Listen free for 30 days
-
The Fifth Season
- The Broken Earth, Book 1
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Series: The Broken Earth, Book 1
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £19.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Obelisk Gate
- The Broken Earth, Book 2
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Sequel to the multi-award nominated The Fifth Season. The season of endings grows darker, as civilisation fades into the long cold night. Essun has found shelter, but not her missing daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request only Essun can grant. The Broken Earth trilogy begins with The Fifth Season, continues in The Obelisk Gate and concludes with The Stone Sky.
-
-
I Can't Even
- By M. Atkinson on 08-09-16
-
The Lies of Locke Lamora
- By: Scott Lynch
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 21 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves.
-
-
Wonderful
- By Hallie on 14-08-11
-
Ancillary Justice
- The Imperial Radch series, Book 1
- By: Ann Leckie
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The spectacular debut novel nominated for every major science fiction award in 2014, Ancillary Justice is the story of a warship trapped in a human body and her search for revenge. Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Nebula Award, the British Science Fiction Association Award, a James Tiptree Jr. honour and a Kitschie. Currently shortlisted for the Hugo Awards. They made me kill thousands, but I only have one target now.
-
-
Interestingly feminist SciFi
- By Jonathan on 16-11-14
-
Gardens of the Moon
- The Malazan Book of the Fallen 1
- By: Steven Erikson
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 26 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners and for Tattersail, sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out - and Empress Lasseen's ambition knows no bounds.
-
-
If you are reading these for the first time ...
- By Paul J. on 20-02-19
-
A Wizard of Earthsea
- The First Book of Earthsea
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
-
-
A great classic, beautifully read.
- By Rebecca on 20-03-19
-
The Dragonbone Chair
- Memory, Sorrow & Thorn, Book 1
- By: Tad Williams
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 33 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kitchen-boy Simon is bored, restless and 14 years old - a dangerous combination. It seems, however, that his life has just taken a turn for the better when he's apprenticed to his castle's resident wizard. As Simon's learning to read and write under Doctor Morgenes' tutelage, forces greater than he could possible imagine are gathering: forces which will change Simon's life - and his world - forever. Following the death of Good King John, Osten Ard is plunged into civil war as his sons battle for control of the fabled Dragonbone Chair - the country's throne as well as the symbol of its power.
-
-
You'll need a little patience for this one
- By Robyn on 26-09-16
-
The Obelisk Gate
- The Broken Earth, Book 2
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Sequel to the multi-award nominated The Fifth Season. The season of endings grows darker, as civilisation fades into the long cold night. Essun has found shelter, but not her missing daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request only Essun can grant. The Broken Earth trilogy begins with The Fifth Season, continues in The Obelisk Gate and concludes with The Stone Sky.
-
-
I Can't Even
- By M. Atkinson on 08-09-16
-
The Lies of Locke Lamora
- By: Scott Lynch
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 21 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves.
-
-
Wonderful
- By Hallie on 14-08-11
-
Ancillary Justice
- The Imperial Radch series, Book 1
- By: Ann Leckie
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The spectacular debut novel nominated for every major science fiction award in 2014, Ancillary Justice is the story of a warship trapped in a human body and her search for revenge. Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Nebula Award, the British Science Fiction Association Award, a James Tiptree Jr. honour and a Kitschie. Currently shortlisted for the Hugo Awards. They made me kill thousands, but I only have one target now.
-
-
Interestingly feminist SciFi
- By Jonathan on 16-11-14
-
Gardens of the Moon
- The Malazan Book of the Fallen 1
- By: Steven Erikson
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 26 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners and for Tattersail, sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out - and Empress Lasseen's ambition knows no bounds.
-
-
If you are reading these for the first time ...
- By Paul J. on 20-02-19
-
A Wizard of Earthsea
- The First Book of Earthsea
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
-
-
A great classic, beautifully read.
- By Rebecca on 20-03-19
-
The Dragonbone Chair
- Memory, Sorrow & Thorn, Book 1
- By: Tad Williams
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 33 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kitchen-boy Simon is bored, restless and 14 years old - a dangerous combination. It seems, however, that his life has just taken a turn for the better when he's apprenticed to his castle's resident wizard. As Simon's learning to read and write under Doctor Morgenes' tutelage, forces greater than he could possible imagine are gathering: forces which will change Simon's life - and his world - forever. Following the death of Good King John, Osten Ard is plunged into civil war as his sons battle for control of the fabled Dragonbone Chair - the country's throne as well as the symbol of its power.
