Book · 2015
The Fifth Season
by N. K. Jemisin
An orogene comes home to find her son beaten to death and her daughter gone, the same day a continent starts splitting apart.
What does Reddit think of The Fifth Season?
The volume here is deceptive: high mention counts mostly come from being one line in bigger fantasy-list threads, not focused discussion. Several of the top excerpts are literally list items — 'Broken earth trilogy' with no elaboration (↑557), or one entry among Realm of the Elderlings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Book of the Ancestor, and Earthsea (↑424). The rare exception that actually engages is a ↑603 dissent: 'Definitely not hate, but I did not enjoy the Broken Earth trilogy as much as everyone else seemed to.' That's the most substantive opinion in the sample, and it's a mild no. Nothing displayed here settles whether the sci-fi-versus-fantasy debate readers have elsewhere in these same threads is actually about this book specifically.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · High mention counts built from list appearances, not sustained arguments
- · A trilogy named more often as a single list item than discussed directly
- · A rare dissenting take standing out precisely because it's rare
Common praise
- + Commenters keep slotting it into 'essential fantasy' lists next to A Song of Ice and Fire and Realm of the Elderlings without hedging (↑424).
- + It comes up as the default answer whenever someone asks r/Fantasy for genre-bending recommendations, even in threads where nobody elaborates on why (↑557).
Common criticism
- − A ↑603 excerpt admits it didn't land the way the rest of r/Fantasy seemed to expect.
- − The trilogy gets named without elaboration often enough (↑557) that its exact appeal doesn't come through in the sample.
Who it's for
Trust the list-makers over the list itself here: this shows up in nearly every 'essential modern fantasy' roundup r/Fantasy runs, usually without anyone explaining why (↑424, ↑557). If you want a specific reaction instead of a name-drop, the ↑603 dissent is worth reading before you commit — it's a measured 'this wasn't for me,' not a pan. Go in expecting genre-blending, since the same threads that mention this book argue at length about where sci-fi ends and fantasy begins, even if that argument isn't always tied to this title directly. The sample is thinner on direct opinions than the mention count implies, so don't mistake visibility for a verdict.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/suggestmeabook 6,642
- r/Fantasy 5,373
- r/booksuggestions 2,131
- r/printSF 1,148
- r/RomanceBooks 153
- r/YAlit 121
- r/TrueLit 29
- r/horrorlit 21
Which Reddit comments matter for The Fifth Season?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I like sci-fi elements in my fantasy, and fantasy elements in my sci-fi. There doesn't need to be this rigid dividing line between the genres. Gods and computers can coexist. EDIT: Here is the list of book recommended in the comments below. I make no claim for these books, except that they were rec…
“It sounds like you're approaching the term from a 'reader first' perspective, but the term is generally used to describe a writing style, irrelevant of the reader at the time. So it isn't that you shouldn't be invested in Locke as a character, just that your use of the term 'character driven' isn't…
“Definitely not hate, but I did not enjoy The Broken Earth trilogy as much as everyone else seemed to
“Broken earth trilogy
“I suspect that for the Hugo's at least, it's a combination of **who votes**, and **who writes** the things those voters like. I was shocked to go through the Hugo votes and see that the shortlist is determined by **1093** nominating voters. That is a tiny number of voters for an award that gets so …
“- Realm of the Elderlings - Broken Earth Trilogy - A Song of Ice and Fire - Book of the Ancestor - Earthsea
“Margaret Atwood: *Alias Grace*, *Handmaid's Tale*, *MaddAddam Trilogy* Susanna Clarke: *Piranesi*, *Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell* Flannery O'Conner: *Wise Blood*, among tons of short fiction Toni Morrison: *Beloved*, *The Bluest Eye* Zora Neale Hurston: *Their Eyes Were Watching God*, *Tell …
“Can I be the first to introduce you to my new favorite niche subgenre of speculative fiction: Hopepunk. It's that genre that deals with the struggle against oppression, the strive of humanity to better itself and the fundamental idea that we can make things better. It was coined, but not invented b…
“Broken earth Trilogy by N K Jesmin. He system feels a mix of sci fi and magic but the world she has weaved is pretty amazing. Also her writing makes you feel like you are living her books. Definitely mind-blowing work!
“I think the whole making parallels with real life marginalised groups by likening them to characters with potentially very destructive special or superpowers (X-Men, The Broken Earth, True Blood etc) can lead to entertaining and sometimes great stories, but when you think about it for long it's iffy…
“I had someone the other day trying to tell me the broken earth trilogy was YA. You know, teen-centric themes like being a 50 year old mother grieving the murder of one of your children and your messy estranged relationship from your other child.
“I've been lucky to have a few this year that had me very sleep deprived at work the next day: \-The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemison \-A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik \-House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune \-Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
“All of the following are great adult epic fantasies with a female lead. I could speak to their individual merits but that would blow up this comment, so I'll keep it to a list. **Kushiel's Legacy** by Jacqueline Carey **Broken Earth Trilogy** by N.K. Jemisin although I'm sure everyone knows this o…
“Definitely Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
“*The Fifth Season* really hooked me, especially this part: >*This is what you must remember: the ending of one story is just the beginning of another. This has happened before, after all. People die. Old orders pass. New societies are born. When we say “the world has ended,” it’s usually a lie, be…
Convinced? Pick up The Fifth Season
Readers also mention
All books like The Fifth Season →Books that share discussion threads with The Fifth Season — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring The Fifth Season
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
The Fifth Season — frequently asked
Is The Fifth Season as universally loved as its mention count suggests?+
Not exactly. Most of the displayed r/Fantasy excerpts mention it as one line in a longer list — 'Broken earth trilogy' with nothing else attached (↑557) — rather than argue for it directly. The one excerpt that actually gives an opinion (↑603) is a mild dissent, not a rave, so the visibility here reflects list appearances more than settled agreement.
What list does The Fifth Season usually appear in on r/Fantasy?+
The 'essential modern fantasy' kind. A ↑424 excerpt names it alongside Realm of the Elderlings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Book of the Ancestor, and Earthsea, with no further commentary attached. That's a list slot, not a review, so it tells you the book gets included more than it tells you why.
Did anyone on Reddit dislike The Fifth Season?+
At least one account did. The ↑603 excerpt reads: 'Definitely not hate, but I did not enjoy the Broken Earth trilogy as much as everyone else seemed to.' It's a hedge, not a takedown, but it's the clearest dissenting opinion the displayed sample offers.
Is The Fifth Season more science fiction or fantasy?+
The displayed r/Fantasy threads argue about that exact line generally, but not always with this book named directly in the same breath. Treat the genre-blend debate in these threads as background context around The Fifth Season rather than a settled classification of it specifically.