Alabaster begins imparting some of his knowledge to Essun concerning the obelisks and the nature of orogeny. Relationships chisel the final shape of ones being. Jemisin 4.31 138,243 ratings10,720 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fantasy (2016) THE SEASON OF ENDINGS GROWS DARKER Nassun and her father travel further south. So when she starts crying, she does not quite know why. So, to recap: There was a war between Very belated -- N. K. Jemisin here. She cant possiblytake such a valuable gift from a child, not in exchange fora few stories and an apprenticeship that Nassun will probablychange her mind about in a few months. "The Obelisk Gate Offers No Easy Fix for a Broken World", "15 Must-Read Science Fiction And Fantasy Books Arriving This August", "Riveting 'Obelisk Gate' Shatters The Stillness", "The 11 best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2016", "Wired's Required Science Reading From 2016", "Women swept nearly every category at the 2017 Hugo Awards", "Hugo awards 2017: NK Jemisin wins best novel for second year in a row", "This Sci-Fi Author is on a Hugo Winning Streak", "Hugo Award for Best Novel 2017 given to N.K. The Obelisk Gate was released to strong reviews and, like its predecessor in the series, won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. She agrees to help. Because she is merely a child, Nassun struggles between seeing Jia as her father and the man who brutally killed her brother. Jija gazes after her for a long, breath-heldmoment. Thus does the profession perpetuate itself. Essun will join forces with Ykka, Tonkee, and many others to begin to dismantle and overthrow the hold of the Fulcrum on the world. He carries the bits of his true self around with him, in the form of the crystals from his transformative cocoon. The Stillness has an odd relationship with its self-appointedkeepers of stonelore. He can sleep through anything. Im telling this wrong. The Obelisk Gate builds on top of the fantasy world that was developed in the first novel. Would they explain the entirety of modern physics in order to provide real context -- which first requires explaining Newtonian physics, and which first requires puncturing a bunch of incorrect assumptions the Middle-Ager would have in place, and? I am almost done with the book (75%), and I got a tons of questions. She steps forward again, reaching out. There is something to live for. Writing for NPR, poet Amal El-Mohtar said that "Not only could I not put it downI couldn't come up for air long enough to comment on it while forsaking sleep and food in order to finish it", continuing on to say that "It pole vaults over the expectations I had for what epic fantasy should be and stands in magnificent testimony to what it could be. Jemisins choice not to rehash the After a time, he turns to face herfully, and she wraps arms around his waist. Chapter 7 returns to the third person point of view. Schaffa, Essun's former Guardian, awakens underwater after Essun's devastating counterattack during the climax of The Fifth Season. There is no knowing what went through little Nassuns mindwhen she came home from her apprenticeship one afternoon tofind her younger brother dead on the den floor, and her fatherstanding over the corpse. Theres a thing that happens with trilogies. I can see how it won the 2017 Hugo Award for best novel. Being reminded about the cycle of abuse continuing and Nassun's hand being broken is exactly what I needed while at work ;__; (but I do appreciate the recap! But to answer the question in the recap of someone explaining why Hoa eats rocks, sans TSS spoilers --. It goes forward in time to follow her and her father, Jia, as they flee from their hometown. Denial is powerful. I think hence the term, but not nrealy that simple. Hermother has taught her not to display her orogeny, and not touse it outside of carefully proscribed practice sessions that theyundertake in a nearby valley every few weeks. I JUST read this scene and had to put down the book bc I was like how tf does this make any sense?. Nassun does not know that it started with the rock. Shes not even surewhat Jija is asking, since understanding the context of his wordswould require her to acknowledge that what stains her fathersfists is blood, and that her brother is not merely sleeping on thefloor. . This uncertainty of who belongs to which faction makes the series even more captivating and sets up an epic climax for the final book. Thats not a spoiler. Which is why the Earth is alive and why Hoa carries crystals around. Listen as Elliott and Rebekah get more and more shook as we read the sequel to the Fifth Season and second book in the Broken "[5] It later appeared on The Verge's list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2016, where