The Fifth Season cover art

The Fifth Season

The Broken Earth, Book 1

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The Fifth Season

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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About this listen

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.

©2015 N. K. Jemisin (P)2015 Hachette Audio Fantasy Fiction

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Critic reviews

Heartbreaking, wholly unexpected, and technically virtuosic, THE FIFTH SEASON is a tour-de-force. I felt every shock--and the book is packed with them--in my marrow. It's no exaggeration to say that Jemisin expands the range of what great fantasy can be (Brian Staveley)
All stars
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I enjoyed every bit of it except for a truly awful effort at a Scottish accent... the sort of Scottish accent accurate only to Americans' ears. But that's a quibble. Its a highly original story, well presented.

Great story and performance

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Really enjoyed this book throughout. Clever storytelling, well imagined world and characters. Quite powerfully emotional at times too, which was helped by the decent narration. Very much looking forward to the next in the series, which if the Hugo award is anything to go by, should be even better!

Truly 5* fantasy fiction

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Amazing narrating, fantastic performance of the characters. Brilliant fantasy, I'm very excited to listen to the other books

Absolutely fantastic start to the trilogy,

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Very original and absorbing. At first I was intrigued, then I was simply addicted. Pure entertainment, can't wait to start on book two.

Gripping

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Amazing. Absolutely amazing. High fantasy doesn't get any better than this.

5 big fat stars

This is what fantasy should be

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I loved this book, from the very start your thrown into the story where it creates an emotional bond with its characters and makes you feel invested in their existence. The book is populated with a diverse and inclusive range of different people and the story take you with it. Narrated in a clear but atmospheric manner. Highly recommended if your sick of the traditional 'boy discovers he's the chosen one's plot line. Original and refreshing.

brilliant gripping inclusive

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The review box says I need to use at least 15 words but I have only one; Wow!

Wow!

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I've not come across Robin Miles before but my goodness she's an excellent narrator. Really excellent. The story is so bewildering at first but it's good at putting the bits together slowly so by the end you're in the picture.

It's got a fantasy elements (inexplicable mystical powers) in addition to the sci-fi post apocalyptic story and trots along at a good pace. If you judge a book by how quickly you finished and whether you buy the sequel then this is a winner on both counts for me.

A great narrator a solid book

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The story and lore were really interesting and the female pov quite fresh. I was quickly drawn in and felt bound to the fate of the characters. I like the very different take on human emotions and morality (perhaps from my male perspective) but although challenging for some I don't think it detracts from the story.

Interesting read...

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Brilliant book, wasn't sure what to expect as I came in cold to this one, but I've really enjoyed it. Love the magic system and the world building.

A novel story, enjoyable audiobook with strong likeable characters

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