The Fifth SeasonThe Fifth Season
What it's about
The Stillness is a supercontinent wracked by earthquakes, and every few centuries a catastrophic Season of ash, darkness and famine nearly ends civilization. Orogenes, people born able to control the earth's energy, are the only ones who can quiet it, and they're feared, enslaved and killed for it. Essun has hidden what she is for years, until she comes home to find her husband has killed their son and fled with their daughter, just as a new Season begins. Told in three threads, it's a disaster novel, a quest and a mystery.
Why it's worth reading
It's one of the most inventive fantasies of the century, and its trilogy is the only one to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years running. It's a gripping disaster story and a powerful story about oppression in one.
You'll love it if you liked
Dune, The Left Hand of Darkness or Babel
Good to know
The opening is disorienting on purpose, and parts are written in the second person ("you"). Trust it, because it all clicks. It's book one of a trilogy and ends on a reveal, so have the next book ready.
By the numbers
- Readers88 out of 100 · counts 40%+40
- Critics93 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+33
- Bestseller34 out of 100 · counts 14%+5
- Buzz4 out of 100 · counts 15%+1
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
Hugo Award winner (2016). On 2 canon lists, including NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. 4.28★ from 357K Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #3 of the 141 science fiction books we rank
- #5 of the 131 fantasy books we rank
- #12 of the 666 modern books we rank
- #29 of the 1,405 books we rank
Won
- Hugo Award winner (2016)
Shortlisted
- Nebula Award finalist (2015)
On the lists
- NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
- Guardian 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking, Dark
