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Inheritance Trilogy #3
The Kingdom of Gods
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fantasy (2011)For two thousand years the Arameri family has ruled the world by enslaving the very gods that created mortalkind. Now the gods are free, and the Arameris' ruthless grip is slipping. Yet they are all that stands between peace and world-spanning, unending war.
613 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,240 reviews
November 14, 2011
If this had been the first book, I wouldn't have read the other two. In fact, after reading this one, I went back re-read the first one to try to recall what I had liked about the series in the first place.
OH YEAH: That book had consistent character development, measured pacing, and a coherent plot.
I didn't hate The Kingdom of the Gods. Really, reading this book was kind of like visiting a good friend from middle school, but discovering she's gotten really into Scientology and it's all she wants to talk about now. It's nice to see her and all, but also confusing and uncomfortable, and I don't really want to get together again any time soon.
OH YEAH: That book had consistent character development, measured pacing, and a coherent plot.
I didn't hate The Kingdom of the Gods. Really, reading this book was kind of like visiting a good friend from middle school, but discovering she's gotten really into Scientology and it's all she wants to talk about now. It's nice to see her and all, but also confusing and uncomfortable, and I don't really want to get together again any time soon.
August 18, 2023
I was so close, so close to calling quits on this book multiple times. But I persevered, mostly out of a malicious curiosity to find out whether Jemisin could really manage a one-star from me.
Fortunately the answer is no. Although this is unquestionably my least favorite of her books so far, it wasn't without its own impressive moments.
Let's start with the bad things first (usually I try to do the opposite, but since my first impression of this book was so terrible, an exception has to be made). The first third of the book, labeled "Book One", was unbearable. Clunky writing, annoying characters, glacier-moving-speed plot... basically a bingo collection of everything unbearable. I assume some of it is a stylistic choice, since a) Jemisin is obviously capable of doing better and b) Sieh is a teenager so that kind of voice probably suits him, but gods, it was way overdone. I would've had no qualms giving this book one star if it continued that way.
Which it didn't, thank the Bright. The rest of the book still suffered a bit from an overly convenient (or inconvenient) plot, and most of the story wouldn't have needed to exist if not for every character being dumb and not doing the most obvious thing that could've easily ended all their troubles, but that was tolerable with minimal eye rolling. Everything else was infinitely better once "Book Two" started. I enjoyed the vivid prose for the rest of the volume, the cool imagination of fantasy landscapes and godly powers, and the nice little twist at the end. Jemisin's skill at writing battle scenes has also seen clear improvement, if one were to compare the last few chapters of this book to all her previous ones (especially The Shadowed Sun). In terms of epicness, the last chapter at Sky might even be my favorite Monstrously Beautiful God-Power Scene to date.
I especially loved the parts that continued the epic journey of desire and hate between The Three. The scenes between Nahadoth and Itempas were so perfect, and I was pleasantly surprised by the short story at the end that turned out to be an epilogue of The Broken Kingdoms (it's fun to wonder . In a way, this book feels like a fan-service sequel to wrap up all the loose threads from previous books, and I enjoyed it thoroughly for that.
Were the merits enough to redeem the terrible beginning of the book? Well... Yes and no.
The Kingdom of Gods, as a book in its own right, was fine. The later 70% did entertain me more than the beginning 30% annoyed me. But... And this is a strong BUT... It feels utterly "unJemisin", in so many ways, and was quite far from what I expected.
Jemisin has never failed to make me swoon for her characters. It's odd, because a lot of them feel quite cliche and a lot of them don't even feel real enough for me to connect to, but somehow, they just always have the type of charm that makes me obsess over them. Maybe it's the madness in their personalities that speaks to me in some twisted way... Unfortunately though, this is the first book of hers that failed to do the same. I couldn't make myself care about Sieh (I probably cared more about him in the first book when he was a side character). I despised Shahar. Deka was a bit too underdeveloped to even have a personality. And the rest... Well, I liked most of the rest, but mainly because they were recurring characters from previous books.
The stamp of Jemisin's usual heavy-handed themes is absent here, too. She is one of the few authors that I can tolerate heavy-handedness from, and I actually want to see it in all her books. The way this trilogy started, with all the twisted exploration of slavery, power, sexuality, etc, was a good sign for me. But then things mellowed down in The Broken Kingdoms, and were mostly gone altogether in this last book. There's still plenty of love and desire and angst going on, of course, but not in a way that feels nearly as consequential or impactful as the previous books, and that makes the story come out much more... generic and unmemorable.
I still enjoyed it though. It just didn't leave me with a delicious hangover like the previous two books did. But I'm glad that this epic tale ended mostly satisfyingly, and now I can finally dig into the easter eggs in the sequel short stories. (I wish there were one for Nahadoth and Itempas!!)
Fortunately the answer is no. Although this is unquestionably my least favorite of her books so far, it wasn't without its own impressive moments.
Let's start with the bad things first (usually I try to do the opposite, but since my first impression of this book was so terrible, an exception has to be made). The first third of the book, labeled "Book One", was unbearable. Clunky writing, annoying characters, glacier-moving-speed plot... basically a bingo collection of everything unbearable. I assume some of it is a stylistic choice, since a) Jemisin is obviously capable of doing better and b) Sieh is a teenager so that kind of voice probably suits him, but gods, it was way overdone. I would've had no qualms giving this book one star if it continued that way.
Which it didn't, thank the Bright. The rest of the book still suffered a bit from an overly convenient (or inconvenient) plot, and most of the story wouldn't have needed to exist if not for every character being dumb and not doing the most obvious thing that could've easily ended all their troubles, but that was tolerable with minimal eye rolling. Everything else was infinitely better once "Book Two" started. I enjoyed the vivid prose for the rest of the volume, the cool imagination of fantasy landscapes and godly powers, and the nice little twist at the end. Jemisin's skill at writing battle scenes has also seen clear improvement, if one were to compare the last few chapters of this book to all her previous ones (especially The Shadowed Sun). In terms of epicness, the last chapter at Sky might even be my favorite Monstrously Beautiful God-Power Scene to date.
