The Fifth Season, and Why Everyone Should Read It (Like Now)
Author N.K. Jemisin certainly does not need me to convince you to read her award winning novel, but I am going to do it anyway.
I think there is a sort of stigma with the fantasy genre that they are “guilty pleasure reads,” or that they don’t actually offer any sort of upper level thinking. The genre has definitely taken a turn toward “faerie smut,” or novels that I find myself blushing when I read it in public. I have surely been guilty of this thinking! Please don’t get me wrong, I love a little faerie smut as much as the next gal, and will gladly show you all of my fae novels displayed proudly on my bookshelf. However, I find that, in peoples’ minds, there are two major schools in the genre – smut, and the Lord of the Rings. It can sometimes feel like fantasy is solely there to entertain, while dystopian novels are the ones that supply commentary on the world.
This is a disservice to the genre.
First of all, faerie smut can definitely say something important between all the scandalous scenes. It’s one reason I love to read it! Not only is it tantalizing, but I also genuinely find myself connecting to the characters and their world, and often finding true comparisons to our own.
Second of all, this genre is beautiful due to its lack of limitations. The Fifth Season has not a single faerie, and never once made me blush, and I could not put it down.
A brief summary: This novel takes place on a version of Earth where “Father Earth” is angry at humanity, and therefore punishes them with events called Seasons. Seasons have looked different throughout history, but they have one thing in common – they are apocalyptic. Meanwhile, society itself is divided into Comms – seemingly comparable to modern day cities. We see that beauty standards are directly related to survival ability, demonstrating the values that have surfaced in this sort of world. Whereas in the world we know, beauty standards are often developed out of the preferences of the time, or even simply derived from celebrities at the time, this world is no longer concerned with such frivolity. Characters often note the ancestry of other characters simply based on their genetics, so while traditional beauty is not really mentioned, there is definitely value placed on where you, or your parents, are from. In the midst of this society are characters known as Orogenes. These characters have the ability to manipulate energy, usually manifesting in shifting temperatures and the ground itself. These characters inspire terror in the rest of society, however there is a nod to the fact that they are useful for quelling earthquakes and other natural disasters. They can be helpful during a Season.
I am not here to convince you that Jemisin is a beautiful, elegant, creative writer with impeccable world building abilities, even though she is all of those things. Her multiple awards for this novel, the first of a trilogy, can do that. I am here to convince you that this book is important for you to read. The way the Orogenes are treated in this novel is obscene, and yet there are people in our modern day society being treated the same way. Their power is used to protect and build Comms, and yet the people of the Comms fear them so much that they are willing to, and often do, murder them in cold blood. They are not seen as people, but rather as animals with the power to destroy communities. They are considered useful only when they can be controlled, and dangerous otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, their power is great, and they can be dangerous, but most of the Orogenes we meet in this novel are simply trying to survive. They are mothers, fathers, and children. They have friends. They contribute to society in their own ways. And the most heinous acts committed in the novel are not committed by them, but to them.
This novel was written in 2015, but I don’t think there was ever a more important time for people to read it.
I love you, and until next post <3
