Last year I read N.K. Jemisin’s ‘Broken Earth’ trilogy and was incredibly impressed.  They are some of my favorite fantasy books of all time and a big reason why was Jemisin’s unique style and creative choices.  Naturally after reading them I wanted to check out more of Jemisin’s work.  Her ‘Inheritance’ trilogy was a natural place to go, and thus I decided to read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the first book in that series. 

 

I do not think that this book is as good as any of the entries into the ‘Broken Earth’ trilogy.  This is her debut novel and you can tell.  It feels like Jemisin isn’t quite as confident in herself and her writing feels a bit less refined than it does later.  With that said, this is still an excellent fantasy book that shows off some of the talent and potential that would be fully realized in her second trilogy.  

 

What stands out in particular is just how creative Jemisin is.  Her settings are always really unique and set up some truly fascinating scenarios.  Here, we go to a city called Sky that is above everything (a sharp contrast to the ‘Broken Earth’ trilogy, which takes place exclusively on the ground).  Sky serves as the capital of the world and is led by a family that has control over 100,000 gods.  This is an interesting idea that is backed up by some really strong world-building that allows the concept to truly make sense.  While I do think that the plot of this book is a bit more convoluted than Jemisin’s future work, everything makes enough sense that I don’t get lost in trying to follow the narrative. 

 

Of course, a good world can only take you so far.  For a fantasy book to be truly great, the characters that live in said world need to be interesting as well, and Jemisin delivers on this front as well.  Our protagonist Yeine is a really fun character to follow as she gets used to Sky and the politics that take place within it.  Making her somewhat of an outsider is a solid choice as it allows the reader to learn as she does.  Her supporting characters are also very captivating, none more so than the god Nahadoth, who is a true surprise in terms of just how complex and interesting he is.  The interactions between him and Yeine are the best parts of the book.  There really aren’t any weak characters here.  Even the small ones make a good impression in their limited time on the page.  

 

The world and characters combine to make a truly great book that shows how strong of a writer Jemisin was from the jump.  This book is exciting.  It’s funny.  It’s intriguing.  It’s sexy.  It’s captivating.  And above all, it’s never boring.  I am very excited to read its follow-up The Broken Kingdoms.