N. K. Jemisin
Making Hugo Award history with the Broken Earth trilogy β a genre-redefining blend of science fiction, fantasy, and social commentary.
Biography
N. K. Jemisin is an American speculative fiction author who made history by winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel three consecutive years (2016β2018) with her Broken Earth trilogy. Born in Iowa City in 1972 and raised in New York, she draws on her background in psychology and her experiences as a Black woman to craft stories that interrogate power, oppression, and survival. Her world-building is renowned for its originality and depth, blending science fiction and fantasy in ways that challenge genre conventions. She became the first Black author to win the Hugo for Best Novel.
Best Starting Book
The Fifth Season
Its innovative structure and unforgettable world immediately show why Jemisin is one of the most important voices in modern speculative fiction β challenging, rewarding, and unlike anything else.
Reading Order
The Fifth Season
A groundbreaking novel with a bold second-person narrative that reinvents epic fantasy β the start of the historic trilogy.
The Obelisk Gate
Deepens the world and mysteries of the Stillness while raising the emotional stakes to devastating heights.
The Stone Sky
A powerful conclusion that ties together every thread into a meditation on cycles of oppression and the possibility of change.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Jemisin's debut β a politically charged fantasy about gods held captive by mortals, showcasing her signature themes.
The City We Became
A wildly inventive urban fantasy where New York City's boroughs come alive as people, battling a Lovecraftian threat.