-
-
You'll need a little patience for this one
- By Robyn on 26-09-16
-
The Shadow of What Was Lost
- The Licanius Trilogy, Book 1
- By: James Islington
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 25 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs - once thought of almost as gods - were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets.
-
-
The tag line says it all...almost
- By Mike on 07-07-15
-
The Final Empire
- Mistborn, Book 1
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 24 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families, and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields. But now a troublemaker has arrived, and there is rumour of revolt.
-
-
Fantasy isn't my usual genre, but ...
- By Amazon Customer on 19-08-11
-
The Poppy War
- The Poppy War, Book 1
- By: R. F. Kuang
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Opium runs through the heart of the Nikara Empire, a constant reminder of the war with the Federation of Mugen that brought it to the empire’s shores. A war that only ended thanks to three heroes - the Vipress, the Dragon Emperor and the Gatekeeper - known as the Trifecta. They were legendary figures, each bestowed with godlike powers, who united the warlords of the Empire against the Federation.
-
-
A bloody and intense storyline
- By Luce Briggi on 04-09-18
-
Jade City
- By: Fonda Lee
- Narrated by: Andrew Kishino
- Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two crime families, one source of power: jade. Jade is the lifeblood of the city of Janloon - a stone that enhances a warrior's natural strength and speed. Jade is mined, traded, stolen and killed for, controlled by the ruthless No Peak and Mountain families. When a modern drug emerges that allows anyone - even foreigners - to wield jade, simmering tension between the two families erupts into open violence.
-
-
Gang Conflict & Grounded Magic
- By Anonymous User on 15-12-20
-
The Shadow of the Gods
- By: John Gwynne
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið. Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out. As whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people.
-
-
Finished it in a day
- By Samuelson Obigbesan on 09-05-21
-
The Name of the Wind
- The Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1
- By: Patrick Rothfuss
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 28 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the university at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me.
-
-
Very entertaining but strangely flat
- By Amazon Customer on 27-05-17
-
Hyperion
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.
-
-
Inspired Sci-fi
- By Peter on 02-12-09
-
The City of Brass
- By: S. A. Chakraborty
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Among the bustling markets of 18th century Cairo, the city's outcasts eke out a living swindling rich Ottoman nobles and foreign invaders alike. But alongside this new world, the old stories linger. Tales of djinn and spirits. Of cities hidden among the swirling sands of the desert, full of enchantment, desire and riches. Where magic pours down every street, hanging in the air like dust.
-
-
Great story but....
- By Laura on 14-10-19
-
Gideon the Ninth
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap out of the audio, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse.
-
-
This maybe the best audio book I've "read"
- By Neil on 14-12-19
-
The Way of Kings
- The Stormlight Archive, Book 1
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
- Length: 45 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to mythology, mankind used to live in 'The Tranquiline Halls': heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms, but the Voidbringers followed. The Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, the Shardblades. Led by 10 angelic Heralds and 10 orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won (or so the legends say).
-
-
Brill
- By John on 19-11-11
-
The Sandman
- By: Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs
- Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence.
-
-
I don’t get this
- By John P. Allum on 21-07-20
-
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
- The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Casaundra Freeman
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky - a palace above the clouds where gods' and mortals' lives are intertwined. There, to her shock, Yeine is named one of the potential heirs to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with a pair of cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.
-
-
awesome
- By Kindle Customer on 25-06-21
Summary
Winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Book 1 in the double Hugo-Award-winning trilogy
A New York Times Notable Book
Shortlisted for the World Fantasy, Nebula, Kitschies, Audie and Locus Awards
The inaugural Wired.com book club pick
This is the way the world ends...for the last time.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world, spewing ash that blots out the sun.
It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.
It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
The Broken Earth trilogy is complete - beginning with The Fifth Season, continuing in The Obelisk Gate (Winner of the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel) and concluding with The Stone Sky (Shortlisted for the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novel).
