The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin comes up a lot as sci-fi by a woman author that everyone who cares about that genre should read.  It was #2 in the subreddit /r/Fantasy's 2021 survey of top books by women (right between my beloved Realm of the Elderlings and Murderbot!). It seems like an insane sort of hole in my reading, so took it upon myself to make it my summer project when my husband mentioned that his book club was reading the first book and I knew I'd be able to talk with him about it if nothing else.

 The Fifth Season is just brilliant. Look, I wrote it and I meant it and I'm going to keep saying it. In Jemisin's world, there is an alternate (future? past?) Earth that is beset by seismic activity that leads to constant "Seasons" that repeatedly nearly wipe out humanity. You get an idea that our current world used to exist (parts of highways seem to be used) and there is occasional detritus of other worlds, including incomplete writings and these strange obelisks that float around in the sky.  But we are introduced to a world in which some lucky (?) few, orogene, who can control some aspects of the Earth's activity.

The book follows three plotlines, two of which happened in the past and one is happening right now in the immediate aftereffect of an event that is causing ash to fall continuously on the Earth.  We follow Damaya, a child who is discovered to be able to control geologic actions and, after her parents throw her out because of superstitious reasons, is placed under control of a Guardian named Schaffa.  We follow Syenite, a young mid-ranking oregene, as she is given an assignment to clear a harbor of coral while traveling with a very high-ranking oregene named Alabaster, but soon discovers she can no longer return to her training location. And, finally, we follow Essun, a woman who is looking for her daughter, but harbors secrets of her own, as she meets and begins traveling with a young boy named Hoa and a trans geomest (someone who studies Earth's seismic activity) who both appear to be hiding something. 

The world-building is subtle and wonderful. The characters are full of nuance and wonderful to spend time with.  I can hardly wait to get the next book in the series and see where we go from here. The moral quagmire of slavery and indentured servitude and the perpetual question of what it means to really be free are so integral to this book that it's hard to read it and not stop and wonder what exactly we're doing in this life, in this world.

Lines of Note:

"She looks from Alabaster to Syenite, but then her gaze swings back to him, which Syen completely understands. Nobody's more irritating than her mentor. She feels a sudden perverse pride." (page 128)

"'And since stonelore would be harder to remember if it was full of phrases like 'watch for the inverted fulcrum of a conical torus,' we get centers and circles. Accuracy is sacrificed in the name of better poetry.'" (page 157)

"There's a reason most comms pick a style and stick to it. Uniformity sends a visual message. It warns potential attackers that the comm's members are equally unified in purpose and the willingness to defend themselves." (page 213)

"But what is important is that you know it was not all terrible. There was peace in long stretches, between each crisis. A chance to cool and solidify before the grind resumed." (page 288)

Things I had to look up:

Chalcedony (page 18): This is a type of rock.

Spavined (page 91): Spavin is a disorder of a horse's hock and spavined can be used to describe something that is decrepit or in a broken-down condition.

Epeirogenic (page 219): Geologic term for an uplift or depression of the Earth's crust over a large are of land or ocean bottom.

Isotasy (page 219): Geologic term for the equilibrium that exists between the Earth's crust and the mantle so that the crust "floats" like a raft on the mantle.  

The Obelisk Gate is the second book in the trilogy.  It is very much a middle book in that nothing happens. Now that the plotlines have intersected, we just keep following them. Essun is stuck in one place doing nothing; Alabaster is enigmatic; Essun's daughter has a promising plotline begin, but then it fades into a quagmire of dullness; Schaffa returns, but is also sort of boring and lifeless.  I'm going to read the next book because I'm obviously a completist, but I'm not as invested in this world as I was after the first book.

The Stone Sky finishes the trilogy and it's more exciting than the second book, but isn't exactly the most riveting novel I've ever read.  We follow Essun as she uses her powers to help her comm and attempt to reunite with her daughter.  She's on a mission to return the Moon to Earth to help control the Seasons and save humanity.  Nessun, though, absolute brat, has decided to destroy humanity.  The book culminates in a showdown between mother and daughter.

Lines of note:

"But there are none so frightened, or so strange in their fear, as conquerors." (page 210)

"And as we so often do, she and he are having a conversation that has nothing to do with the words coming from their mouths." (page 251)

"The Earth sees no difference between any of...humanity is humanity...we were all guilty. All complicit in the crime of attempting to enslave the world itself." (page 355)

Final comments:

There are a lot of things I like about this series. The first book is amazing and spellbinding. I like the idea of Earth as a living entity - aware of humanity and pissed off at what we are doing. I like Jemisin's world building and development of castes built on survival. I like the idea of a world in which history is lost because of world-tearing events. But there are things I do not like about this series. The characters of Nessun and Essen are just...not great. I don't really feel anything in the final climactic scene because I don't care what happens to either of them.  Eh. If you're into lore and alternate worlds, you should definitely read it. 

This is a beloved series and I'm glad I read it, but I'm also not entirely sure I'll be recommending it to everyone I know.  Read at your own peril.