Publication Order
| # | Title | Year | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Fifth Season | 2015 | N.K. Jemisin | Buy |
| 2 | The Obelisk Gate | 2016 | N.K. Jemisin | Buy |
| 3 | The Stone Sky | 2017 | N.K. Jemisin | Buy |
The Broken Earth trilogy is set on a supercontinent called the Stillness, a land plagued by catastrophic seismic events called Fifth Seasons. These apocalyptic periods of volcanic activity, earthquakes, and climate disruption occur regularly enough that civilization has adapted to them, developing elaborate survival strategies and rigid social structures.
The story follows Essun, a middle-aged woman with the power to control seismic activity. People with this ability are called orogenes, and they are both essential for survival and deeply feared and hated by society. When the trilogy begins, a massive earthquake has started a new Season, and Essun’s husband has killed their son and kidnapped their daughter.
N.K. Jemisin writes in a distinctive second-person perspective for parts of the narrative, a choice that initially surprises readers but becomes integral to the story’s impact. The trilogy won the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row, the only time this has happened in the award’s history.