After Reading: THE BROKEN EARTH series by NK Jemisin

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I picked up The Fifth Season while traveling over the summer, and ended up promptly inhaling it. Of course, I had to continue on to the rest of the series, The Broken Earth. This post-apocalyptic tale, spun out over three novels and several years, does an excellent job of grounding everyone in a world where things have gone wrong. Really wrong. The earth is in revolt, and humanity has managed to scrape by for the last few thousand years out of mostly sheer luck...and people who have the ability to control the earth and sometimes tame the horrors that occur. The world building is superb and fantastic, and I love the nuance and layers that are built in and spun out over the books. It brings the story alive. And while that element is fantastic, it's truly the characters that make this series absolutely wonderful. The first novel, especially, was so artfully done in bringing things together at the end in a way that was so utterly satisfying. Essun, the main character, goes through so very much throughout the tale, and yet her humanity, her humanness that encapsulates her loves and hates and frustrations--that all comes through. At times, it felt like she was standing beside me, whispering the story she was relating in my ear. Truly, she leapt off the page, as did all the rest of the characters, with their multitude of complications and personalities. What a read!

In case my gushing doesn't make it obvious, this is worth a read! Be sure to check it out--you will not be disappointed.