I especially loved the parts that continued the epic journey of desire and hate between The Three. The scenes between Nahadoth and Itempas were so perfect, and I was pleasantly surprised by the short story at the end that turned out to be an epilogue of The Broken Kingdoms (it's fun to wonder . In a way, this book feels like a fan-service sequel to wrap up all the loose threads from previous books, and I enjoyed it thoroughly for that.
Were the merits enough to redeem the terrible beginning of the book? Well... Yes and no.
The Kingdom of Gods, as a book in its own right, was fine. The later 70% did entertain me more than the beginning 30% annoyed me. But... And this is a strong BUT... It feels utterly "unJemisin", in so many ways, and was quite far from what I expected.
Jemisin has never failed to make me swoon for her characters. It's odd, because a lot of them feel quite cliche and a lot of them don't even feel real enough for me to connect to, but somehow, they just always have the type of charm that makes me obsess over them. Maybe it's the madness in their personalities that speaks to me in some twisted way... Unfortunately though, this is the first book of hers that failed to do the same. I couldn't make myself care about Sieh (I probably cared more about him in the first book when he was a side character). I despised Shahar. Deka was a bit too underdeveloped to even have a personality. And the rest... Well, I liked most of the rest, but mainly because they were recurring characters from previous books.
The stamp of Jemisin's usual heavy-handed themes is absent here, too. She is one of the few authors that I can tolerate heavy-handedness from, and I actually want to see it in all her books. The way this trilogy started, with all the twisted exploration of slavery, power, sexuality, etc, was a good sign for me. But then things mellowed down in The Broken Kingdoms, and were mostly gone altogether in this last book. There's still plenty of love and desire and angst going on, of course, but not in a way that feels nearly as consequential or impactful as the previous books, and that makes the story come out much more... generic and unmemorable.
I still enjoyed it though. It just didn't leave me with a delicious hangover like the previous two books did. But I'm glad that this epic tale ended mostly satisfyingly, and now I can finally dig into the easter eggs in the sequel short stories. (I wish there were one for Nahadoth and Itempas!!)
November 10, 2015
I must say that this is the best of all three.
Sieh.
He touched me just as much as he touched Shahar or Deka. And before you start going on about how that's nasty, I mean it entirely metaphorically! Gosh, you people. I was damn close to tears an unknowable number of times while reading this. It was special in a way that all deeply mythological tales can be special, even when they tear a hole in reality to let in the Maelstrom, borrow from so many sources, and yet manage to be fully creative and original all on their own.
Was I genuinely surprised by some of their choices, or by the events that happened, or the way it finally got resolved? Yes, to all three.
I cried. It was just that good.
As for some of the things that some of you might be looking for in a progressive tale: There is offhand and natural relations between the sexes that I've come to expect from gods and godlings, only it is is a bit more down to earth with more of the mortal flavor in this novel. Traditional love story, this isn't.
What it really manages to be, spectacularly, is a novel about growing up.
That in itself is the biggest source of all conflict, of course, and made so much worse because it is the god of childhood and mischief that has to undergo such a nightmare of losing everything that he is.
What an emotional ride.
Plots and other storylines were very interesting and held the rest of the tale together as tightly as anyone could desire, and there were some rather huge events that happened, satisfying my ever-increasing desire for "More, More, More" mind-blowing greatness. I truly couldn't put the novel down for the life of me. It was intelligent, so well-crafted, wise, mischievous, and eventful. And best of all, it had one hell of a great story underneath everything else that was popping.
I already knew that Jemisin was one hell of an artist, from the first novel that I read, The Fifth Season, to this third book in the wonderful The Broken Kingdoms. She's now become my go-to mastermind for brilliant storytelling, huge worldbuilding, and mythopunk craving.
So damn wonderful!
Sieh.
He touched me just as much as he touched Shahar or Deka. And before you start going on about how that's nasty, I mean it entirely metaphorically! Gosh, you people. I was damn close to tears an unknowable number of times while reading this. It was special in a way that all deeply mythological tales can be special, even when they tear a hole in reality to let in the Maelstrom, borrow from so many sources, and yet manage to be fully creative and original all on their own.
Was I genuinely surprised by some of their choices, or by the events that happened, or the way it finally got resolved? Yes, to all three.
I cried. It was just that good.
As for some of the things that some of you might be looking for in a progressive tale: There is offhand and natural relations between the sexes that I've come to expect from gods and godlings, only it is is a bit more down to earth with more of the mortal flavor in this novel. Traditional love story, this isn't.
What it really manages to be, spectacularly, is a novel about growing up.
That in itself is the biggest source of all conflict, of course, and made so much worse because it is the god of childhood and mischief that has to undergo such a nightmare of losing everything that he is.
What an emotional ride.
Plots and other storylines were very interesting and held the rest of the tale together as tightly as anyone could desire, and there were some rather huge events that happened, satisfying my ever-increasing desire for "More, More, More" mind-blowing greatness. I truly couldn't put the novel down for the life of me. It was intelligent, so well-crafted, wise, mischievous, and eventful. And best of all, it had one hell of a great story underneath everything else that was popping.
I already knew that Jemisin was one hell of an artist, from the first novel that I read, The Fifth Season, to this third book in the wonderful The Broken Kingdoms. She's now become my go-to mastermind for brilliant storytelling, huge worldbuilding, and mythopunk craving.
So damn wonderful!
July 4, 2017
I liked this more as the conclusion of a trilogy than as a book in its own right. It is no secret that I am absolutely in love with N. K. Jemisin's writing and her brilliant imagination. This book is not exception to this; it is in parts brilliant, poignant, moving, and beautifully crafted; however, for me it did not work quite as well as the previous two books in this trilogy.
