The Fifth Season

I'm trying to make an effort this year to read more trilogies and book series, which I clearly need more practice with because I was initially confused why this book left so many plot points unresolved. You know, the first book in a trilogy that has two other full-length novels coming after it that continue the same story? Yeah, that one.

As far as hard fantasy with elaborate settings go, this felt very accessible. Sure the worldbuilding was intriguing and logical enough to make me want to buy into it, but the narration style was oddly conversational and didn't feel like it was being dictated to me from some detached entity telling me about events secondhand. This also had one of the best-executed uses of second-person narration that will stick with me for a long while.

And because I'm coming to this series very late (coming up on 10 years since first publication) I already had the central 'twist' about our three protagonists spoiled before beginning the book, but I feel I would've deduced it pretty early on. Which isn't to say it wasn't done well, in fact, it made for an interesting exercise to juggle three plot lines simultaneously. I'm excited to see if and how the sequels will attempt something similarly complex.

Also I'm now convinced that every story would be improved by adding a bisexual pirate captain that no one can resist. Didn't know I wanted it until I got that here.

A promising first entry that I definitely will be following up on.

I wanted to give this five stars - it's beautifully written, the worldbuilding is incredible and is incredibly fresh and imaginative where so much fantasy feels derivative, while still feeling grounded and believable. The narrative device of telling the three separate stories and only slowly revealing the clues to how they connect was incredibly well executed.

But while I couldn't put this down and tear myself away from the next twist or revelation, I realised I wasn't actually enjoying reading it that much. The story starts with the murder of a child and if anything only gets heavier from there. The book is an examination of what can drive someone to keep going when everything and everyone they love is taken from them again and again, and how they can continue living with themselves when they have been forced to do horrific things to survive. It's an incredible book, but not one I want to read again.

I came upon a list of queer books and thought I'd give a try to the Fifth season. I haven't Heroic fantasy for more than a decad (apart from a book by Damasio). The book is good : well written, the way the narration is built is brilliant. In terms of representations it is very good as well, compared from what I read in the past. I enjoyed the female characters and the fact that heterosexuality or being cis isn't the norm. Yet the book is definitely speciesist : eating other animals or exploiting them is not questionned. A total page turner. I read it in four sittings, which means I spent a lot of time reading in bed haha. Personnally, I'm both grateful for this page turning effect and uneasy. For me it's totally addictive, I have no motivation to do anything else than reading what comes next. This kind of situation makes me feel bad as I'm unable to do others things I should be doing. This definitely has to do with me and not with the author or the book, but that said I wish these books would not have that kind of effect on me. Jacques Abeille's les Jardins Statutaires is a good example of fantasy book which is both enjoyable without being an absolute page turner forme.