The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Aug 08, 2017 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, transhumanism, 2024-shelf, mindfuq, dystopia-yes-pls, 2017-shelf, reality-bending, worldbuilding-sf, fanboy-goes-squee

Re-Read 1/20/24:

I may not say this is one of the best stories I've ever read, any more, BUT I do say that there are few far future Hard-SF/Fantasy books that do as good a job as this when it comes to multiple layers of pain, betrayal, attempted renewal, and redemption.

This is true for the personal level, for almost every character, AND the geological level. Just who is broken in this Broken Earth? I'd say we all are.

But, as we learned in the first book -- This is the End.

I still love it.

Original ...more

310 likes · Like · see review

Dec 09, 2016 Philip rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, 2017-releases, top-5-2017, fantasy, author-of-color, author-woman, hugo, dying-earth

5ish stars.

This is an incredible series and a huge accomplishment for its author, N.K. Jemisin. It has every element of high quality fiction and, particularly, everything great about SFF. It's decidedly new age, but in a way that I don't doubt will stand the test of time. It's innovative in the way that Ursula K. Le Guin's work was innovative in the '60s and '70s (and continues to be influential today) and, maybe I'm foolish for saying this too soon, but I think it has the same potential to rea 5ish stars.

This is an incredible series and a huge accomplishment for its author, N.K. Jemisin. It has every element of high quality fiction and, particularly, everything great about SFF. It's decidedly new age, but in a way that I don't doubt will stand the test of time. It's innovative in the way that Ursula K. Le Guin's work was innovative in the '60s and '70s (and continues to be influential today) and, maybe I'm foolish for saying this too soon, but I think it has the same potential to reach classic status.

Admittedly, the first book in the series, The Fifth Season, is my favorite and I actually only rated that 4.5, but the series as a whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. In this book specifically I found the first half to be slow, but once each of the separate storylines coalesced and the big picture came into view, the payoff was worth the journey. The ending wasn't mind-blowingly pulse-pounding but it was fitting and real and it felt right. It made me feel good.

I respect Jemisin's talent immensely. Her prose is fantastic. She's not afraid to make her characters prickly, even unlikable at times and I love them all the more for it. Even the side characters who only make brief appearances are ones who I liked and would love to learn more about. The real greatness of this series is the world Jemisin has created- not only the "magic system," the blend of fantasy and sci-fi, or the diverse factions of characters, but how the nature of the world is primed to provide such deep commentary on so many grand, topical ideas. The way Jemisin addresses those ideas- duty, exploitation, love, humanity, morality, acceptance, xenophobia, motherhood, justice, mercy- is powerful and soulful and she doesn't take any easy ways out. She allows things to play out how they really do play out in human existence, not necessarily the ways we want them or expect them to in the literature we read.

Congratulations to Jemisin for this achievement and congrats to me for getting to experience it!

Posted in Mr. Philip's Library ...more

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Aug 25, 2017 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it really liked it

The Stone Sky left me shook.

I had so many mixed feelings after finishing it (…in 2017. I’ll explain). On one hand, there had been a lot of buildup in the previous two books and I wasn’t totally convinced I liked the direction the story headed for about the first 75%. I was worried it wasn’t going to live up to my incredibly high expectations. And then some of the most truly profound scenes played out and I can still feel the emotional reverberation every time I think about it even years later. T The Stone Sky left me shook.

I had so many mixed feelings after finishing it (…in 2017. I’ll explain). On one hand, there had been a lot of buildup in the previous two books and I wasn’t totally convinced I liked the direction the story headed for about the first 75%. I was worried it wasn’t going to live up to my incredibly high expectations. And then some of the most truly profound scenes played out and I can still feel the emotional reverberation every time I think about it even years later. This trilogy is brilliant.

