skygiants | (no subject)

Thanks to the kindness of

aamcnamara in loaning a copy so I did not have to fight through the library line, I read The Stone Sky - third in N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, following up on The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate - last weekend.

I don't think Essun destroyed any cities at all this book! I'm so proud!

I like Hoa and all, but I found the backstory with its extensive magical infodumps less compelling than the ongoing present-story of Essun and to a lesser extent Nassun, and to an even greater extent the glimpses of hope represented by Castrima and its community. That said, is Syl Anagist science fiction's first solarpunk dystopia? I think it might be.

I find myself wondering, with the reveal of who's narrating the story, whether there's any sense in which we're meant to take Hoa as unreliable as far as his interpretation of Essun and Nassun's experiences and emotions throughout the story. I don't think so; I think probably we're meant to take Hoa pretty much at his word when he says he knows Essun well enough to tell her back to herself. But I do wonder, especially when it comes to Hoa's description of Essun's feelings towards and interactions with Hoa himself. One of these days in the next couple years I'll reread the whole series through, and try to watch for this.

Jemisin's writing frequently emphasizes the idea that sometimes things -- people, relationships, societies -- are broken beyond repair. I didn't like the way this played out in the Dreamblood duology. I think it works better here. There are no answers; there's only the chance to do it all one more time, and hope it turns out better. I wonder what happens to a pregnant Stone Eater. (I mean, I think textually what probably happens is 'eternal tiny stone baby bump', but another answer could be interesting and also thematic too.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Every reviewer seems to think the Hoa backstory was less compelling and they could have done without it. While I got from it such a satisfying moment of understanding - that all was begun in racism and exploitation, and thus we really did have to do something like break the world in order to get a fresh start away from that.

For what it's worth, we've been following Essun's present-day story for two books and Nassun's for one, whereas Hoa's backstory is the new kid on the block, so to speak -- not to mention that with backstories, done is done. So it's kind of stacked against that thread to begin with, I guess. I personally found them of equal interest!

Yeah, I liked it thematically/intellectually, but I think it's very difficult for a section that's in large part technical worldbuilding to carry the same weight as a story whose dramatic character-based narrative tension has been building to a climax over the course of three books. I spent a lot of those pages like 'ok corestone networks sessapinae WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO ESSUN THOUGH?'

Yes, the reveal of Hoa's narration definitely made me want to go back and reread the whole series and see if/how that changes things! I agree, I'm not sure we're meant to read him as an unreliable narrator per se, but I will probably groan "Hoaaaaaa" in the first book when he SKIPS AN ENTIRE HAPPY PART OF HER LIFE in HALF A PAGE, EXCUSE YOU, HOA, maybe she wanted those years described in detail okay??

A bit that gave me a bit of a chill even in this book is when Hoa does some kind of gesture -- takes her hand, I think -- and I believe the sentence he uses is 'you're very, very glad for his consideration.' Which is .... a very emphatic thing to say, when talking about how someone that you have a crush on reacted to a physical gesture you did for them, like, was she, Hoa? Very, very glad?

Hahaha oh noo, I missed that.