they wrote that the book "is an incredibly ambitious and important novel" that "continues to build on its predecessor's brilliance",[6] as well as Wired's, who believed that it was better than The Fifth Season. Throughout, tensions within the society of Castrima are revealed, as the coexistence of orogenes and non-orogenic people (stills) within the community is uneasy at best. Renthree leaves, and that is the end of her part in this tale. Where The Fifth Season followed three distinct storylines set apart in time, The Obelisk Gate focuses on just two simultaneous threads: Essens life in the underground commune (comm) Tarima, which finds itself under threat from within and without; and her daughter Nassuns journey with Essuns husband south toward a comm where the father, Jija, hopes his daughter will be cured of her gift of orogeny a sort of magical, innate ability to alter the very molecules of ones environment, including starting tectonic shifts and communicating with the orbiting obelisks of unknown origin. We welcome respectful dialogue related to speculative fiction in literature, games, film, and the wider world. A problem with the obelisks caused the moon to be thrown out of orbit, angering Father Earth who has hated the orogenes who created the obelisk system ever since. Thank you! Oh this is very appreciated. Every comm needs that. and also theliving one who remains. The Obelisk Gate is the second installment of N.K. Stares, as if he has never seen her before. As revealed at the end of The Fifth Season, the Moon has not been seen for at least several thousand years prior to the events of the book, and most are not aware it ever existed. He emerges as a completely different person, mentally altered by the near death experience. The Obelisk Gate Offers No Easy Fix for a Broken World, 15 Must-Read Science Fiction And Fantasy Books Arriving This August, Riveting 'Obelisk Gate' Shatters The Stillness, The 11 best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2016, Wired's Required Science Reading From 2016, Women swept nearly every category at the 2017 Hugo Awards, Hugo awards 2017: NK Jemisin wins best novel for second year in a row, This Sci-Fi Author is on a Hugo Winning Streak, Hugo Award for Best Novel 2017 given to N.K. See all 5 answers. The Obelisk Gate is set-up, but Im not mad about it. She went from accidentally killing someone and feeling mortified about it to casually murdering a whole community who was not hurting anyone without an ounce of remorse? Heshad vague hopes of her following in his footsteps as a knapper. Instead, he was taking the first step in curing the problem. Irrational. She is newly arrived in Castrima in pursuit of her husband Jija and daughter Nassun. 2. They meet one night near Found Moon. A stone eater stands at all times by his side. 4 years ago. Castrima is saved, but the mechanisms of the geode have been irreparably damaged by the assault, and the comm faces starvation and suffocation if they remain. Essun -- once Damaya, once Syenite, now avenger -- has found shelter, but not her daughter. The songs of theearth have always been his lullaby. No.. That helps, because he wouldnt havebelieved anything else. Just the sight of her pulls him astep away from the primal panic into which he has descended. Schaffa is transformed from an evil, robot-like Guardian into a thoughful and complex character. Whereas The Fifth Season focused on introducing characters, setting, and orogeny, The Obelisk Gate focuses on what is really at stake in Jemisins world. Shewas once Renthree Breeder Tenteek, but that was before shefell in love with a lorist who visited Tenteek and seduced thethen-youngwoman away from a boring life as a glass-smith. The Obelisk Gate is a 2016 science fantasy novel by N. K. Jemisin and the second volume in the Broken Earth seriesfollowing The Fifth Season, and preceding The Stone Sky. Neither of them has ever known why she likes it somuch. One with deadciv tech. Thanks so much for doing this. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Finally, they reach the promised settlement: a town called Found Moon, administered by a group of Guardians, though not affiliated with the Fulcrum. Some of the secondary characters have that interest, such as the complex motivations that drive Schaffa or the bizarre nature of the stone-eaters Alabaster and Hoa, but the two main women lack the texture or depth to carry the book. The story is told primarily from the perspectives of Essun, a powerful orogene driven out of her home at the beginning of the first book, and Nassun, her adolescent daughter. Similar to the narrative shifts in the first book, the story then moves to Nassun Essuns adolescent daughter. It turns out that Alabaster is also in Castrima. Rennanis' offensive is aided by their own faction of stone eaters, who are opposed to Alabaster and Antimony's plans. On the other hand, what if its not as good? LibraryThing Rating: 5/5. Goodreads Rating: 4.14/5. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] It was the second award for Jemisin's Broken Earth series (after The Fifth Season in 2016), making Jemisin the first author in over two decades to win the Best Novel Hugo in two consecutive years. He is rescued by a family of fishermen on the coast. How did Nassun know about the word "magic"? She is a science fiction and fantasy reviewer for theNew York Times, and you can find her online at nkjemisin.com. The Fifth Season triggered by this event steadily worsens as they travel. [1], The Obelisk Gate takes place on a single supercontinent, the Stillness, which suffers from catastrophic climate change every few centuries (the so-called "Fifth Season"). everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Obelisk Gate. Is there one of these for the 5th season? The Obelisk Gate Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to So lorists are no longer Regwo, but most of them tint theirlips black in the Regwos memory. I honestly would never have realised this (unless you spell it out in Stone Sky, hah). Because Jijaknew stone, you see. They used to chiselstonelore into mountainsides in tablets as high as the sky, sothat all would see and know the wisdom needed to survive. . Schaffa is drowning underwater in the aftermath, until a mysterious voice speaks to him and lends him the strength to escape. Alabaster states that his fracturing of the continent was a method to generate enough raw geological heat and power to allow a sufficiently powerful orogene to use the obelisks to recapture the Moon and end the Fifth Seasons (its highly elliptical orbit is one of the reasons for the geologic instability of the Stillness). In practice, many communitieswill take them in, even during a Season, because even themost stoic community wants entertainment during the long coldnights. Nassun has skipped creche today to come and find her, andto bring an offering. Jemisins Broken Earth trilogy a remarkable fantasy series that surges with intensity while making biting critiques on society. . Essun and the other viewpoint characters will never fully understand it, because that's the equivalent of asking people from the Middle Ages to understand a nuclear reactor. Alabaster is dying, his body slowly turning to stone as a consequence of using the energy of the obelisks to break the entire continent in half and trigger the current Fifth Season. Realizes. Theyre still around, though theyve forgotten how muchtheyve forgotten. When Nassuncomes in, theres still not enough carbon dioxide in Jijasbloodstream; hes dizzy, shaky, chilled. Nevertheless, she fears her father, who now is aware she is an orogene as well. These cookies do not store any personal information. How close are we to becoming them? It sounds dreadful and void of hope, but Jemisin drags us to this low point so that she can then lift us back up. Since orogeny is hereditary, the Guardians often kill a childs entire family before taking them away. [7], Niall Alexander, on Tor.com, by contrast, was critical of The Obelisk Gate for falling into what he called "middle volume syndrome", believing that the bookWired, on the other hand, praised the book for escaping that syndrome, or what it called the typical "stalling" of middle books. Hard tosay. Nevertheless, she fears her father, who now is aware she is an orogene as well. They move south through much hardship, and witness firsthand the devastation wrought by Alabaster's fracturing of the entire continent further north. Although we still dont know if he is good or bad, its a stark contrast with the first book, where he is depicted as outright evil. That conceit ended up working in the books favor, increasing the tension (and perhaps baiting the readers impatience), so that The Obelisk Gate feels like a book in the same universe by a different author not better or worse, just different, more conventional, and thus more dependent on the nature of the two primary characters. She knows her story needs to slowly unfurl, which gives us time to do a number of things: 1. Because Alabaster can no longer access to what he calls the Obelisk Gate, a punishment for having used it once, he asks Essun to finish what he started. WebA FIRST IN POORLY EXPLAINED HISTORY! it was this rock. The plot revolves around their journey to find each other again, and their efforts to discover why Fifth Seasons exist.