54: The Fifth Season – Magic and Persecution

N.K. Jemisin’s novel, The Fifth Season launched an eponymous and celebrated science fiction and fantasy trilogy. With the release of the third and final book, The Stone Sky, it’s a great time to discuss her world of earth-shattering sorcerers. James Fouhey fills in for Kyle Willoughby, and focuses on the books’ central theme of systemic racism, particularly as inspired by the off-reservation boarding schools used in the United States to assimilate Native Americans. Claire builds on this by describing N.K. Jemisin’s inspiration for the series, as well as her journey from writing as a hobby to winning the Hugo award for best novel two years in a row. Our hosts conclude with their thoughts on the trilogy, the quality of Jemisin’s world building, and the kind of reader who might not enjoy her work.

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