The Fifth Season

Winner of the 2016 Hugo and nominated for a Nebula, The Fifth Season is a volatile combination of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Dystopian Fiction. Mythology comes alive in this hostile world where apocalypse is routine, and the cultures and inhabitants have adapted to survive above all else. Orogenes, with their fearsome power over the earth, are slaves to those in power who use them to abey cataclysmic earthquakes. Full of questions, this deeply woven story makes it feel as if the answers are all there, and have been for eternity, just out of reach. Jemisin pushes the boundaries of novelty into something truly extraordinary, even while she explores concepts of cultural conflict, oppression, and the glossing over of history. It is one of the few non-white dominated, not exclusively hetero, or even monogamous takes we see in fantasy. It is written from the perspective of three women, all gifted with the power to control seismic events, all forced to confront the painful ramifications of being what they are in a world the both needs, and fears them. Damaya, a child given to a Guardian when she is discovered to be an orogene; Syen, an ambitious higher caste orogene on a mission; and Essun, mother of two chasing after her missing husband all struggle, hope, and falter as we share their journey. The women here aren't necessarily heroic, but each have strengths that shine.