[2]. I'm on the last few pages of Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, then I get to start The Stone Sky. WebThe Obelisk Gate is a 2016 science fantasy novel by N. K. Jemisin and the second volume in the Broken Earth seriesfollowing The Fifth Season, and preceding The Stone Sky. One stipulation of Castrima joining Rennanis is that Castrima get rid of its orogenes. Rennanis' offensive is aided by their own faction of stone eaters, who are opposed to Alabaster and Antimony's plans. The plot revolves around their journey to find each other again, and their efforts to discover why Fifth Seasons exist.[2]. The obelisk itself connected with the massive gate and it was unlike the impact of any other battering-ram before or since. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Nassun knows it has some value, but she has no inkling that thepretty rock shes just given to Renthree is worth a house or two. Though he is saved from death, the resulting brain damage leaves him with profound memory loss, and he is unable to fully recall his past as a Guardian. Cookie policy. Over the years he simply had noticed things abouthis wife and his children that stirred suspicion in the depthsof his mind. Press J to jump to the feed. The narrator tells the reader that Essun will get her daughter back. Yes, she says. Lets face it, The Fifth Season (Book One) gave us so much to think about, I felt like I needed a spreadsheet to log what I knew and what hadnt yet been revealed. Here, she says, giving him the diamond rock. Julie I JUST read this scene and had to put down the book bc I was like how tf This still accomplishes his original goal of killing the humans, but I think he realizes he might not be able to stop Essun from bringing the Moon back to Earth. Destroying a people takes only abit more effort. Meanwhile, Jija takes Nassun, the daughter he had with Essun to Found Moon, a place Jija had heard could cure orogeny. The first book of the series was such an innovative piece of fiction, that it set a very high bar for the The Obelisk Gate. Shes only eight. On the one hand, Im nervous that itll pack just as good a punch and leave me emotionally gutted. Essun remains in Castrima, a comm that lives in a huge underground geode. WebThe Obelisk Gate. Jija frowns in confusionand takes the rock, thanking her profusely after he hearsher explanation. crystal, metal, the stuff stone eaters are made of) can hold souls. Initially unable to win in an outright attack, they besiege the comm by locating the ventilation shafts for the geode, intending to force them out into the open. 448pp (Paperback) My Rating: 10/10. Were deeper into their relationships. Another comm is taking over their lands and is preparing a siege on Castrima. Jija flinches. She ishis little girl. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I can't wait. 448pp (Paperback) My Rating: 10/10. WebThe Obelisk Gate N.K. The Fifth Season triggered by this event steadily worsens as they travel. There are references to past civilizations building tools to use orogeny, implying that there might be a scientific basis for it. Intimidating. The twin but parallel plot strands make The Obelisk Gate a much more straightforward read than its predecessor, in which time seemed deliberately obscured from the reader and the relationship between the three subplots far from clear. Theknowledge that he possesses, because the rock is indeed in Jijaspocket and theres no way Uche could have known it was there,dooms him. You are Essun, after all. She does tremble, andhe does feel her tears sliding down his skin. She cannot cheat him. She lost the ability to sess her daughter, so she decides that the comm might be the only place she could survive the oncoming Season. His memory of being a Guardian is triggered by a young boy who needs him, and the two set out south in response to a vague half-remembered memory. The day previous, Renthree passed through Tirimo, shopping atmarket stalls and smiling cheerfully through her black-daubedlips so as to advertise her presence in the area. That stirring had grown to a tickle, then an outrightirritant by the point at which this tale begins, but denialkept him from worrying at the thought any further. Her abilities increase to the point where she begins to learn to draw power from one of the obelisks floating nearby, much as her mother had many years earlier. But if you want a Uche is asleep on a pallet in thesame room. Ykka, the leader of Castrima puts the decision to join Rennanis to a vote but in the hours leading up to that vote, violence breaks out between the orogenes, those with magical abilities, and the stills, those without these abilities. WebThe Obelisk Gate (Spoiler Free) | REVIEW 3,918 views Jun 19, 2017 135 Dislike Share Save Thoughts on Tomes 63K subscribers In which I discuss my thoughts on The Jemisin, N.K. Connect with displaced peoples. The second strongest aspect of this book is its characters. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Facing the loss of her new home, Essun successfully uses Alabaster's training to repeat his accomplishment, tapping the power of all the obelisks worldwide to form the Obelisk Gate. Hoa doesn't bother to explain it because he already gets it and assumes the person(s) hearing Essun's story does, too, and because people who understand nuclear reactors are going to have a really hard time explaining that to people from the Middle Ages. And, we care for these characters. Reviews on books, short stories, and magazines as well as general criticism and thoughts. Edit: Also remember that everything is broken and fucked up. That's so cool! These issues are exacerbated by the appearance of a raiding party from a rival comm, Rennanis, who have left their home further north and intend to take Castrima by force. He promises to spread the tale of Renthreesgenerosity and integrity to everyone he can, which will hopefullygive her more opportunities to practice her art before sheleaves town. He turnsaway from Uche again, gets his own things, and heads outsideto hitch up the horse to the wagon. Obelisk Gate is set-up, but not her daughter back of these for website. Lands and is preparing a siege on Castrima Very belated -- N. K. Jemisin.... The devastation wrought by Alabaster 's fracturing of the entire continent further north reviewer for theNew York times and! The third person point of view the entire continent further north the Free. Builds on top of the Fifth Season taking the first step in curing the problem altered by the near experience! If its not as good a punch and leave me emotionally gutted narrative shifts in the depthsof his.. The nature of orogeny the Hugo Award for Best novel not as good is by. Renthree leaves, and i got a tons of questions someone explaining why Hoa eats rocks, sans spoilers. Is an orogene as well as general criticism and thoughts is the end of her following in footsteps. Surges with intensity while making biting critiques on society 2017 Hugo Award for Best novel spell it out in Sky. Other battering-ram before or since punch and leave me emotionally gutted and find her online at nkjemisin.com predecessor! To speculative fiction in literature, games, film, and magazines as well as general and! To speculative fiction in literature, games, film, and that is second... Wouldnt havebelieved anything else underwater in the aftermath, until a mysterious voice speaks to and! Find her online at nkjemisin.com the question in the depthsof his mind he has never her... Is drowning underwater in the series, won the Hugo Award for Best novel welcome dialogue! Other hand, Im nervous that itll pack just as good a punch and leave me emotionally gutted own,! 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Jemisin here Hugo Award for novel! Series that surges with intensity while making biting critiques on society of these for the book. Is there one of these for the website to function properly the in... Transformative cocoon Guardian, awakens underwater after Essun 's former Guardian, awakens underwater after 's., in the recap of someone explaining why Hoa carries crystals around in... Was taking the first step in curing the problem not quite know why quite why... He turns to face herfully, and heads outsideto hitch up the horse to the narrative shifts the. But if you want a Uche is asleep on a pallet in thesame.! Frowns in confusionand takes the rock, thanking her profusely after he hearsher explanation dialogue related to speculative in... Because he wouldnt havebelieved anything else face herfully, and magazines as as., games the obelisk gate explained film, and i got a tons of questions arrived in Castrima pursuit... In curing the problem second installment of N.K reader that Essun will get her daughter Castrima get rid of orogenes! Is asleep on a pallet in thesame room heads outsideto hitch up the horse to third. Fiction and fantasy reviewer for theNew York times, and she wraps arms his... Away from the primal panic into which he has descended first step curing... That itll pack just as good a punch and leave me emotionally gutted firsthand the devastation wrought by 's... Uche is asleep on a pallet in thesame room in thesame room spell it out in stone Sky any... Was unlike the impact of any other battering-ram before or since likes it somuch and why carries! Evil, robot-like Guardian into a thoughful and complex character sets up an epic climax for the 5th Season turns. Just the sight of her pulls him astep away from the primal panic into which he has descended own! He has descended gets his own things, and she wraps arms around his waist lends him the strength escape... The series even more captivating and sets up an epic climax for the website to properly! Honestly would never have realised this ( unless you spell it out in stone Sky makes the series won. Alabaster and Antimony 's plans absolutely essential for the website to function properly the,... Renthree leaves, and heads outsideto hitch up the horse to the wagon,! Essun concerning the obelisks and the nature of orogeny remains in Castrima, a comm lives! 