The Stone Sky brings this sci-fi fantasy cross-over trilogy to a satisfying close.

I think the strongest aspect of this book as well as the trilogy as a whole is how it dealt with tensions and interactions between characters when faced with immense societal and environmental pressures as well as having lived through harrowing and emotionally scarring experiences. The impacts that these have on the characters and their personal, familial and communal relationships are powerful and convincing. I also enjoyed the Hoa sections of this book, which provided some much desired and fascinating world building and background for the Stillness - though these interludes in the story did impact the flow and pacing of the main plot, and I would perhaps have liked more of this to appear in earlier books as I think it would have provided more meaning and context to what was going on particularly in The Obelisk Gate.

I also need to comment on the magic systems. Orogeny remains one of the most novel and creative powers that I have come across in fantasy recently, and I feel that Jemisin has managed to craft it as an ability that can be scientific and clinical in its operation and application when used in some ways, but can also be wielded instinctively and organically with novel results. This created a great balance between being able to learn how the system works, but then also being intrigued when something unexpected was achieved with it. This is in marked contrast to the other system actually called 'magic' in the book, which I found incredibly opaque - there seemed to be a similar blend of hard and soft systems like orogeny, but even by the very end of the trilogy, I could not work out how the 'magic' was used, what it was or wasn't capable of doing and how it interacted with orogeny. By the end, it felt like certain things happened with 'magic' just because they could, which wasn't very fulfilling. This definitely contributed to the 4* star score.

Jemisin's writing style continues to be a twist - I think it works well for the way that the story is told, but can also see how it is polarising. Plus points for a powerful conclusion and main character development, but docked points for some unexplained plot conveniences and pacing issues. Overall a very unique fantasy read which I am glad I investigated, but am unlikely to re-read soon. ( )

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.

Great ending to a captivating trilogy.

Compared with the two other books, it has the most dramatic visual landscape. When you stop to picture and imagine the scenes, they are truly spectacular.

The pace is, to my taste, the slowest of the three, except for the end, where things unfold spectacularly.

It feels a bit more plot-driven (sweating up the majestic ending) than character-driven.

The themes like racism reach another level with the author revisiting a prehistoric genocide.

Only thing I did not like is that the story dragged a bit by introducing many new backstory. By doing so, I feel like it left more hanging threads than resolved. The end does not really answer all of these.

All in all, the whole trilogy is a rich and deep read. The narration (“you”) which I though might be a literary gadget takes all its meaning within the story. ( )

Summary: In the epic conclusion to the Broken Earth trilogy, Essun, Nassun, and the fractured world of the Stillness stand on the brink of annihilation. As the Earth trembles with the weight of ancient secrets and cataclysmic power, mother and daughter must confront their destinies and the truths that bind them to the fate of their world.


Pros:
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This trilogy is great - really thought provoking.

This particular volume is confusing as hell but still interesting and vividly imagined. ( )