It took me a little while to get into this book, because it’s not a happy story (and I’m having a hard time dealing with not happy lately), but Jemisin’s never steered me wrong, so I kept at it, and I’m glad I did.
There are three interweaving stories in a far future Earth, where there’s now one supercontinent, and volcanos are common enough that they’re considered a fifth season – one where the sky darkens, everything dies, and you’ll see which coms (communities) survive.
In this world are people called orogenes, who have the power to use this volcanic force. They’re hated and feared for it. The three stories are three orogene women, each building up a snapshot of how this world order has evolved, and what is so terrible about it.
It’s not an easy story, but it’s incredibly well done. Jemisin really has a gift for epic scope. I’m so interested to see where this story goes from here.
Pingback: 2020 Books Read – The North Wind and the Sea