But Nassun (who is only 10!) has some ideas of her own. So, like Essun, other powers want to co-opt, coerce, or otherwise influence her. She has inherited Essun’s innate talents (and perhaps, with enough experience, might even exceed her mother’s abilities). While it seems like Schaffa has the power, as a Guardian (or something of that ilk), Nassun is special. Her power is such that, as Essun comes to realize over the course of this book, although she will always be a pawn in some ways, she can also make a lot of choices for herself.Ī similar, slightly more scoped version of this narrative happens with Essun’s daughter. Her power is such that a stone eater, Hoa, has chosen to protect and elevate her as his champion. Her power is such that Alabaster thinks she is his only viable successor. Essun’s power dwarfs that of the orogenes in Castrima, even the feral Ykka who has just barely held things together to this point. Jemisin sweeps aside this curiosity in favour of a far more pressing issue: power.Īs I opined in my review of the first book, power and who has it is the primary axis around which this story revolves. It doesn’t matter if orogeny and its related phenomena are magic or sufficiently-advanced science or whatever.
Some burning questions one might have after The Fifth Season include whether this is a future version of Earth. Mad props to Jemisin for not giving us easy answers. The central question of The Obelisk Gate is this: whose side are you on? The problem, as Essun soon discovers, is that it’s really hard to see what the sides are, let alone what side you’re standing on. Meanwhile, far to the south, Essun’s daughter Nassun has been recruited by the former Guardian Schaffa, who is not at all right in the head. Unfortunately, a combination of the dysfunction in their relationship and Essun’s other involvement in Castrima’s society makes progress difficult. Alabaster is desperate to teach Essun enough for her to finish what he tried to start. There she finds her former lover/protégé, Alabaster, who is slowly turning to stone as a side effect of harnessing orogeny in strange and unsanctioned ways. Spoilers for book one but not for this book.Įssun, aka Syenite and Damaya, recently arrived at the concealed comm of Castrima. The mysteries of this world deepen, the characters grow and both gain and lose. Short review? If you liked the first book, you’ll like this one. Jemisin’s sequel picks up where it leaves off, with a little backtracking to fill in Nassun’s story. In a very rare move for me, I picked up The Obelisk Gate on my visit to the library after reading The Fifth Season.
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