The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N.K. Jemisin

This book stands out in its interesting world-building, reflection of institutionalized racism, and structure. The Sanze Empire has been using the power of orogenes to control the continual seismic energy that shakes their world. While orogenes have elemental magic and power that you'd think would make them rulers, they are victims of institutionalized racism and controlled by the government through Guardians, killers that can negate their power. The story is told from three female perspectives whose separate stories come together at the story's end with a twist.

Essun is a mother whose three-year-old son is murdered by her husband when he discovers he is an orogene. Most people fear and hate orogenes whose powers appear in young children that are either killed or sent to a government facility called, "The Fulcrum", where they are taught control. If these children do not conform or control their powers they are killed by adults at the Fulcrum. Ironically, the Fulcrum is run by orogenes making them complicit in society's institutional racism.  Essun is an orogene in hiding and has never told her husband of her powers. She's so angry at his act of filicide she vows to find him and kill him. She's also terrified because he has taken their eight-year-old daughter who is also an orogene but the father doesn't know it. Damaya is a young girl whose family discovers that she has orogene powers and they send her to the Fulcrum. Her perspective shows the cruelty of the Guardians and being raised in the Fulcrum. The last character, Syenite, is a four-ring orogene who is paired with a powerful ten-ring orogene where they are sent on a mission to quell seismic activity and told to breed. Again the institutionalized racism shows the orogenes as slaves to the State with no choice. Syenite is ambitious and wants to move up the ranks but she is angry all the time. As the ten-ring orogene questions everything about the system she cannot help but become aware of her enslaved status and rebel against it.

Essun's story is written in second person point-of-view and while at first I wondered if it was imitating a self-help book (where I usually see 2nd person POV) as she's so broken inside from the death of her son, it is more than that and is revealed at the end. The reader is the onlooker and character being drawn into the story and made complicit with the injustice and intolerance that is directed at those who are different from others. It invites the reader to react and change to the world around them being more tolerant to those who are marginalized. At first I thought the structure or POV might separate me from the victim but instead it had the opposite effect.

While the story is science fiction there is a mix of genres as Essun's tale is like a survival story, Damaya's perspective encapsulates the school story, and Syenite's quest is more fantasy as she learns elemental magic and has romances while on a mission. Essun's story pokes holes in social Darwinism especially as survival of the fittest comes in the form of a petite blonde woman and all address institutionalized racism. Most of the characters are dark-skinned as the surviving race and cities are by the equator. The start of the book is somewhat confusing and the author left me with a lot of questions at the end. This post-apocalyptic story has remnants of ruined civilizations seen in abandoned cities, stonelore, stone eaters and obelisks. Enough is explained that I understood the gist but not enough so that I want to read the next book to get a better understanding of the world the author has created.

5 Smileys

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch #1) by Ann Leckie

While most of my reviews are middle grade fiction novels, I like to find crossover books for my high readers that are challenging but appropriate. I thought this might be okay based on a review I read but after reading it I'm going to give it to the high school library. This space opera has a plot that is too complex as the reader is dropped into the middle of the action with unique points of view and no textual features to show when the viewpoints have changed. Add alternating chapters in the past and present from a character that is three beings in one body and it is can be confusing, especially at the start. The story slowly unfolds and comes to an exciting climax, but requires patience by the reader. I see why two top readers gave the book back to me saying, "I don't get it." Science fiction can be complex at times. I remember abandoning "Dune," as a kid because "I didn't get it." As an adult, I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book, especially how the author plays with gender. The androgynous-type characters had made me placing my own genders on them in order to visualize them. Not only is the reader customizing the story to his or her preferences, it exposes internal biases in the process creating good discussions on the topic of self-identity.

The main character is a robot with multiple points of view that refers to herself as "she" : she is Justice of Toren, or the artificial intelligence of a starship; she is Justice of Toren One Esk, or a twenty-unit ancillary serving a Lieutenant; and she is Breq, a single ancillary that has lost all other connections. Ancillaries are dead soldiers that have been modified to work as many units linked to one starship or in this case, Justice of Toren. Basically, the main character is in a human or ship's body but has artificial intelligence. I didn't "get" this out until well into the book which is why I think my two young readers abandoned it. Breq is in the current story and on a mission to kill the creator of the universe while the alternating story is about One Esk that is serving a Lieutenant in a city in outerspace. The robot is detached from events and doesn't express emotions except anger now and then. However as the story progresses the robot's actions show that she cares for others and is committed to doing the right thing.

The setting and world building are complete with religion, politics, and social structures. The setting takes place thousands of years in the future with one Radchaai ruler and an autocratic government. This ruler has lived for thousands of years and controlled human beings making the Radch citizens believe they are superior to others. I never got a good grasp on how the ruler, Anaander Mianaai, lived so long. She's portrayed as human and leans on the Justice of Toren's artificial intelligence to make decisions, but she can't be human to have lived as long. Maybe she's alien? I probably missed something here. The Radch economy is not clear, but the society and its classes are divided and distinct creating a caste system of sorts. I didn't have a clear sense of the Gerentate people where Breq is from except her planet is in another galaxy. The discs Breq carries that have holograms of people are not explained in great detail, but they hint at the Gerentate's religion and her personal background. They left me with several unanswered questions. Perhaps the sequel will address some of my questions.

Breq's narrative is detached emotionally which might make it hard for some readers to connect with her. Her actions show compassion and she even puzzles over why she does something that seems emotional. Toward the end it seems that human beings have affected her a bit more and she expresses anger and indignation at treatment that puts her in an uncivilized class. The fact that Breq collects songs and sings to calm herself was enough to make her more "human" for me. She's definitely a robot, but has human characteristics. I did find her hard to visualize along with the other characters which has more to do with the authors creation of a culture that doesn't use gender pronouns to show what sex the characters are in the plot. At one point I thought I read a description of One Esk having three mouths, but later my brain kept dropping the extra mouths as she showed more human characteristics.

Throughout the story almost everyone is referred to as "she." I found myself a bit confused at first and wondering if it was going to be an androgynous society, but then found it interesting how my brain kept forcing characters into gender groups. I found I couldn't stick with the androgynous society. Later the author shows how the Radchaai society does use gender pronouns and once in a while, (not every time), the sex of some characters is revealed; several whom I had originally thought were the opposite sex. Rather than be annoying, it became fun and surprising. In our society, gender identity is a formation of social identity. One of the most unique aspects of this book is that it takes away this socialization process. I admire the author's risk-taking and originality that actually works throughout the novel as a whole. I did have problems with it at first because I felt so disoriented, but that reinforces the whole point, doesn't it? Gender identity is such a strong component of societies that if it is taken away it is discombobulating.

An ongoing theme is the examination of being civilized or uncivilized. The Radchaai are the oppressors with one ruler that doesn't value human life. People are easily killed and disposed of if they oppose the leader. They consider themselves superior and tolerate different religions from conquered space colonies. Control is based on military might and ancillaries are a way to accomplish stability in society. Breq is designed to only follow orders given by Mianaai and it puts her in a unique position as an enforcer and an outcast because she is considered "uncivilized" by the Radchaai. The fantasy world is closest to the Roman empire that conquered nations but let people keep their religion and language making integration with Roman society less difficult. However, the Romans received more privileges based on their citizenship and considered themselves superior to other conquered cultures. On a side note - I wonder if Ann Leckie made all the pronouns a "she" or feminine to make a point that women can be science fiction writers in a mostly male dominated field. Just a thought. This ambitious book is nothing short of unique even with its flaws. The sequel is sitting on my desk. Can't wait to read it this weekend.

5 Smileys