This time around we follow Sieh - a decision I was immediately in love with because as you can see in my reviews for The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, he is one of my all-time favourite characters. In the beginning, I loved his narrative voice and the way it differed from both Yeine and Oree. Sadly being in his head proved to be not as much fun as I thought - as he becomes mortal early on he stops being quite so different and otherworldly and as such did not really feel like the Sieh we got to know earlier. I did adore his relationship to both Shahar and Deka in all its complicated and destructive glory, so there's that.
Ultimately, this book is as much about Yeine as it is about Sieh (much in the way the first book was as much about Nahadoth as it was about Yeine, and the second was about Itempas as much as Oree) and I love what N. K. Jemisin did here. As the series progresses it becomes less clear black and white and becomes more grey: much like the gods and goddesses it concentrates on - I love how clever N. K. Jemisin's overall plotting is and how tightly constructed and how brilliantly her metaphors work.
While I found this book a tad too long and Sieh's voice not as convincing as N. K. Jemisin's other protagonists', it is still such a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy I adore. So, yes, still in love.
This time around we follow Sieh - a decision I was immediately in love with because as you can see in my reviews for The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, he is one of my all-time favourite characters. In the beginning, I loved his narrative voice and the way it differed from both Yeine and Oree. Sadly being in his head proved to be not as much fun as I thought - as he becomes mortal early on he stops being quite so different and otherworldly and as such did not really feel like the Sieh we got to know earlier. I did adore his relationship to both Shahar and Deka in all its complicated and destructive glory, so there's that.
Ultimately, this book is as much about Yeine as it is about Sieh (much in the way the first book was as much about Nahadoth as it was about Yeine, and the second was about Itempas as much as Oree) and I love what N. K. Jemisin did here. As the series progresses it becomes less clear black and white and becomes more grey: much like the gods and goddesses it concentrates on - I love how clever N. K. Jemisin's overall plotting is and how tightly constructed and how brilliantly her metaphors work.
While I found this book a tad too long and Sieh's voice not as convincing as N. K. Jemisin's other protagonists', it is still such a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy I adore. So, yes, still in love.
July 22, 2023
This book begins with a tease. Like a lover using a delicate feather. We meet Sieh, the trickster, Aang-like god who is bored in Sky. I was too. But deeper, he was lonely. A most dangerous feeling for a god, as you recall, Itempas was bored, lonely and malleable to Shahar's venom which led to the darkest days of Sky and the troubling enslavement of the Enefadeh.
Sieh by awwarrows on Tumblr
The Enefadeh are godlings, children of Enefa the goddess who died in the events preceding the first book. The main gods are Nahadoth, lord of shadow and darkness, Itempas the bright and Enefa bringer of life. They bring her back in book one in one of the most unique third acts I've ever read in fantasy.
In book two, we hang out with Itempas following his penance for the 2000-year enslavement of Naha and their children at the hands of the ruling family, the Arameri. Itempas is trapped in human form and has to find a sect that has been murdering godlings in his name. The urgency is brought about by the fact that Naha wants to lay waste to mankind if these discount gestapo don't stop their deity genocide.
In book three, the world seems at ease. Almost a century since the events of book 2, and we're just bumming around with Sieh. It was underwhelming, to say the least. There was a kernel of intrigue when it was revealed that Sieh was wallowing in jealousy. Enefa was back with Itempas for a moment, and Nahadoth allowed it. He wondered how Naha could forgive Itempas so easily when he was the one who broke the three. Sieh asked Naha if he would be returning to Itempas' arms too. But Naha simply said, Inevitable is not the same as immediate, Sieh—and love does not mandate forgiveness. I could feel his frustration, but again we didn't linger.
Soon after, Sieh meets the Arameri twins, heirs to the throne. The Arameri had an asinine custom where the heirs fought to the death for the right to rule. But Shahar the second and her brother Dekarta the second (their ancestors are mentioned in book 1) have too strong a bond. Sieh, misguided in his loneliness, makes a blood pact with them that has far-reaching consequences.
At first, it seems we're in for a regular love story between Sieh and Shahar the annoying, boy was she insufferable, but after a horrid betrayal, which she did to save her brother from his fate, there is a rift among them all. The irony that Deka didn't even bother returning home was hilarious. But that drama was shortlived and not attended to enough, in my opinion. It's like I wanted a marshmallow but Jemisin gave me the blurry picture of a cloud.
Too much time was spent with Shahar the stupid, goddess of no forethought. And we have a new big bad known as Kahl Avenger. We never get to spend too much time with him. All we know is that he's eerily similar to Sieh and has plans that involve masks which kill people when they wear them, originally turned into zombies, then they blow them up, charring their faces. Masks as weapons of mass destruction, this author comes up with the coolest concepts. But again, the masks feature less than fucking Shahar.
Author failed to focus on the best parts of it. Sieh, Deka, Nahadoth, and Kahl Avenger.. The ending was rather unique as well, but I have to ask, daughter of Jemisin, why why why did I have to endure so many pages of Shahar acting like a spoiled brat? Pages upon pages dedicated to her mercurial emotions that Sieh could read like a book. And I just didn't care. She does do one thing that is invariably stupid and would have ruined her relationship with her brother forever but she barely faces the consequences for that. The worst part is, she did it out of fucking jealousy. There's an avenger out to kill everyone using masks and you want to wreck your relationship with your superpowered brother? Seriously? Nora Keita Jemisin, why though? Oree and Yeine were such great female characters. Then we get this mean girl from a Taylor Swift video?
When there's a showdown between Nahadoth and Itempas, I read the lone paragraph describing Naha more times than I care to admit,
Sieh's longing was one of my favourite parts,
Later, in a moment with Enefa, when he said,
I am upset with this book. I wanted a bigger finale. I wanted more time with the three and Sieh. I wanted less Shahar. I wanted more time with Kahl Avenger with the masks. That was so so cool. And then, daughter of Jemisin had to add a short story about Oree. The people wanted Nahadoth. Why daughter of Jemisin? Why deny the people what they want?
