice twisty plot that wouldn't let me put the book down until I'd finished it.

You. Must. Read. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. It starts with The Fifth Season. I just finished book 2, The Obelisk Gate. Book 3 comes out in August. Great Sci-Fi fantasy with some wonderful geology science mixed in. Just enough geek, strong women characters, fascinating world building. And a subtle subtext about race relations. Loved it!

Geomancy in an unstable world leads to an interesting new type of magic and an interesting story about extreme seasons and magical slavery. The problem is that the heroes are unlikable narcissists and everyone else is unrealistic and two dimensional. Plus every plot problem is solved by the emergence of a new magical power.