The Stone Sky

Publisher's Summary

This is the way the world ends...for the last time.

The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women.

Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter, Nassun, and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up safe.

For Nassun, her mother's mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has seen the evil of the world and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.

The remarkable conclusion to the postapocalyptic and highly acclaimed trilogy that began with the multiaward-nominated The Fifth Season.

©2017 N. K. Jemisin (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Robin Miles keeps up the suspense throughout this dramatic conclusion to the Broken Earth Trilogy... Miles perfectly embodies the voices of the many characters... Listen and be transported to a meticulously built world that serves as a dire warning about the dangers of prejudice and power." (AudioFile)

This review is for the entire series

(Review added to all books in series)
This was so good, I'll probably re-read the entire series again by the end of this year. This was truly a 5-course meal of a trilogy. Jemisin never hesitated staring an ugly truth right in the eye and it really paid off. Nothing came easy and there wasn't a hint of a Mary Sue moment.

It was refreshing to be offered a series where the main character was over 40, had kids and had already lived a full range of experiences. This is the second series that I've read by Jemisin and as much as I loved the 1st one (The Inheritance Trilogy), this was even better. I hope it doesn't sound pompous, but you can see more maturity in both the writing and the story-line.

The audio-book narrator, Robin Miles, is headed to the top of my narrator list. She can add everything from an African to a Gaelic? to a Slavic accent without sounding fake. It really brings the characters to life in a nice way.

I'm sure I'll still be re-reading this series decades from now. It's easy to see why Jemisin won the Hugo back to back on this one.

21 of 21 people found this review helpful

Powerful and satisfying conclusion

Excellent narrator really captures the emotional undercurrent of each scene. Like the previous two books, major plot points can be seen approaching from some distance off but the upside to this is that the plot is resolved in a very satisfying and neat conclusion. The whole narrative just comes off as very cohesive and focused.

Personally I find some of the premises underpinning the main themes to be questionable but it does not prove difficult to suspend my disbelief and imagine that thy might hold true in a world that is fundamentally different from our own.

A very enjoyable experience overall bolstered by good pacing and a narrative focus on critical characters and events. Some of the tension was significantly undercut by the predictability of certain events but the writing style, choice of point of view, and the performance of the narrator combine to consistently and powerfully capture the complex emotional forces ravaging the critical characters.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Ends weakly

Generally a good trilogy, though the story seems to run out if gas in book 3. I was confused most of the way through this meandering wrap up. I was left unsatisfied.

12 of 15 people found this review helpful

this book was a slog

I really enjoyed the first book. the second two were just incredibly slow. I wanted to finish because of how much I enjoyed the first, but I would not recommend them.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

very satisfying ending to the broken earth trilogy

Possibly slower than the first 2 in the series, Jemisin takes time to wrap up all the loose ends and explain every part of this world that has been teased since the first book. Am incredibly thorough world, a tragic though ultimately hopeful conclusion and a powerful story. I definitely recommend it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An incredible imagination. Totally original.

Don't think I've ever read a set of books with such a unique "world" view. The resolution of the narratives is awe inspiring. I think we can all agree that making a better world is a universal necessity and desire. The framework in which she makes this simple point is complex and challenging and worth every minute.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

The new gold standard for Fantasy.

After reading the Broken Earth trilogy, and then reading something by Feist, or Martin, or even Sanderson, I feel let down. The most recent of these men's works feel quaint, old-fashioned, compared to what NK Jemisin has achieved. The Stone Sky brings the trilogy to an emotional and awe-inspiring ending, in which the fate of humanity comes down to, and in fact is a microcosm of, a mother's turbulent relationship with her daughter. The real villains of the story are our own worst drives and desires, and it feels that the heroes are every one of us. The prose is like nothing I've ever read, and is still striking after having had the first two books to get used to it. Anyone who is unsure about this series, pick up "The Fifth Season," the first volume, and dig in. Just be prepared to have the rest of the fantasy canon slightly ruined forever more.

Oh yes, and Robin Miles is just plain awesome. Holy cow is she awesome.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Good story, very good writing

Jemisin is a better writer than a lot of the fluff that is popular today. I read a lot and this one was a welcome upgrade in terms of using an educated vocabulary, artful prose, and good flow. The story is a really good story. Not overly obvious and has some fun mysteries that keep you reading.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Just O.K.

First book left me hopefully and looking for more. last book was disappointed and glad it was as over.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

umm..... what

this book was the conclusion, but could have easily been 1-2 chapters tacked on to the last book to finish this story arch. She added characters that did nothing, included subplots to excruciating detail, and while they explained the remaining mysteries of the series... I kind of felt that made the experience worse. I honestly would have preferred if they ended the story with the first book. The time I spent on this series is time I won't get back.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful