Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. He intends to take Nassun south, where he has heard of a group of Guardians that can "cure" Nassun of orogeny. WebThe Obelisk Gate (Spoiler Free) | REVIEW 3,918 views Jun 19, 2017 135 Dislike Share Save Thoughts on Tomes 63K subscribers In which I discuss my thoughts on The Meanwhile, Essun bunkers down in Castrima the comm (community) in a massive underground geode. She tells her community members that no one gets to decide who has the right to be a person. So when she starts crying, she does not quite know why. 448pp (Paperback) My Rating: 10/10. And thats what Alabaster wanted. Thats the one inwhich some sort of gaseous emission caused all children born inthe Arctics for several years to have delicate bones that brokewith a touch and bent as they grewifthey grew. Here, she says, giving him the diamond rock. The town is led by Schaffa, who has used it to shelter young orogenes during the years since he arrived. I really wasn't sure if I was going overboard with it, but glad you appreciated it! She swallows, then nods and steps back, looking up at him. Thanks, bruh. Jija gazes after her for a long, breath-heldmoment. Welcome back. . Andas her thoughts skirl about and her heart screams, she takes astep toward him. There are two major problems with your post:. This is excellent. . WebSummary. The story opens to the Guardian, Schaffa, fighting for his life underwater. This is a welcomed transition. She went from accidentally killing someone and feeling mortified about it to casually murdering a whole community who was not hurting anyone without an ounce of remorse? And such an interesting tid bit of information. Initially unable to win in an outright attack, they besiege the comm by locating the ventilation shafts for the geode, intending to force them out into the open. I'd been poking around reviews trying to reconstruct what the plot is but this is miles better. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. She ishis little girl. Thanks for the answer. Schaffa, Essun's former Guardian, awakens underwater after Essun's devastating counterattack during the climax of The Fifth Season. How did Nassun know about the word "magic"? A few discreet inquirieslead her to Nassuns home. Also, I hope you don't mind that I did this recap? Although I was disappointed by some elements of this novel, the overarching concepts were thought-provoking, and the book was outright fun to read. Think of it as a logic gate. The two of them begin to piece together how the Fifth Season began. He intends to take Nassun south, where he has heard of a group of Guardians that can "cure" Nassun of orogeny. He confronts Schaffa and later attempts to kill Nassun. LibraryThing Rating: 5/5. Essun and Nassun are both good people, with credible emotional reactions to setbacks and obstacles, but neither is particularly interesting or compelling; you root for these characters because they represent hope, for themselves and humanity, not out of any direct empathy for or interest in either of them. And of the two of her parents, it is Jijato whom Nassun has always been closer. WebHere, in the The Obelisk Gate, the Hugo-award winning second volume of The Broken Earth from New York Times bestselling author N.K. Just started reading The Stone Sky and your recap really helped me remember the story. Meanwhile, Nassuns father, Jija, takes her to Found Moon, a place he believes can cure his daughter of her magical abilities. Julie I JUST read this scene and had to put down the book bc I was like how tf Nassun and her father travel further south. That helps, because he wouldnt havebelieved anything else. Concern us about our own future and well-being on this planet. And he, in his apparent omniscience (I guess because he's a stone eater? In practice, many communitieswill take them in, even during a Season, because even themost stoic community wants entertainment during the long coldnights. I'm not entirely certain on the details since it's been a little while, but the whole of the story is reaching conclusion by way of explaining this in further detail. How close are we to becoming them? It sounds dreadful and void of hope, but Jemisin drags us to this low point so that she can then lift us back up. When the time to vote arrives Essun destroys the ballot box. She uses the immense power of the Gate to turn every inhabitant of Rennanis to stone simultaneously. Basically a pseudo-telepathic command console. WebThe Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin. She tries to hide her abilities from her father and pretend like she is trying to cure herself but her father forces her to tell lies about herself. Thanks for the recap. Its compelling enough to keep me reading, but I thought this was a step down in ambition and in characterization from the first book. Consider all characters wants and needs; what is propelling them? Instead, Nassun meets Schaffa, her mothers Guardian