I held off on writing a review for two reasons: 1. When I finished it, my feed was filled with countless solid 5-star reviews and I didn’t feel strongly enough about my criticisms to become a rallying counterpoint to all of that positivity (and didn’t really want to because of how special the series had been for me overall). And 2. It left me so confused that I didn’t know how to express my slight disappointment at the direction but at the same time emphasize the 10+ star scenes that still kind of haunt me to this day. Do I dock my rating for what I didn’t like? Or keep it a solid 5 because the amazing parts were strong enough to overpower everything else? I think with time and perspective, I can finally land on 4 as a rating for this specific book with the disclaimer that the series still feels like a solid 5-stars as a whole. There are so many things I loved about it, but my favorite element by far is the basis for why parts of the books are written with different POV styles (specifically the controversial second-person present-tense passages). It’s brilliant. Or did I say that already?

Ultimately, even though the story didn’t go along with any of my theories, it still shattered me. It’s also my emphatic, quintessential recommendation whenever someone mentions “unique” or “cool writing styles” or “unconventional.” It’s truly a masterpiece. My only recommendation: experience it for yourself.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like*:

The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga, #1) by Kameron Hurley

The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1) by James Islington

Child of a Mad God (Coven, #1) by R.A. Salvatore

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch #1) by Ann Leckie

*None of the recommendations really fit except for maybe Mirror Empire, so I tried to pick books that had elements that reminded me of this series. The Broken Earth Trilogy just stands too strongly on its own so far. ...more

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Dec 25, 2016 Justine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read

A pretty solid 4 star finish to the series that ties up most of the loose ends.

Less than a week after publication and I see there are already quite a few 5 star, favourite book status reviews out there. While I definitely liked this book, and thought it was well written and creative, I didn't think it quite matched the brilliant storytelling impact of the first book, The Fifth Season.

What makes Jemisin's books such a joy to read are the combination of unique voice and imaginative worldbuilding t ...more

58 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2017 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

Wrapping up the story of the Broken Earth with Essun on a mission to save the Earth and her daughter Nassun on a collision course to destroy it.

After the events of the previous book Essun is now like Alabaster was in the previous book: on the verge of turning to stone if she uses her orogeny. The comm of Castrima is heading towards the Rifting on a desperate mission through the ash-blown world to shut it down and save the world from the Fifth Season that would last millennia. Meanwhile Nassun re ...more

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Jul 16, 2017 Lata rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bipoc-author, sf-f-h, x2017-read, auth-f, bipoc-actor

This is the end of an amazing story of Essun, a prickly, quick to anger and gifted orogene, and her daughter, Nassun, very similar in character and ability. And earth magic and attempts to control it, and people struggling to continue amidst destruction.
This book concludes one of the best stories I've read in a long time. I'll probably add more later, but I'm still in a gushing, incoherent phase about this trilogy. ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Aug 28, 2017 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

4.5 stars. Review to follow once I've thought about it. ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2017 Suzanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, fantasy

This was an excellent finish to an excellent series. The strongest point of this series for me was the world building. I really thought by book 3, I'd learned most of what there was to know about this world, but I was completely wrong, and I understand it SO much more now. I also like the characters - they are flawed and feel quite real.
...more

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Feb 20, 2022 Susy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, fantasy, sci-fi, apocalyptic

5 stars
Wow, a great conclusion to a great series. I really don't want to say too much about it, cause I think you should just read it! Great characters, great and complex world and magic (sometimes making it a bit hard to follow, but not in a bothersome way), great story. I loved learning more about Hoa's past. Will miss all of the characters very much!

Characters 10
Atmosphere 10
Writing Style 9
Setup 10
Plot 10
Intrigue 10
Logic 9
Enjoyment 9 ...more

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Nov 19, 2016 Christina Pilkington rated it really liked it

4.5 stars

A fantastic ending to a fantastic trilogy. While I was blown away by the world building in the first two books, what made this book stick out for me was its emotional depth, the poignant themes tackled and the satisfying conclusion. Loved it!

7 likes · Like · see review