It was such an emotional end to such a brutal trilogy. And it will be so strange no longer being immersed in the strange world of the Stillness. I loved the ending and how everything consequential played out. It felt natural and tied into the first books phenomenal opening paragraph so well. The reveal of what Hoa had been doing all along or why the story had been told the way it had been(the shifts between 1st,2nd and third person)was ingenious. Rarely do you ever get to encounter a trilogy that’s solid the whole way through and has such a unique premise. Unabashedly queer and political her work feel very reminiscent of Octavia E Butler(a noted influence of N.K)but feels more modern in it’s voice.
Essun character arc hit me the hardest because of how much she reminded me of not only my mom but also my relationship with her and my gran. The way her and Nassun feel about each other felt too close to comfort.
Now that I’m at the end I’d love to hear what others who have read the series think of the not only the final book but of the series overall. Which characters did they like or hate ? What did you think of the perspective changes or Jemisin’s prose? How does it rank for you compared to other sci-fi or fantasy novels you’ve encountered?
I think the trilogy is a very good trilogy, and maybe the best fantasy trilogy I have read in a long time.
I have some qualms. I think the second book and moreso the third have a lot of plotting that feels convenient, that feels like it’s for the sake of bringing Essun and Nassun together. I noticed this in Jemisin’s first trilogy too: she sets up beautiful, wondrous worlds and interesting characters, but I also experience a disjunct, the characters starting to make decisions I wouldn’t expect, seemingly in pursuit of a neater resolution. It feels like a nebulous qualm, but it basically amounts to me feeling like I saw the skeleton of the story and where it was going and, consequently, seeing events as in service of the structure rather than an organic consequence of the world.
All that said, it’s still a fun ride. I think Jemisin is one of the great writers of this generation.