The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The book had me at page seven. The plot unfolds against a backdrop of centuries of an unstable earth & climate. In order to survive constant destruction & disruption, people of The Stillness developed a vicious caste system to stabilize day to day life. The characters are constantly discovering their power & limits, and the ethics of survival, resistance, and care. I was mind-blown as connections among the characters were revealed. The world the author creates is so intricate & intense, I wish I knew about the appendix of terms at the back of the book! This book is wonderful & unnerving, because it feels like what our world might become when the climate collapses.

Review by Julie Todd, Bookseller & 2020-2022 Book Board Member