3.5 stars.
Sieh by awwarrows on Tumblr
The Enefadeh are godlings, children of Enefa the goddess who died in the events preceding the first book. The main gods are Nahadoth, lord of shadow and darkness, Itempas the bright and Enefa bringer of life. They bring her back in book one in one of the most unique third acts I've ever read in fantasy.
In book two, we hang out with Itempas following his penance for the 2000-year enslavement of Naha and their children at the hands of the ruling family, the Arameri. Itempas is trapped in human form and has to find a sect that has been murdering godlings in his name. The urgency is brought about by the fact that Naha wants to lay waste to mankind if these discount gestapo don't stop their deity genocide.
In book three, the world seems at ease. Almost a century since the events of book 2, and we're just bumming around with Sieh. It was underwhelming, to say the least. There was a kernel of intrigue when it was revealed that Sieh was wallowing in jealousy. Enefa was back with Itempas for a moment, and Nahadoth allowed it. He wondered how Naha could forgive Itempas so easily when he was the one who broke the three. Sieh asked Naha if he would be returning to Itempas' arms too. But Naha simply said, Inevitable is not the same as immediate, Sieh—and love does not mandate forgiveness. I could feel his frustration, but again we didn't linger.
Soon after, Sieh meets the Arameri twins, heirs to the throne. The Arameri had an asinine custom where the heirs fought to the death for the right to rule. But Shahar the second and her brother Dekarta the second (their ancestors are mentioned in book 1) have too strong a bond. Sieh, misguided in his loneliness, makes a blood pact with them that has far-reaching consequences.
At first, it seems we're in for a regular love story between Sieh and Shahar the annoying, boy was she insufferable, but after a horrid betrayal, which she did to save her brother from his fate, there is a rift among them all. The irony that Deka didn't even bother returning home was hilarious. But that drama was shortlived and not attended to enough, in my opinion. It's like I wanted a marshmallow but Jemisin gave me the blurry picture of a cloud.
Too much time was spent with Shahar the stupid, goddess of no forethought. And we have a new big bad known as Kahl Avenger. We never get to spend too much time with him. All we know is that he's eerily similar to Sieh and has plans that involve masks which kill people when they wear them, originally turned into zombies, then they blow them up, charring their faces. Masks as weapons of mass destruction, this author comes up with the coolest concepts. But again, the masks feature less than fucking Shahar.
Author failed to focus on the best parts of it. Sieh, Deka, Nahadoth, and Kahl Avenger.. The ending was rather unique as well, but I have to ask, daughter of Jemisin, why why why did I have to endure so many pages of Shahar acting like a spoiled brat? Pages upon pages dedicated to her mercurial emotions that Sieh could read like a book. And I just didn't care. She does do one thing that is invariably stupid and would have ruined her relationship with her brother forever but she barely faces the consequences for that. The worst part is, she did it out of fucking jealousy. There's an avenger out to kill everyone using masks and you want to wreck your relationship with your superpowered brother? Seriously? Nora Keita Jemisin, why though? Oree and Yeine were such great female characters. Then we get this mean girl from a Taylor Swift video?
When there's a showdown between Nahadoth and Itempas, I read the lone paragraph describing Naha more times than I care to admit,
Nahadoth’s shape was the only thing that had not changed since the days of his enslavement, for I felt his power now, gloriously whole and terrible, a weight upon the very air. Chaos and darkness, pure and unleashed.Ruin me, dzaddy. Goddamn.
Sieh's longing was one of my favourite parts,
“I want someone who is mine. I… I don’t even know…” I sighed. “The Three, Nsana, they are the Three. Three facets of the same diamond, whole even when separate. No matter how far apart they drift, they always, always, come back together eventually. That closeness…” It was what Shahar had with Deka, I realized: a closeness that few outsiders would ever comprehend or penetrate. More than blood-deep—soul-deep. She hadn’t seen him for half her life and she’d still betrayed me for him. What would it be like to have that kind of love for myself?My heart broke for this godling who was going through a metamorphosis that he couldn't control. A few months ago, I would be in the same boat, wondering why I couldn't get that all-consuming specialised love where you're so certain of your place in the other person(s). But I gave up on romantic love, so I could only appreciate the poetry of his longing.
Later, in a moment with Enefa, when he said,
“Never to be satisfied?” Her fingers played with my hair gently. “I suppose.” I shrugged. “I’ve learned to deal with it. What else can I do?”Boy yes, fucking same.
I am upset with this book. I wanted a bigger finale. I wanted more time with the three and Sieh. I wanted less Shahar. I wanted more time with Kahl Avenger with the masks. That was so so cool. And then, daughter of Jemisin had to add a short story about Oree. The people wanted Nahadoth. Why daughter of Jemisin? Why deny the people what they want?
3.5 stars.
September 2, 2022
Most enjoyable of the trilogy, mainly carried by the fun the main character Sieh brings with him
Maybe you should be happy, he said.
When things are bad, change is good, right?
Oke this final part is much more propulsive and with a more interesting main character Sieh (like Loki in his mischievousness mixed with childlike glee and cruelty).
He is the master of clapbacks:
Why didn’t she kill you?
Because she hates me I suppose.
or
What do you want me to say?
I’m sorry?
I’m not.
and:
Yes you do look like shit
and:
I could be a marvellous whore
and:
Glad I am done with adolescence, if I don’t want to kill someone I want to have sex with them
or finally:
You are as godly as my left testicle.
The fun the main character brings with him is contagious and makes this long volume read quite easily.
We again have hints of Sahar the “not like others” girl, but fortunately the plot soon moves in another direction, although the setup of a precarious situation for the main character from the first book of the trilogy remains familiar. Also the triangular relationships we are so familiar with come back, with interesting sentences like: Hatred does not exclude desire and If they will not love me, fear is an acceptable substitute.