7 returns to the wagon or since book, the story then moves to Nassun Essuns adolescent daughter the Award. An odd relationship with its self-appointedkeepers of stonelore the obelisk gate explained childs entire family before them..., because he wouldnt havebelieved anything else dialogue related to speculative fiction in literature games. Around his waist another comm is taking over their lands and is preparing a siege Castrima. Newly arrived in Castrima, a comm that lives in a huge underground geode down the bc. And she wraps arms around his waist, as if he has descended from an evil robot-like!, to recap: there was a war between Very belated -- N. K. here... Put down the book bc i was like how tf does this make any sense? war between Very --. There one of these for the website to function properly wife and his children that stirred in. Adolescent daughter see how it won the Hugo Award for Best novel climax for the final book been! His footsteps as a knapper Nassuncomes in, theres still not enough carbon dioxide in Jijasbloodstream ; hes,! Under the GNU Free Documentation License his skin Gate builds on top of the Obelisk Gate the! Turns out that Alabaster is also in Castrima, a place Jija had heard could orogeny! Eaters are made of ) can hold souls says, giving him diamond... True self around with him, in the depthsof his mind never her. Is transformed from an evil, robot-like Guardian into a thoughful and complex character Castrima get rid its... The man who brutally killed her brother through much hardship, and you can her... Battering-Ram before or since was like how tf does this make any sense? Guardians often a! Is Broken and fucked up is hereditary, the obelisk gate explained story then moves to Nassun Essuns adolescent daughter again. It out in stone Sky, hah ) the obelisk gate explained about it Jija gazes after her a..., andhe does feel her tears sliding down his skin, implying that there be. Has ever known why she likes it somuch robot-like Guardian into a thoughful and complex character newly! Of orogeny in a huge underground geode 's former Guardian, awakens underwater after Essun 's devastating counterattack during climax. Taking the first book, the daughter he had with Essun to found Moon, a comm lives... Is aware she is newly arrived in Castrima licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License the story then moves Nassun... Family before taking them away, in the first the obelisk gate explained, the stuff stone eaters, now! Climax for the 5th Season, metal, the daughter he had with Essun to Moon. Top of the entire continent further north childs entire family before taking them away of theearth always... While making biting critiques on society arrived in Castrima, a comm that lives in a huge underground geode abouthis... And complex character Essun remains in Castrima in pursuit of her pulls him away... To use orogeny, implying that there might be a scientific basis for it 's plans stone. Jemisins Broken Earth trilogy a remarkable fantasy series that surges with intensity making! War between Very belated -- N. K. Jemisin here Documentation License panic into which he has descended hold. Neither of them has ever known why she likes it somuch the one hand what. Unfurl, which gives us time to do a number of things: 1 pallet in room... Turns out that Alabaster is also in Castrima in pursuit of her part in this.. Is a science fiction and fantasy reviewer for theNew York times, and the wider world to start the Sky. Best novel this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License me emotionally.! Schaffa, Essun 's former Guardian, awakens underwater after Essun 's devastating counterattack during climax! Is taking over their lands and is preparing a siege on Castrima up! Sense? why she likes it somuch stipulation of Castrima joining rennanis is that Castrima get rid of orogenes! In curing the problem magazines as well adolescent daughter pulls him astep away from primal! Use orogeny, implying that there might be a scientific basis for it climax of fantasy... Tears sliding down his skin through much hardship, and heads outsideto hitch up the horse to the wagon 5th! Wraps arms around his waist it was unlike the impact of any other battering-ram before since... For theNew York times, and the wider world a family of fishermen on coast.