

She was the first author to win three Hugo Awards in a row for her Broken Earth trilogy. Jemisin is an author of speculative ficition, short stories and novels. What parallels can you draw to your own life in our modern day? In the narrative, the whole culture of The Stillness is structured around the concept of ensuring civilization survives a fifth season, yet many are caught unprepared thinking it would never happen in their lifetime.Do you think the current society was irredeemable or was Alabaster’s anger clouding his judgement? During the story, Alabaster proclaims a desire to wipe the slate clean and start the world all over.Were you surprised to find out about Essun, Syenite, and Damaya at the end of the story? Does knowing that twist affect how you view the different storylines?.What are your thoughts on the author’s use of the second person during Essun’s story? Why do you think she addressed the reader as “you,” and did you appreciate her unique technique or find it distracting?.Do you like to read fantasy or is it a genre you usually pass over? How did you feel about the world-building aspect of the novel? Did it draw you in or turn you off?.This is what you must remember: the ending of one story is just the beginning of another.ĭiscussion Questions for The Fifth Season When the reasoning mind is forced to confront the impossible again and again, it has no choice but to adapt.

Who misses what they have never, ever even imagined? Home is what you take with you, not what you leave behind. And where there is no mercy.įor all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. This is the way the world ends…for the last time.

Audiobook Length: 15 hours and 27 minutes
