REVIEW: The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

This is the third in Jemisin’s The Broken Earth series and the conclusion to the series. (For my reviews of the previous volumes, see Book 1 and Book 2.) The series has the remarkable distinction of winning the Hugo Award for all three volumes.

I am a fan of Jemisin’s style and storytelling. The style is evocative without being flowery or sappy, and the characters ring true, her world-building is unique and fascinating while still believable. Her plots have plenty of surprises, ebb and flow pleasingly, and hang together well. In this book, Jemisin continues to play with point-of-view which gives her writing a literary interest that a lot of SF and Fantasy lack.

The trilogy is based on a planet much like earth, but it is a world with one supercontinent that experiences seasons begun by periodic and devastating earthquakes. Each comes with different with differing consequences for the population, economies, flora and fauna, and the rise and fall of states, groups, and castes. There are different races on the planet, though almost all are human or human-like, except for the “stone-eaters.”
Some humans have “powers” to control elements of nature or the earth itself.

This finale follows three people (who also appeared in previous volumes). A mother and daughter, separated, both of whom can summon power from orbiting Obelisks and manipulate nature and earth (they are known as “orogenes”). The fallout from the destruction of some enemies by the mother in the last book continues here, and the past painful interactions between the mother, daughter, and the father (who hated orogenes and killed a son for being one), is heart-wrenching . Each has their point of view that is understandable, if not compelling.

The story also jumps back thousands of years in the past, and in doing so, draws together the strands from the first two novels. By the end, the reader now understands all the loose ends and the paths that have led to the climax of the third novel. Unlike many trilogies, this third one answers the crucial questions, reveals the unknown, while still being a good and moving story.

The themes of suffering, loss, family, friendship, sacrifice, and the importance of seeing the big picture are all woven throughout. The Stone Sky is an intricate story and world,  presenting the reader with moments of tenderness, horror, beauty, betrayal, love, and pain—in a story that is both unique and satisfying.