#The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

[demekii]

I am here once again to ask everyone to read The Broken Earth trilogy ❤️

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Characters, book, and author names under the cut

Jacqueline "Jack" Wolcott/Alexis Chopper - Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire

Linus Baker/Arthur Parnassus - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Syenite/Alabaster/Innon - The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

Jude St Francis/Willem Ragnarsson - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[wingsofhcpe]

Oh tell me about the fifth season I’m intrigued 👀👀

RIGHT OKAY SO real quick rundown from what I remember, after I'm done studying I'll shoot you a DM if you wanna hear more!

The Fifth Season is the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin. The main premise is that people live in a continent that's very geologically active (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc etc) and because of that they're just... used to it. Any day they expect a catastrophic geological event that will lead to a post-apocalyptic series of years that will realistically claim thousands of lives every time. These events are called Seasons, and there's already been a bunch of them (records of each at the back of the book!). So people just kinda live with that knowledge and organise their society around it.

Now, the big deal is that some people are born with Earth magic, the ability to control, predict and prevent such disasters. They're called Orogenes, and you'd think they'd be revered... but they're not. They're seen as monsters, exactly because they can also cause those disasters. There's a special school of them and all but it's mostly like a holding pen for them, they're also assigned special human handlers who are equipped to kill them should they go rogue. So it's also very much a social commentary.

The real geological horror element, though, comes from two things: first, the Obelisks, mysterious massice stone structures that just... low-key float around in the sky and are generally horribly ominous, often associated with Seasons. Second, the stone people (who iirc have a name, I just can't recall it rn). Human-like beings that are ...basically stone/gem, though, not organic. They feed exclusively on rock and are actually fuckihg terrifying exactly because not much is known about them. I can't really describe either of these more without massive spoilers though, so I'll avoid it in case you wanna read it.

There's also an ot3 queer storyline somewhere in there but it's not the focus. Pretty cool though!

As for triggers, please be warned for violence, genocide, bigotry, extreme death mostly through natural disasters, possible genocide, and child abuse. Off the top of my head.

....this was supposed to be a quick rundown but I ended up writing down pretty much all I can remember about the books huh! Anyway, I still haven't read the 3rd book but the first two were GREAT and I can't wait to get the final one and see where this story goes. I think I'd put the first book especially among my Top 10 Fave Reads in general. Hope I sold it to you too! :D

[captainsvscaptains]

Round 2 Part 3 Poll 2

Propaganda

Ok so Leo’s basically a mechanic who built the Argo II (he also has a flying mechanical dragon that he fixed named Festus who was then destroyed for a while but that’s not important here) and is pretty much the only one who can fly it (there’s one other person, but he’s still the usual pilot). Also, the ship eventually turns back into the sentient flying dragon, which is pretty neat.

Innon’s got a fun polycule going on

[ed-francesca]

A playlist for you, fellow fans of the Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. These are songs I was listening to while reading the books, or songs that remind me of the story. I love these books so much.

(one day I'll be able to complete and record the song I wrote about these books.)

SONGS FOR THE BROKEN EARTH - on Spotify

[anthythesis]

genuinely the fifth season is such a banger like that PROSE the second person the three stories winding into one the characters??? it's so fucking ominous?absolute banger, what an opener for a trilogy.

[salomeslashes]

Okay, know what? Here are some non-horror recs just for you!

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin (First book is The Fifth Season. Adult Fantasy, in which this apocalypse is just another in a long line of apocalypses. This one wrecked me.)

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (YA/Adult Fantasy. Along with the rest of the Wayward Children series, this book follows young adults who have returned to our world after having spent time in others. Contains stellar queer and trans rep [including an ace character!].)

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (YA Fantasy. A blend of fairytale/folktale and urban fantasy that takes a HECK of a journey and explores some fascinating themes. This one especially screams your name, as far as I can tell.)

[so-mordor-itis]

"There is an art to smiling in a way that others will believe. It is important to include the eyes; otherwise, people will know you hate them."

-N. K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season

[sofipitch]

Essun seeing Hoa for the first time: someone please give that kid brown contacts I'm begging

[occasional-owl]

Schaffa broken earth. To me

[gepwin]

“Tell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. Tell them they must earn the respect which everyone else receives by default. Tell them there is a standard for acceptance; that standard is simply perfection. Kill those who scoff at these contradictions, and tell the rest that the dead deserved annihilation for their weakness and doubt. Then they’ll break themselves trying for what they’ll never achieve.”“Tell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. Tell them they must earn the respect which everyone else receives by default. Tell them there is a standard for acceptance; that standard is simply perfection. Kill those who scoff at these contradictions, and tell the rest that the dead deserved annihilation for their weakness and doubt. Then they’ll break themselves trying for what they’ll never achieve.”

The Fifth Season, N. K. Jemisin

[dwarfbutch]

have you ever read a book so good it makes you cum

[captainsvscaptains]

Round 1 Part 3 Poll 4

Propaganda

Oh my god I love chip so much he's like. He's like a sopping wet chihuahua, just soaking and dripping wet. He's like a cartoon character while his co-captains Are Not. He's the first PC to have been knocked unconscious in the campaign and it was done by a friend from his old ship he hadn't seen for years as she pantsed him in front of an islands worth of people. He rolled a really high stealth check one time (39!!) but failed the check because he wanted to "see how soft the cats hands were" and then got cursed nightmares for WEEKS afterwards. He's done more damage in fights with a butter knife than his actual swords. God he's pathetic and I love him so so much

Innon’s got a fun polycule going on

[taxreturnslut]

I cannot stop thinking of this passage.

[vivianecarstairs]

I highly recommend N. K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season. It starts out pretty harsh with the death of a young child and general death and destruction all around, but if you are okay getting through that, it gets better and better with every page. AND the world buidling is fantastic with different ethnicities that interact in realistic but fictional ways and cultures that fit the geographical realities and both familiar kinds of class, race, and gender inequalities, as well as other kinds of fantastical inequalities that speak to our real world ones in interesting ways. AND there is representation of all sorts of genders and sexualities (there is even reference to a fantastic and beautiful polycule!). AND the story is just beautifully woven and unravels in the most delicious way.