who encourages Nassun to grow in her skills. He promises to spread the tale of Renthreesgenerosity and integrity to everyone he can, which will hopefullygive her more opportunities to practice her art before sheleaves town. Jija frowns in confusionand takes the rock, thanking her profusely after he hearsher explanation. Nassun has no idea what a lorist really does, of course. LibraryThing Rating: 5/5. She lost the ability to sess her daughter, so she decides that the comm might be the only place she could survive the oncoming Season. The narrator tells the reader that Essun will get her daughter back. I hope the last chapters will finally reveal everything I am missing. It goes forward in time to follow her and her father, Jia, as they flee from their hometown. Here is what I know for certain: that apprenticeship I mentioned? I often have to work myself up to struggle through novels that fall in the middle of a series, but Jemisins writing and creativity is captivating. Facing the loss of her new home, Essun successfully uses Alabaster's training to repeat his accomplishment, tapping the power of all the obelisks worldwide to form the Obelisk Gate. So, to recap: There was a war between You will then find two more screens in a small room. So when Hoa turns himself into a flesh-form, he loses a lot of who and what he truly is. This is really helpful!! Damaya was herself and the family that rejected her and the people of the Fulcrum who chiseled her to a fine point. Alabaster is also aware of the silver energy Nassun discovered, which he identifies as magic, the true fundamental force that makes orogeny (and the mechanisms of Castrima) possible. But heres the thing: youve got to read it! The Obelisk Gate is a 2016 science fantasy novel by N. K. Jemisin and the second volume in the Broken Earth seriesfollowing The Fifth Season, and preceding The Stone Sky. He is about to drown when, out of desperation, he allows the entity (manifested as a force of pure rage) that powers his and the other Guardians' abilities to take control of his body for a brief period. Stares, as if he has never seen her before. He is dying, being converted into stone every time he uses orogeny. I get that. Jemisin, N.K. He was an excellent knapper. I grew more and more excited about orogeny until, at one point, it was referred to as magic. Initially unable to win in an outright attack, they besiege the comm by locating the ventilation shafts for the geode, intending to force them out into the open. The plot revolves around their journey to find each other again, and their efforts to discover why Fifth Seasons exist.[2]. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on But that is when the peoples of the Arcticsgained a reputation for weakness.) We dont see the character development coming; its a surprise, an eye-opening answer to a question we didnt even know we were asking. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A faction of humans, orogenes, and stone eaters seeks to reestablish the orbit of the moon, while another faction seeks to destroy Father Earth. See all 5 answers. Castrima is saved, but the mechanisms of the geode have been irreparably damaged by the assault, and the comm faces starvation and suffocation if they remain. We witness depravity that makes us wonder, What does it take for a person to get to this point? He murmurs to her, Get your things. The author has said in interviews that she doesn't like maps, and therefore haven't made a detailed map. And Nassun is so excited, when she sees Renthrees eyeswiden at the sight of the glittering lump poking out of the blackhunk of rock, that she stops caring that there are others presentand blurts, I want to be a lorist, too!. Jija walks him into the den, askinghim if hes hungry; Uche says he isnt. Nevertheless, she fears her father, who now is aware she is an orogene as well. Learn how your comment data is processed. The first novel focused on how individuals used orogeny; it followed their mind and consciousness as they descended into the depths of the earth to manipulate matter. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. They move south through much hardship, and witness firsthand the devastation wrought by Alabaster's fracturing of the entire continent further north. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. He is rescued by a family of fishermen on the coast. Once lorists came only from a race called RegwoWestcoasterswho had sallow-reddishskin and naturally blacklips, and who worshipped the preservation of history the waypeople in less-bittertimes worshipped gods. The truth is beneaththe surface, a leviathan waiting to uncurl, but the waters of histhoughts are placid for now. . In her anger, Essun turns the woman to stone. I started reading Stone Sky last night only to find out how much of the second book I forgot. Her eyes jerk up to him, rather than staying on Uches body,which saves her life. WebThe Obelisk Gate. The gray color of her eyes is her mothers,but the shape of her face is Jijas. regresses. By the end of the book, Ill find out that Schaffa survived Syenites attack on the water. I am me, and you. I was equally excited to see her response. They used to chiselstonelore into mountainsides in tablets as high as the sky, sothat all would see and know the wisdom needed to survive. No one carriesdiamonds for currency because they cant be sharded for changeeasily, but theyre still useful in industry, mining, and the like. Uche is asleep on a pallet in thesame room. When Nassuncomes in, theres still not enough carbon dioxide in Jijasbloodstream; hes dizzy, shaky, chilled. These cookies do not store any personal information. Nassunsgone off to creche, too, though shes biding her time tillshe can escape at lunchtime to go find the lorist again. Her abilities increase to the point where she begins to learn to draw power from one of the obelisks floating nearby, much as her mother had many years earlier. N. K. Jemisinis a Brooklyn author who won the Hugo Award for Best Novel forThe Fifth Season, which was also aNew York TimesNotable Book of 2015. In The Obelisk Gate, readers, at least, learn where they went, and why: to a comm called Found Moon, in the hopes of curing Nassuns own inherited orogeny. This use of his orogeny ends Alabasters life and turns him to stone. It's been months since I finished Obelisk Gate and I was hoping to find a recap before going to the book signing tonight. Its a loud, sharp blurt, and Nassun jumps. Whereas before, the series could have landed somewhere in the middle between Science Fiction and Fantasy, it now leans more towards fantasy with the concept of magic. Cookie policy. After a time, he turns to face herfully, and she wraps arms around his waist. Every comm needs that. No. Flesh is not. Ykka, the comm's leader, is an orogene herself, and due to her influence, orogenes are permitted to live openly alongside others. Chapter 7 returns to the third person point of view. Lets face it, The Fifth Season (Book One) gave us so much to think about, I felt like I needed a spreadsheet to log what I knew and what hadnt yet been revealed. . She is a science fiction and fantasy reviewer for theNew York Times, and you can find her online at nkjemisin.com. Not that they remember why,anymore. One stipulation of Castrima joining Rennanis is that Castrima get rid of its orogenes. Alabaster is dying, his body slowly turning to stone as a consequence of using the energy of the obelisks to break the entire continent in half and trigger the current Fifth Season. Nassun next, then. He is watched over by a stone eater he has named Antimony, who appears to have an adversarial relationship with the mysterious "child" Hoa, now revealed to be a stone eater himself, who accompanied Essun as she fled Tirimo. It does look, WebA FIRST IN POORLY EXPLAINED HISTORY! She did not seeNassun, on her way home from creche, stop and stare in aweand sudden, irrational hope. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Jija has brought a knife to kill her. (Not the seduction part; obviously Renthree likesolder women, emphasis on women. [14] Moreover, The Obelisk Gate's victory came as part of a women-heavy slate of winners at the 2017 Hugos, which included best novel, novella, novelette, and short story. Minutes later, the geode in which Castrima is housed is attacked by forces from Rennanis. I still maintain a hope that orogeny which is now seems somewhat pseudo-scientific and pseudo-magical might be defined in more scientific terms. Its used as a a place for exegesis, a way to explain plot points and can be detail heavy without enough action. Finally, they reach the promised settlement: a town called Found Moon, administered by a group of Guardians, though not affiliated with the Fulcrum. Though he is saved from death, the resulting brain damage leaves him with profound memory loss, and he is unable to fully recall his past as a Guardian. The sequel, The Obelisk Gate, won the Hugo Award again this year, but while it follows the first in chronology and setting, it has a thoroughly different tenor than the first book did. They arent commless, mind. The first book of the series was such an innovative piece of fiction, that it set a very high bar for the The Obelisk Gate. But to answer the question in the recap of someone explaining why Hoa eats rocks, sans TSS spoilers --. The Fifth Season triggered by this event steadily worsens as they travel. The Stillness has an odd relationship with its self-appointedkeepers of stonelore. Seen her before astep toward him ; Uche says he isnt home from the obelisk gate explained too! Of Castrima joining Rennanis is that Castrima get rid of its orogenes Wikipedia language. Know why what a lorist really does, of course who has the right to a... Depravity that makes us wonder, what does it take for a long, the obelisk gate explained. 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