The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

I read a post of someone recommending this author and, looking for something to read, I got the sample chapters from amazon.com for my kindle. I fell into this world so hard that I didn't think for even a second before clicking "purchase" so I didn't have to stop reading.

So why did I fall into this book? First, the writing. [a:N.K. Jemisin|2917917|N.K. Jemisin|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1243734625p2/2917917.jpg]'s writing is beautiful. She has a way of drawing you in, putting you right next to her heroine, Yeine Darr. She also created an amazingly fleshed-out world, with gods and rulers and races that are different but not lesser. I can't stress how much time and effort must have gone into world-building, and how that made the show more book so much more enjoyable to read.

There was something kind of wonderful about Yeine Darr. She was a barbarian, by the standards of the ruling people, a warrior, and she was ill-prepared for the political machinations of the court she found herself in. She was trapped in a mess not of her making with no way out. The amazing thing about Yeine was that she did give up, for a minute, for a day, but then she went forward anyway, not to win, but to choose her own manner of losing. I admired her for that. show less

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the feminist retelling of Judeo-Christian mythology you didn't know you wanted. Yeine, a noblewoman from a matriarchal warrior society, travels to her mother's homeland and finds herself at the center of an ancient holy war. The story that follows isn't the political thriller or melodrama of manners I expected. Instead, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a dramatic story of romance and discovery.

Jemisin's worldbuilding reads like a extended conversation with three thousand years of Western thought, touching on cultural imperialism and the racial and gender politics of religion. In Yeine's world, the gods have turned against one another, and the victorious Itempas, who embodies light and order, has given show more almost infinite power to his followers. When Yeine meets the gods face to face, she learns that the Gods' War was more complicated than she was taught, and finds herself allying with Itempas's enemies, the gods of chaos and balance.

If you're looking for fast-paced adventure, this may not be your book. For me, the steady reveal of mythology and relationships kept me turning the pages, despite the slow-ish pace. The mythic elements are too beautifully written to be simple or preachy. I didn't care for some the characterization and political finagling (most of the Arameri fullbloods were out of Central Casting: Epic Fantasy edition), but Yeine's emotional journey of identity and belief hit it out of the ballpark.

tl;dr - If you like fantasy novels with compelling theological observations AND spicy sex scenes, pick up this book. show less

Let us get the biases out of the way immediately: This is right up my alley. A large scope fantasy world based on the cynical intrigues of the elite, where an intelligent but comparatively naïve young girl gets unwillingly drawn into the centre of events, that's pretty much what I am looking for in a novel. Add to that the amazingly rich concept of the enslaved deities walking around the palace, and you have a pretty great experience.

Since I mostly liked everything about the novel, the following will single out the few things I didn't, but don't let that turn you off it. It is a solid novel.

I found the ending to be good (a relief, as the last time I read a book I was similarly happy with the premise and execution of as I read it, 'The show more Goblin Emperor', the lacklustre ending retroactively soured the experience a bit), though the largers strokes of the conclusion are a bit expected. Details and minor twists during it managed to surprise me, sure, but the overall outcomes were pretty much as I thought they would be since much earlier in the story. Now, I'm happy with this ending, it is well executed and satisfying, I just wish it'd felt a bit more mindblowing.

The only other criticism I have is a small one: The love/terror infatuation the protagonist quickly develops with the most dangerous of the enslaved deities. This feels cliched teen angst-like to me (though the character's age does make teen angst quite plausible). It is thankfully usually handled with some measure of grace (and genuine terror), doesn't take up too much of the narrative, and serves important functions in the themes as well as the character motivations and growth. So the problem here is likely to be more with my prejudices against the mortal teenager and the dangerous attraction to the immortal dark being than with the actual story.

There is a complex-but-not-as-complex-as-one-first-might-think family history for the protagonist to slowly unveil as the story progresses, providing a nice mystery subplot. This I like. I might wish a bit more time had been spent on the mortal political machinations and court intrigue than on the Big Questions discussed with the enslaved gods in the second half of the novel, but that's just personal preference. This is an exciting world with an engrossing narrative style (it is all in told the first person, and told well), and I'm quite excited to read the rest of the series. show less

I am and always will be a huge fan of Godpunk fiction.

There's a bit of it floating around out there, but most of it is hidden behind the cloudy minds and bodies of mere mortals, only occasionally poking its bright sunny head out to dazzle and amaze.

Sometimes it's the sun. Sometimes it's not. At the moment, I'm feeling the blaze.

Fortunately for us, we've also got authors with great and deep understanding of the greater and lesser mysteries, the writing chops to pull off an entirely new mythos that can turn those mysteries into something brand new again, even if they've been so very, very old. Jemisin has taken us right back to our very beginnings, with the worship of the sun and the void and the great life goddess and given us a truly show more fantastic tale of revenge, freedom, and most importantly, of love.

I sit in awe. I've been fortunate to read a number of really fantastic novels recently, and this one stands tall and proud among them, like a worldtree within a shining forest of worlds.

The opening of the novel was unfortunately the weakest part for me, but I was able to feel our heroine's hopeless plight pretty much right away, enjoying her progression of defiance to acceptance as it all became so clear that her life was forfeit no matter what happened. Did I say enjoy? Actually, that part made me squirm quite a bit, but the fact that she was able to come to grips, retain her sanity, and even lose a little more of it in the process, was, in fact, truly enjoyable. I can't believe how tight the romance was, or how cleverly it managed to pull on my heartstrings. (I'm generally not that susceptible to romance on the page. So much of it is unbelievable crap.) In this case, I sank right into it and rooted for them both with all my heart.

After finishing the novel, I can't quite see where else it might go except far away from the characters I've just enjoyed, but I've got the entire omnibus sitting right here. I was very satisfied by the end and truly floored by it. I almost want to leave it be and enjoy everything that this novel will eventually become to me.

Can anything truly top this ride? show less

I really, really enjoy N.K. Jemisin’s writing. Her worlds are broken and explosive, and her characters so multifaceted. I enjoyed the Broken Earth trilogy, but I liked The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms even more.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a book about how power corrupts, the danger of jealousy, the fallacies of gods, and the prejudice of humanity. It’s a story about vengeance on many different tiers – personal, familial, and even immortal. I was sucked in by the book, even if it was a bit of a slow read. It was worth it the patience for the depth and darkness it provided.

Jemisin has a way of creating characters that are more flaw than virtue, but you still adore. Yeine is angry, selfish, driven, strong, arrogant, reckless, and show more utterly interesting. Her quest for answers is the minor plot of the book – she wants to know why her mother left Sky and who killed her. Sieh and Nahadoh rank in my list of favorite characters of all time – there are so many different layers to each of them. So much pain, nostalgia, joy, charm, vulnerability, desire, hope, anger, despair… I could go on. These characters were two sides of a coin for me. Sieh’s childish hope counterbalanced Nahadoh’s desperate need perfectly. They’re also compelling, interesting characters. Too big for their bodies, in a very literal way. Loved them.

I believe the marketing of this book is a little misleading about its content since it’s far more complex than it appears. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is marketed as a YA epic fantasy. I would strongly disagree that it’s a YA book – it’s somewhere in the New Adult range more accurately. Yeine is young – nineteen, I believe – but she is older emotionally than her physical age because of her upbringing. There are definitely adult themes in this book and while I’m sure many individuals in the YA audience could handle it, I really think this is not a YA book. In terms of fantasy… well, yes, okay. It’s a fantasy world. Beyond the magic and theology, it’s a mystery story with the feel of urban fantasy. The world building is akin to epic fantasy, but that’s it. And it’s still really good – don’t let this deter you! It’s just not quite as I assumed before reading.

The mystery plot was a bit uncomplicated. There was a last minute twist at the end of the book I wasn’t expecting, but otherwise, I was so invested in the theological aspects of the story that I generally found Yeine’s insistence of digging up her mother’s past to be a distraction from more interesting things. The real story here, for me, was the tale of the three original gods and I loved it. I’m so glad this is a trilogy because I want more of this story. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms reads like a standalone book – there’s a satisfying enough end that you can stop if you want, but why on earth would you want to stop?

This is a book I am definitely going to buy in hardcopy. I could easily get lost in this dark and convoluted world. I will be reading on in the trilogy, and likely, I will reread The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms again someday in the future. show less

This book. Oh this book. I classify a good story as one that is so compelling, that I immerse myself in so thoroughly, that when it ends I am sad to have to leave. It doesn't happen frequently, but The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is one of those stories. There aren't a ton of fantasy novels out there that deviate from the usual western influences. The world, the characters, the plot, even the language are unique and fresh. And what can I say, the chemistry between Yeine and Nahadoth is pretty hot. Still haven't read the rest of the trilogy, but it's on my to-do list.

This is N.K. Jemisin's debut novel, and the first book in her Inheritance trilogy, although I am pleased to note that it stands on its own fairly well and has an actual satisfying ending. It focuses on a young woman who is summoned by her estranged grandfather, the ruler of the known world, and told that she is a candidate to succeed him. But this does not mean what you'd think it does, something she quickly discovers as she makes an alliance with some captive and enslaved gods.

I didn't find this quite as compelling and impressive as I did Jemisin's Dreamblood duology (which is the only other thing of hers that I've read so far, although I certainly intend to get to her multiple-Hugo-winning Broken Earth series at some point), but it show more was good, nevertheless. The way that it takes some familiar mythological elements -- gods of light and darkness, chaos and order -- and does something that feels interesting and fairly original with them is very cool. I already have the next two volumes, and I'm looking forward to spending a little more time in this world and exploring that mythology even more. show less