What’s up with all the teleportation and foreshadowing/laying out of the evil plans involving creepy ass masks? That feels rather lazily done (and having connections to the gods I wouldn't expect that characters would feel powerless, someone even mentions the following: I don’t even know if we even have the power to destroy a continent anymore which seems to give ample remaining scope to fix stuff nonetheless).
The battle near the end is crazy epic and the showdown foreshadows a lot of themes from the Broken Earth Trilogy of N.K. Jemisin, with for instance this quote and struggle being familiar for readers of those books: Peace is meaningless without freedom
Maybe you should be happy, he said.
When things are bad, change is good, right?
Oke this final part is much more propulsive and with a more interesting main character Sieh (like Loki in his mischievousness mixed with childlike glee and cruelty).
He is the master of clapbacks:
Why didn’t she kill you?
Because she hates me I suppose.
or
What do you want me to say?
I’m sorry?
I’m not.
and:
Yes you do look like shit
and:
I could be a marvellous whore
and:
Glad I am done with adolescence, if I don’t want to kill someone I want to have sex with them
or finally:
You are as godly as my left testicle.
The fun the main character brings with him is contagious and makes this long volume read quite easily.
We again have hints of Sahar the “not like others” girl, but fortunately the plot soon moves in another direction, although the setup of a precarious situation for the main character from the first book of the trilogy remains familiar. Also the triangular relationships we are so familiar with come back, with interesting sentences like: Hatred does not exclude desire and If they will not love me, fear is an acceptable substitute.
What’s up with all the teleportation and foreshadowing/laying out of the evil plans involving creepy ass masks? That feels rather lazily done (and having connections to the gods I wouldn't expect that characters would feel powerless, someone even mentions the following: I don’t even know if we even have the power to destroy a continent anymore which seems to give ample remaining scope to fix stuff nonetheless).
The battle near the end is crazy epic and the showdown foreshadows a lot of themes from the Broken Earth Trilogy of N.K. Jemisin, with for instance this quote and struggle being familiar for readers of those books: Peace is meaningless without freedom
October 16, 2011
ASHBASKHJDFKSHkj just bought on Kindle, about to start reading.
WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW EXCITED I AM. This is me right now:
Book 3, here I come!
———————
Edited to add review: 16th October 2011
I really, really wanted to like this book. Having established her incredible writing chops in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, I expected to be wowed away by N.K. Jemisin in her trilogy's finale.
The verdict?
... eh.
I'll get the bad parts out of the way first. One thing different about The Kingdom of Gods was the plot; in books 1 & 2 it was more structured and carefully paced, while book 3 felt all over the place, and more than once I found myself thinking “Great. What the HECK is going on now?” It needed more coherence. After that mess, the climax was a relieving, if anticlimactic, flop.
Another sore point: Sieh. While interesting, I never found him compelling. I always think of a bratty kid when he comes to mind even after reading The Kingdom of Gods. I never got the sense that he actually matured. Sure, giving examples of refraining to act on childish impulses could be interpreted as maturity, but that didn't sell any points for me.
Sieh's supposed to be a GOD. He's lived for thousands of years. He predates humanity. His experience is boundless in pretty much everything. Just because he's growing older doesn't mean he has to angst and melodrama his way through the book.
Having already expanded on worldbuilding in books 1 & 2 of Sky and Shadow, there wasn't much to go on here. With a union of countries called The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, much is still left to the reader's conjecture. I don't know if this is deliberate for the enigma, but I would have preferred to discover another place for the events in this book to transpire.
If it wasn't for the above, this book would get full stars.
Because it's original. The idea of an all-powerful figure falling to destitution might be somewhat of a stereotype in epic fantasy, and I think this is both the strength and weakness of The Kingdom of Gods. It seemed books 1 & 2 were more familiar with the generic idea of the hero being plucked from obscurity and into political intrigue and adventure, while book 3 meets with mixed success. It lacks that OOMPH that made its predecessors shine. As it stands, it's merely good.
But it makes up for that because the prose is FANTASTIC.
Jim Carrey loves his N.K. Jemisin prose.
Despite this book's drawbacks I managed to devour it in one day, it's a page turner if you will. It's not often that I get utterly sucked into a story, but this kind of writing does that to you. This is QUALITY. I'm telling you aspiring authors, if you ever write epic fantasy make sure you have N.K. Jemisin on your shelf for divine inspiration.
Overall, The Kingdom of Gods was OK. Not too bad, not too good. But know that I'll definitely be reading N.K. Jemisin's future works.
WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW EXCITED I AM. This is me right now:
Book 3, here I come!
———————
Edited to add review: 16th October 2011
I really, really wanted to like this book. Having established her incredible writing chops in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, I expected to be wowed away by N.K. Jemisin in her trilogy's finale.
The verdict?
... eh.
I'll get the bad parts out of the way first. One thing different about The Kingdom of Gods was the plot; in books 1 & 2 it was more structured and carefully paced, while book 3 felt all over the place, and more than once I found myself thinking “Great. What the HECK is going on now?” It needed more coherence. After that mess, the climax was a relieving, if anticlimactic, flop.
Another sore point: Sieh. While interesting, I never found him compelling. I always think of a bratty kid when he comes to mind even after reading The Kingdom of Gods. I never got the sense that he actually matured. Sure, giving examples of refraining to act on childish impulses could be interpreted as maturity, but that didn't sell any points for me.
Sieh's supposed to be a GOD. He's lived for thousands of years. He predates humanity. His experience is boundless in pretty much everything. Just because he's growing older doesn't mean he has to angst and melodrama his way through the book.
Having already expanded on worldbuilding in books 1 & 2 of Sky and Shadow, there wasn't much to go on here. With a union of countries called The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, much is still left to the reader's conjecture. I don't know if this is deliberate for the enigma, but I would have preferred to discover another place for the events in this book to transpire.
If it wasn't for the above, this book would get full stars.
Because it's original. The idea of an all-powerful figure falling to destitution might be somewhat of a stereotype in epic fantasy, and I think this is both the strength and weakness of The Kingdom of Gods. It seemed books 1 & 2 were more familiar with the generic idea of the hero being plucked from obscurity and into political intrigue and adventure, while book 3 meets with mixed success. It lacks that OOMPH that made its predecessors shine. As it stands, it's merely good.
But it makes up for that because the prose is FANTASTIC.
Jim Carrey loves his N.K. Jemisin prose.
Despite this book's drawbacks I managed to devour it in one day, it's a page turner if you will. It's not often that I get utterly sucked into a story, but this kind of writing does that to you. This is QUALITY. I'm telling you aspiring authors, if you ever write epic fantasy make sure you have N.K. Jemisin on your shelf for divine inspiration.
Overall, The Kingdom of Gods was OK. Not too bad, not too good. But know that I'll definitely be reading N.K. Jemisin's future works.
February 19, 2012
I'm torn because I think this is probably a 4 star book, as I list it, but I didn't LOVE it as much as the first two in this trilogy. I don't know why, maybe I just didn't love the characters as much, maybe the focus on the mortal people was not as interesting as how deep the relationships ran in the last two books. I almost wish this book had been about the three gods reuniting, but I dunno. Sieh is a fantastic character, and this was a really interesting direction to take him, I'm just on the fence because the first two books blew me away, and this one didn't as much. 100% will read anything this author writes though, so there's that :)
May 24, 2012
I've just finished this and I find myself feeling very emotional about it in a way that I can't explain. It's not the "blown away" feeling I had at the end of The Broken Kingdoms; this is something quieter that's developing as I keep digesting what I've just read.
It started almost light and fun, totally appropriate for Sieh's nature but as - for reasons it took the whole book for us to understand - he matured and grew, the tone and strength of the story did too. I loved Sieh, I have from the beginning, but it was because he was mercurial and snarky and fun. By the end, that too had matured and grown, in a way that made the end (or perhaps, the apparent end, before the coda) all the more textured and strong.
It was only as I got to the end of this book that I realised that in many ways, the entire trilogy is about loneliness. That's what triggered pretty much everything, from the beginning to the end. It was never preached or made obvious, but it was there underlying everything.
I didn't know I was going to be so moved by this book, but as I said at the beginning, it grew on me slowly, building as I reached the end. And oh, the ending...
I read it and I thought "oh, I wish it had been easier, but that was right and true". I had the same reaction at the end of the previous book, but it was even stronger here because I wished for a tied-up-with-a-bow ending for the characters. I don't know that I actually wanted one, especially at the expense of the power of the story, but I loved them all, so I wished they might get one. They didn't and I didn't. We got something better.
And then, just to throw me further off guard, Jemisin threw in the coda, tossed everything around again and gave me an even better ending, still without bows and ribbons, just with a sense of it being totally right. And happy too, with just a touch of the bittersweet, which is something she is very good at.
Finally, in the "extras" at the back of the book, she gave me a short story that did pretty much exactly the same thing, with the story Not the End adding a coda to the right ending of The Broken Kingdoms that completed the last possibly unfinished piece of the entire arc (although it would have been perfectly fine to leave it that way because she had already ended it right at the end of that book).
The whole story, the trilogy, is finished and complete. It's full and done and right and I have been very, very happy to be able to follow it.
So I guess that's the feeling I couldn't describe; it's fulfillment and satisfaction, that sense of a story told right and finished right, but with just a bit of sadness because there's no need for more.
Thank you Ms Jemisin for both the story and the feeling. You're permanently established on my auto-buy list.
P.S. I'm rather proud of myself that I did pick up the parallel between the Three and the three before it was made explicit in the book. (And I think that's vague enough not to be spoilery for anyone who hasn't read the book yet.)
It started almost light and fun, totally appropriate for Sieh's nature but as - for reasons it took the whole book for us to understand - he matured and grew, the tone and strength of the story did too. I loved Sieh, I have from the beginning, but it was because he was mercurial and snarky and fun. By the end, that too had matured and grown, in a way that made the end (or perhaps, the apparent end, before the coda) all the more textured and strong.
It was only as I got to the end of this book that I realised that in many ways, the entire trilogy is about loneliness. That's what triggered pretty much everything, from the beginning to the end. It was never preached or made obvious, but it was there underlying everything.
I didn't know I was going to be so moved by this book, but as I said at the beginning, it grew on me slowly, building as I reached the end. And oh, the ending...
I read it and I thought "oh, I wish it had been easier, but that was right and true". I had the same reaction at the end of the previous book, but it was even stronger here because I wished for a tied-up-with-a-bow ending for the characters. I don't know that I actually wanted one, especially at the expense of the power of the story, but I loved them all, so I wished they might get one. They didn't and I didn't. We got something better.
And then, just to throw me further off guard, Jemisin threw in the coda, tossed everything around again and gave me an even better ending, still without bows and ribbons, just with a sense of it being totally right. And happy too, with just a touch of the bittersweet, which is something she is very good at.
Finally, in the "extras" at the back of the book, she gave me a short story that did pretty much exactly the same thing, with the story Not the End adding a coda to the right ending of The Broken Kingdoms that completed the last possibly unfinished piece of the entire arc (although it would have been perfectly fine to leave it that way because she had already ended it right at the end of that book).
The whole story, the trilogy, is finished and complete. It's full and done and right and I have been very, very happy to be able to follow it.
So I guess that's the feeling I couldn't describe; it's fulfillment and satisfaction, that sense of a story told right and finished right, but with just a bit of sadness because there's no need for more.
Thank you Ms Jemisin for both the story and the feeling. You're permanently established on my auto-buy list.
P.S. I'm rather proud of myself that I did pick up the parallel between the Three and the three before it was made explicit in the book. (And I think that's vague enough not to be spoilery for anyone who hasn't read the book yet.)
May 4, 2018
The Kingdom of Gods is an excellent wrap-up to Jemison's trilogy and the strongest of the three books. As with the prior novels, this one is both self-contained and made all the more rich and resonant by reading its predecessors. And as with the preceding two books, the novel is a distinctly emotional experience. The centralization of child-god Sieh as this story's narrator and point of identification is key: Sieh is both child and a being who is billions of years old; he is both a sweetly, mischievously playful boy and a bloodthirsty being who exults in slaughter; he is a youngster who spent a thousand years as a sexually and physically abused victim while also being a terrifying god who killed millions of humans in various fits of pique or rage (or - most disturbingly - under orders). He is endearing and he is horrifying. As with all people, he is neither pure victim nor pure hero nor pure villain. As with all people, he contains many selves.
Kingdom of Gods has Sieh growing up. It is a painful experience, as growing up always is. His loneliness and his longing for love, for someone he can call "his own", made this an often emotionally harrowing read. But his youthful elan also meant that his journeys are frequently given a refreshingly light and cheeky touch, despite the darkness.
Jemison is a fabulous writer. Despite the complexity of the world she's created, and its many apocalyptic upheavals, her prose remains pellucid, her pacing remains loose and casual, and her story is wonderfully intimate and personal. The entire trilogy - but especially this concluding volume - is a striking achievement.
Kingdom of Gods has Sieh growing up. It is a painful experience, as growing up always is. His loneliness and his longing for love, for someone he can call "his own", made this an often emotionally harrowing read. But his youthful elan also meant that his journeys are frequently given a refreshingly light and cheeky touch, despite the darkness.
Jemison is a fabulous writer. Despite the complexity of the world she's created, and its many apocalyptic upheavals, her prose remains pellucid, her pacing remains loose and casual, and her story is wonderfully intimate and personal. The entire trilogy - but especially this concluding volume - is a striking achievement.
October 19, 2011
I liked it. I enjoyed it. But not wholeheartedly. I had problems with this book, sort of the same problems I had with the whole series but crystallized more obviously in this last volume. I am going to try to explain it (and most likely fail at making any sense. But in case you really want to know what I thought of this here goes)
This series is all about major Gods (universe defining Gods), godlings and other assorted magical creatures interacting with humans in a particular universe. It´s a major concept. It´s epic fantasy (nitpicking: though not quite what we usually mean when we talk of "epic fantasy" likequests, medieval-tech world, dragons, etc. But it is very very epic if you take epic literally). In the whole series, how the characters feel about each other (love, hate, jealousy, sex or its equivalent) is important plotwise. The gods´ motivations are often feelings like jealousy and love. This makes it easy to relate for some (like me. I love angsty emotional stuff), while at the same time it might be at the root of some controversy in reactions to this series.
I usually have a problem with plots when characters are much too powerful like Gods. Sandman works for me but that is the exception rather than the rule. It´s hard (for me) to relate to a suprahuman divine force as if it were a real human character. It´s not. Human concerns in a suprahuman entity can make it seem petty, or constrained or just unlikely. And as side note, I also have problems, when divine billions of years old forces have defining changes happening on screen so to speak. It should make the plot of anything where that happens very special, but instead it just wakes disbelief in me.
The whole series uses this concept, particularly that within the plot of the series, Gods make universe changes, motivated by feelings (romantic, sexual of a kind) for other Gods and a few assorted humans. I admit, the whole concept is IMO difficult to do in a way that totally convinces me - and it did not totally convince me. In the first two books our main PoVS are not divine or totally aware of divine epic forces around them or their role, and I found that much easier to relate to. On this third and final (?) book, our narrator is Sieh, oldest of the godlings. His PoV was often delicious but my disbelief suspension was not at all smooth. And there are other issues - main mystery was telegraphed in advance, some things seem just unlikely (Gods as powerless as humans wringing hands in distress, humans with unbelievable power and knowledge all acquired off screen), and it is just a bit too full of angst and melodrama for my taste. Mind you, angst and melodrama are particular addictions of mine, but here there was just a bit too much of it all the time. I did enjoy this, just with reservations. And I recommend it, particularly if you are not likely to have the same issues (gods as main characters, lots of focus on love as changing the universe literally, angst and melodrama) as I did.
Some random notes:
- the second book, The Broken Kingdoms has a sort of inclusive (euphemism) ending. There is a bonus standalone story here which essential resolves that, I can see while it could not be published before book 3, but still, Broken Kingdoms is IMO not complete without the short story here.
- I read this as each book was published, with intervals between the books and it was a problem to remember all details in between books. This is much better read in one go, IMO.
This series is all about major Gods (universe defining Gods), godlings and other assorted magical creatures interacting with humans in a particular universe. It´s a major concept. It´s epic fantasy (nitpicking: though not quite what we usually mean when we talk of "epic fantasy" likequests, medieval-tech world, dragons, etc. But it is very very epic if you take epic literally). In the whole series, how the characters feel about each other (love, hate, jealousy, sex or its equivalent) is important plotwise. The gods´ motivations are often feelings like jealousy and love. This makes it easy to relate for some (like me. I love angsty emotional stuff), while at the same time it might be at the root of some controversy in reactions to this series.
I usually have a problem with plots when characters are much too powerful like Gods. Sandman works for me but that is the exception rather than the rule. It´s hard (for me) to relate to a suprahuman divine force as if it were a real human character. It´s not. Human concerns in a suprahuman entity can make it seem petty, or constrained or just unlikely. And as side note, I also have problems, when divine billions of years old forces have defining changes happening on screen so to speak. It should make the plot of anything where that happens very special, but instead it just wakes disbelief in me.
