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A review by bookph1le
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
4.0
Mad props to this author, who truly deserves both of her Hugos. The only thing that kept me from giving this book and the one that preceded it five stars was how *dense* the series is. (To the extent that, though it's page-turning, I feel dense when I read it and have a book hangover from having finished this one.) Saying that her world building is phenomenal is kind of an insult, because it's almost like she didn't invent it; instead, she's writing about another world that actually exists. That makes it hard at times to keep up with all the terminology, particularly when it's been a year since you've read the last book.
Adding to the density are the author's narrative choices. I don't exactly read a lot of books written in second person singular (i.e. "you", as if the narrator is speaking directly to the reader--talk about breaking the fourth wall!). Actually, I don't think I've *ever* read another book written in second person singular. It took some getting used to in the first book, so I was more primed for it in this one. Then something pivotal happens around halfway through this book, and suddenly the second person singular narrative makes all kinds of sense.
Fortunately, I did fall behind in keeping up with this series, because I will now be able to read the third book right after having finished the second. This is good, because I forgot SO much about the first book that I was highly, highly confused for a good chunk of this book. I couldn't remember who some of the characters were and what bearing they'd had, and by the time I figured it out, I knew I'd missed a lot in the previous passages.
Given all this, it's a series I'm strongly inclined to try reading a second time, all the way through, so that I can pick up on all the nuances I'm missing during this first reading.
If all this makes you wonder why I gave the book four stars, I'll tell you: this series is prodigious, and I mean that in the sense of "this writer is a prodigy". The world is so rich you can almost taste it, the characters so well drawn they don't seem like fiction, and the overall plot so gripping and intriguing and intense that you'll feel your muscles clenching as you read. The author weaves pathos and humor together in a way that's breathtaking. She makes you *feel* her characters' pain without ever, ever coming across as schmaltzy or sentimental. The fact that her characters are so multi-dimensional and complex adds a lot to this. They're good, they're bad, they're pitiable, they're despicable and everything in between, and it is SUCH a treat to read a book more concerned with making characters real than it is with making them "likable" or anti-heroic. I mean, I like both likable and anti-heroic at times, don't get me wrong, but when I read these books, I feel like I'm reading about actual human beings with all their shades and goodness and reprehensibility.
In a way, I'm dreading reading the last because I have an unpleasant suspicion of where the author is going, and I'm afraid I may be right--not because the author is doing a poor job or taking shortcuts, but because I fear the third book is going to make me weep and gnash my teeth and rage as it breaks my heart. If that's not a ringing endorsement for this series, I don't know what is. I read A LOT, and this series is one of the few that causes a very primal, very visceral reaction in me. Books like that are special. This series is special, and I very much admire this author.
Adding to the density are the author's narrative choices. I don't exactly read a lot of books written in second person singular (i.e. "you", as if the narrator is speaking directly to the reader--talk about breaking the fourth wall!). Actually, I don't think I've *ever* read another book written in second person singular. It took some getting used to in the first book, so I was more primed for it in this one. Then something pivotal happens around halfway through this book, and suddenly the second person singular narrative makes all kinds of sense.
Fortunately, I did fall behind in keeping up with this series, because I will now be able to read the third book right after having finished the second. This is good, because I forgot SO much about the first book that I was highly, highly confused for a good chunk of this book. I couldn't remember who some of the characters were and what bearing they'd had, and by the time I figured it out, I knew I'd missed a lot in the previous passages.
Given all this, it's a series I'm strongly inclined to try reading a second time, all the way through, so that I can pick up on all the nuances I'm missing during this first reading.
If all this makes you wonder why I gave the book four stars, I'll tell you: this series is prodigious, and I mean that in the sense of "this writer is a prodigy". The world is so rich you can almost taste it, the characters so well drawn they don't seem like fiction, and the overall plot so gripping and intriguing and intense that you'll feel your muscles clenching as you read. The author weaves pathos and humor together in a way that's breathtaking. She makes you *feel* her characters' pain without ever, ever coming across as schmaltzy or sentimental. The fact that her characters are so multi-dimensional and complex adds a lot to this. They're good, they're bad, they're pitiable, they're despicable and everything in between, and it is SUCH a treat to read a book more concerned with making characters real than it is with making them "likable" or anti-heroic. I mean, I like both likable and anti-heroic at times, don't get me wrong, but when I read these books, I feel like I'm reading about actual human beings with all their shades and goodness and reprehensibility.
In a way, I'm dreading reading the last because I have an unpleasant suspicion of where the author is going, and I'm afraid I may be right--not because the author is doing a poor job or taking shortcuts, but because I fear the third book is going to make me weep and gnash my teeth and rage as it breaks my heart. If that's not a ringing endorsement for this series, I don't know what is. I read A LOT, and this series is one of the few that causes a very primal, very visceral reaction in me. Books like that are special. This series is special, and I very much admire this author.