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"Astounding." (NPR)
"Elegiac, complex, and intriguing." (Publishers Weekly)
"Intricate and extraordinary." (New York Times)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Fifth Season
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- AudiobookDevotee
- 19-07-18
Good and enjoyable book.
Be warned. The opening chapter is terrible and doesn't reflect the rest of the story. The narrator loses the weird jokey familiarity, the background music stops and the second person writing style only appears periodically. (Not something I normally struggle with but having an audiobook refer to 'you' doing things is a tad jarring at first.)
The plot focuses around 3 woman who are second class citizens subject to racism. The author has clearly written from a familiarish viewpoint but there's a reason people are told to 'write what you know' and that's because it works.
It is a little confusing working out how technologically advanced the background civilisation is. They have hydro-electric power, tarmac and antibiotics but ride horses, use telegrams, don't have guns and don't know what stars are. You end up having to sort of roll with it and assume pre-medieval tech until told otherwise.
The main characters are all stubborn and excessively close-minded. I think we are meant to put this down to brainwashing but it does grate a bit.
Overall, the story is fairly unique, the plot is compelling, the narration is good and the characters are quite likeable. Other than my minor qualms above there isn't anything too wromg with the story. Give it a go.
30 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ozzy
- 06-04-19
Blown away...
After reading some of the reviews I was slightly sceptical. I'm glad i went for it anyway. This book needs your full attention but is an amazing introduction to a well crafted and mysterious world.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pricy
- 06-02-19
Gave up halfway
I wanted to love this book. The world building is incredible and the universe is a breath of fresh air. However, after 7 hours (roughly half way) I'm finally giving up. Other than the odd reveal here and there, nothing has happened. Just a bunch of characters I don't feel for wondering around aimlessly.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eddie
- 15-11-19
Outstanding
It’s no surprise this book won awards. It’s so intriguing, so engrossing, so mind blowingly brilliant. I could fill this review with superlatives alone.
Half the book you’re wondering what the hell is going on, what the plot is, but you become intrigued to the point of obsession. What makes this stand out is it is worth the wait and all you want to do is pick up book 2 straight away. Ms Jemisin knows her geology, whether through research for the book or through work, when going into detail you are not bored by it nor do you switch off.
Chapters are written alternatively in 2nd and 3rd person which takes a bit of getting used to, but you get used to it soon enough.
Robin Miles works wonders giving the story real life and navigating the voices giving each character enough identity that you know who is talking..
Without a doubt one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read/listen to. Book 2 is half way through and 3 is sat waiting.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- matt hall
- 07-04-17
Well read, decent characters, plodding plot
This is an odd book. The author does a great job of world building and populates it with some compelling characters but managed to have them do very little other than wander around aimlessly. There's an occasional reveal, which all feel fairly arbitrary, and some slightly strange narrative choices which don't really work.
That said, it's certainly original and the narration is excellent.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tom
- 21-08-16
some great ideas but...
I felt some areas needed further exposition and the characters were never fully fleshed out... I always felt I was skimming over the surface of the story without being drawn in. what brought it home was the lack of emotion at losing certain characters, didn't bat an eyelid when they kicked the bucket.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David
- 17-07-18
Fantastic really recommend
Normally a Sci fi fan and stumbled on this book looking at Hugo awards. Very rewarding listen great narrator
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- "mjl296"
- 18-01-17
<br />Hard to get into, but deeply absorbing
Persevere through the first three or four chapters. . . . . . . .
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris M
- 10-11-16
Struggled.
Struggled to get into this one. For me, the narration by Robin Miles was quite stilted. The muddied accents she put on for some of the characters were very strange. The sci-fi aspects of the story were very compelling though.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A. AKANNI
- 11-11-18
Good world-building but stretched out story
A bit of a slog after an interesting start. As an audio book I managed to get through it with it on in the background. But I would have given up in Kindle form.
A Hugo award winner...it now makes me wary of other such winners. A 'worthy' book with a welcome diversity you rarely see in sci-fi/fantasy....but if you take that away, the story is pretty average.
I've definitely been put off from completing the trilogy.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jón Gísli Björgvinsson
- 17-04-18
Breaks every mold I can think of
I bought this book after reading a review that was mostly complaining about how queer it is, as that's usually a sign that whatever's being reviewed is something I will enjoy greatly. This methkd has yet to fail me.
