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?
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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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