Book Club Discussion: The Fifth Season

[charlatti]

Hope it’s ok to start this! Did anyone else read this one? I pulled discussion questions from a handful of sites — going to post and run now but will add thoughts this weekend.

* Did you see the book as a political allegory?
* Why do you think Jemisin told this story through three separate narratives?  
* What time period is the book set in? There seem to be references to our time, but there is limited technology. Where would you put this world in connection to ours?
* What exactly is a “Fifth Season”?
* How does Jemisin build the world the readers are in? Why do you think she chose to call the land “The Stillness”?
* Did you identify most with Essun, Damaya or Syenite? Or a more minor character? Why?
* Early on, the character of Hoa says “much of history is unwritten.” Do you think that’s true in our world as well?
* Why do people in the Stillness fear orogenes? Do you see them as dangerous?
* What parallels are you seeing between the fractured landscape and climate disasters in the book and our own planet?
* How is the theme of oppression explored in the book? Is this oppression individual or structural? How does it resonate with our own world?

[travella]

I tried to read this book, but it was a DNF for me. It was a combination of bad timing, the fact that it's fantasy, and the writing style that put me off. I have a difficult time with fantasy anyway; I'm just not a very imaginative person. Add in that I had forced myself to finish two mediocre books before this and I just couldn't push through 500 pages.

[rootbeerfloat]

I read this awhile back and mostly liked it, especially the diversity and the ability to control earth/nature. The ending was pretty upsetting if I recall correctly, though all 3 stories came together nicely.

I started the second book in the trilogy and couldn't get into it. I guess I'll never know how things end.

[charlatti]

I had read this before but I didn’t remember it at all. I had trouble getting into the world this time, but I enjoyed it once I finally got going. I love Jemisin’s ability to create such varied characters. I want to understand the Guardians more — are they born to it? Do they have powers? Maybe that was there and I missed it.

I was surprised by the way the three narratives tied together, though there was a typo/editing error that made me wonder midway through. I would have thought I would remember that connection from my first read.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I just finished it today. I wasn't surprised by the way it came together, but I was annoyed. I felt like the way that it was written made it harder to follow than it needed to be, and that made me not get into it as much as I would have liked. I feel like I'd need to go back and read the parts in a more chronological order to see if they make more sense that way, but I forget too many of the details because I was too busy trying to figure out the 'world' to retain the details were needed. I can't decide if I want to try the 2nd book or not. I do want to know whether they can create a society where orogenes can be treated with humanity, but I feel like it might be more frustration than it's worth.

[aurora]

I read this book a few years ago and loved it. It helps that I generally enjoy multi-point-of-view books and fantasy. But, I have forgotten a lot of the details since so I'm maybe not the best book club participant.

I read the whole trilogy and enjoyed it.

[ufcasey]

Thanks charlatti for starting this!

I read this back in 2018 and loved it. The whole trilogy is one of my favorites. The one thing that I really remember and enjoyed was that the weird almost third person narration at times is finally explained only at the very end of the third book and it REALLY surprised me. I've been meaning to reread it now that I know the explanation behind it, but alas so many books I want to read but so little time.