Here is the third of the five Best Novel 2016 Finalists. We will be presenting them in alphabetical order during this week.
- Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
- The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
- Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
What are your thoughts on this novel? Likes and dislikes? Does it deserve the Hugo?
2018 Hugo Recommendation Season 
I’m usually not a fan of post-apocalyptic novels. But a world in a state of perpetual apocalypse, where cataclysms are so commonplace that people call them “the fifth season”? Now that is a whole different ballgame, and Jemisin absolutely hit it out of the park.
The standout aspect for me was how utterly convincing and “lived-in” her world felt. The presence of cataclysms, and of a subset of humans who can control the earth (but with devastating side-effects) has an intimate effect on the world’s social structure, culture and general way of life. “Imaginative anthropology” might be a good way to describe it; I can see the Le Guin influence. This is a darkly fascinating world that feels very real.
The 3 narratives were emotionally very compelling, and skillfully interwoven with the central plot. I have to say, major props on the plotting. There are still many unanswered, exciting questions, but not in a bad way – I was quite happy with the threads that were wrapped up.
I still have the Butcher and Leckie left to read, but so far this is my favorite. Hugo-worthy? Absolutely.
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