The Fifth Season is the kind of book you hear about second-hand, or in hypotheticals that leave you going "Wow, I want to read that book."
It plays with structure, tone, and style in ways I've never seen before. The flow and shape of the story shifts and splits and converges in ways that are always surprising, but never absurd or unreasonable.
The world is cool as hell. A fantasy story set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world, where sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
It's dark at times, but never needlessly or excessively. The Fifth Season is honest about the ugly things, and about the beautiful things.
The narrator also does a tremendous job of narrating, enhancing and enhanced by the book itself having a narrator, which she brings to life excellently.
I am in love, and I am immediately moving to the next one.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Brynhildur Björnsdóttir
- 15-01-19
.Amasing new world.
Different and interesting. Now I will go and find book nr. 2 😁 Looking forward to listen to that one.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Luna
- 15-01-19
Very original
The book was a bit confusing in the beginning, but as the story unfolded the world the author created unfolded too. It's not a book you can't put down, save the last two chapters, but it's a book you want to keep on reading (or listen to). Aside from world building, N. K. Jemisin's greatest talent is creating believable, diverse and relatable characters that you want to dive into and learn more about.
The only downside is how depressing the story is and I should warn you that it could have triggers for people who have experienced some kind of trauma. It's definitely not one of those feel-good books, but it has something deeper and keeps it real, if one can say such a thing about a fantasy novel.
The narrator did a fantastic job and had a captivating performance. I would prefer the audio version rather than read the book myself.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 03-12-20
Not for me
I had a hard time following the plot. All the characters were assholes and didnt really develop untill the very end. This has been on my wish lust for some time, but sadly it did not live upp to my expectations.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 12-07-19
Unlike anything else
This book fully deserves all its accolades. It's fantasy the likes of which I've never experienced before, with a setting so new and rich and wonderfully realised that I can't stop thinking about it.
And the lush wordlbuiilding of this truly unique fantasy setting sets the stage for genuine characters, genuine drama, and draws from and amplifies real world issues that feel excruciatingly real. It's the best of both worlds, completely alien but utterly human.
I'm used to detailed fantasy settings prioritising plot and worldbuilding over character and theme, but Fifth Season manages them all beautifully as each facet of storytelling flows into the others. It intimately explores its characters' struggles, which often involves larger themes of structural violence, racism and dehumanisation, all informed by the utterly fascinating setting of orogenes and Stone Eaters and obelisks and shakes.
It's pitch perfect fantasy and I cannot recommend it enough.
The performance is also excellent, particularly during dialogue. The different voices and accents of characters all seem fitting and are instantly recognisable, and the tenser moments are executed brilliantly.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Andries Koorzen
- 05-03-19
Nothing special. Just another book
Narrator's character voices sound mostly the same.. Difficult to always know which of the characters are speaking.
The story is difficult to follow in the beginning since there are many 3rd person references without much context. The story could be better adapted for audio only.
Main character development is... Ok.. I don't feel particularly sad mad or glad at her tho the situations she finds herself in are quite debilitating at times.
The sex is quite explicit and uncultured. The author clearly has a need to express these views. Luckily this can be skipped.
Spoiler alert:
The fact that the 3 storylines converge is probably the biggest surprise but other than that nothing special
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Cael
- 24-05-18
captivating
A captivating story. loved it to the last word. it was a unique reading experience.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- MB
- 17-01-18
Excellent
Narrator was excellent at bringing the story to life and the story itself was gripping, entertaining and completely unlike anything I've read before. I can't wait to start Book 2.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Finn
- 07-05-21
Interested in seeing where this goes
Not an amazing amount of payof in this book but the characters are very unique and the world is interesting. Need to see how the rest of the series goes.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Andrés Pérez Camarasa
- 05-04-21
Very intriguing, very well thought
The fifth season is a great book.
Fantasy meets scifi in a very well fleshed out world that feels real and logical.
Everything revolves around geology, and it's a fresh take indeed.
The author makes one hell of a twist with the narrative, that spice things up.
If you want to read something apocaliptic and with fantasy on it, this is a great book.
The voiceover is very nice too, the characters are easy to diferenciate.