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Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand |
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The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin Orbit Supplied for review by Hachette New Zealand |
Reviewed By: Simon Litten |
| The Broken Kingdoms is the second volume in Ms
Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy (the first being the Hugo award nominated The
Hundred Thousand Kingdoms), and coincidentally her second book. The Broken Kingdoms starts ten years after the action of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and is that divorced in viewpoint, characters and storyline from the previous volume that it could be read as a standalone novel. However, an appreciation of the power games and interplays between the gods brings an extra depth to this, the second book, that a knowledge of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is recommended. The Broken Kingdoms tells the story of Oree Shoth, a blind itinerant artist living in the city of Shadow, which sits below Sky the city of the Arameri (the political rulers of the world) and the domain of the gods. The gods born of the void and their children are immortal, but someone has started killing them. Oree has the misfortune to stumble on the first body and gets drawn into the investigation – first as a suspect, then as a pawn and a tool. She also has drawn the attention of the gods of the void and that is something more dangerous as the god of darkness has been freed from servitude and has cast down the god of light. Past this point I cannot say more without giving away too much in the way of spoilers and plot detail. In the Inheritance trilogy N. K. Jemisin has done something really unusual, she has written a story of rebellion, struggle and redemption not of war and physical journeys, but of personal change, growth and spiritual journeys and in the process is making a series of books that should stand the test of time much better than the traditional sword and sorcery sequence. In case you hadn’t noticed I am very impressed with this author and strongly recommend her. This is an author that deserves to go far. Buy, read and onwards recommend; accept no substitutes. |
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