The whole series uses this concept, particularly that within the plot of the series, Gods make universe changes, motivated by feelings (romantic, sexual of a kind) for other Gods and a few assorted humans. I admit, the whole concept is IMO difficult to do in a way that totally convinces me - and it did not totally convince me. In the first two books our main PoVS are not divine or totally aware of divine epic forces around them or their role, and I found that much easier to relate to. On this third and final (?) book, our narrator is Sieh, oldest of the godlings. His PoV was often delicious but my disbelief suspension was not at all smooth. And there are other issues - main mystery was telegraphed in advance, some things seem just unlikely (Gods as powerless as humans wringing hands in distress, humans with unbelievable power and knowledge all acquired off screen), and it is just a bit too full of angst and melodrama for my taste. Mind you, angst and melodrama are particular addictions of mine, but here there was just a bit too much of it all the time. I did enjoy this, just with reservations. And I recommend it, particularly if you are not likely to have the same issues (gods as main characters, lots of focus on love as changing the universe literally, angst and melodrama) as I did.
Some random notes:
- the second book, The Broken Kingdoms has a sort of inclusive (euphemism) ending. There is a bonus standalone story here which essential resolves that, I can see while it could not be published before book 3, but still, Broken Kingdoms is IMO not complete without the short story here.
- I read this as each book was published, with intervals between the books and it was a problem to remember all details in between books. This is much better read in one go, IMO.
January 9, 2012
The Kingdom of Gods in the final novel in the Inheritance trilogy, one I was anticipating greatly after reading and loving The Broken Kingdoms (and to a lesser extent, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms). In short, this is a strange and unconventional book/story, which does give it a certain originality and freshness, but is also slightly dissatisfying in the way it forgoes some of even the most basic writing principles.
My biggest problem with The Kingdom of Gods was that there never seemed to be one definite point to the story; something the narrative and characters were working towards. Instead, there were several that Jemisin flits in between constantly, leaving the reader confused and most of the story underdeveloped and a little pointless. It seemed like in an effort to make the book longer she halfheartedly added in a few more characters and twists, but then decided part way thought to make one of these irrelevant twists the actual point and conclusion of the book.
There was a complete and utter lack of foreshadowing which gave me the impression that Jemisin was actually making it up as she went along. Random events and characters and even major plot developments would simply occur out of nowhere with no kind of pretext. I remember writing this about The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms; just because it's fantasy doesn't mean you can make shit up. Some of Jemisin's intrinsic reasoning was so flimsy and flawed that I really questioned how well she had planned the book because it made the story utterly transparent.
While the history of Jemisin's world and its gods is quite interesting and has been thoroughly explored by this book, the logic is still very flawed. The three Gods (Nahadoth, Yeine and to a lesser extent Itempas) are admittedly omnipotent and during their designated time of day, omniscient. This begs the question then, how does anything escape or oppose them? In some cases Jemisin presents a half-hearted excuse, but in others the fact is blatantly ignored. In one chapter it is clear that Nahadoth hears whatever Sieh says at loud, and potentially whatever he thinks, and then not very much later, Sieh brings up something which he is somehow keeping a secret from Nahadoth. Me no comprehende. In fact, none of the events which lead to the end of the book should have been able to happen.
There were several antagonists in this book, one in particular who brings about events which (I think) becomes the main point and climax of the story, but all of whom we know absolutely nothing about. It got a bit ridiculous. Jemisin invents characters, literally out of nowhere, and then fails to give them any kind of character development or role other than to appear when needed and give the story a little (or gigantic) push. Kahl and Usein were the biggest offenders.
While Jemisin's writing is easy to read (most of the time) and her stories are a breath of fresh air, I was incredibly disappointed and let down with this book. As per my review of The Broken Kingdoms, I felt that she had remedied the flaws from The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but it seems they have just come back ten fold in this last book. I don't see how she could go from book two which had a definite, clear objective and a cast of impressive characters to this. The fact that it was the final book in the trilogy was also a disappointment; nothing was revealed or resolved at all - in fact only new and irrelevant things were added. The one resolution that has been building across the three books was instead left completely by the wayside - an absolute crime!
In my opinion readers should not even bother with it and just pretend the series ends with book two.
On a side note, there was one line which I thought was quite entertaining and made me laugh out loud; "I suspect that if Wrath got through this day with his position intact, he would soon put his soldiers through a heavy training course on Gods, the Quick Recognition and Not Attacking Of."
My biggest problem with The Kingdom of Gods was that there never seemed to be one definite point to the story; something the narrative and characters were working towards. Instead, there were several that Jemisin flits in between constantly, leaving the reader confused and most of the story underdeveloped and a little pointless. It seemed like in an effort to make the book longer she halfheartedly added in a few more characters and twists, but then decided part way thought to make one of these irrelevant twists the actual point and conclusion of the book.
There was a complete and utter lack of foreshadowing which gave me the impression that Jemisin was actually making it up as she went along. Random events and characters and even major plot developments would simply occur out of nowhere with no kind of pretext. I remember writing this about The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms; just because it's fantasy doesn't mean you can make shit up. Some of Jemisin's intrinsic reasoning was so flimsy and flawed that I really questioned how well she had planned the book because it made the story utterly transparent.
While the history of Jemisin's world and its gods is quite interesting and has been thoroughly explored by this book, the logic is still very flawed. The three Gods (Nahadoth, Yeine and to a lesser extent Itempas) are admittedly omnipotent and during their designated time of day, omniscient. This begs the question then, how does anything escape or oppose them? In some cases Jemisin presents a half-hearted excuse, but in others the fact is blatantly ignored. In one chapter it is clear that Nahadoth hears whatever Sieh says at loud, and potentially whatever he thinks, and then not very much later, Sieh brings up something which he is somehow keeping a secret from Nahadoth. Me no comprehende. In fact, none of the events which lead to the end of the book should have been able to happen.
There were several antagonists in this book, one in particular who brings about events which (I think) becomes the main point and climax of the story, but all of whom we know absolutely nothing about. It got a bit ridiculous. Jemisin invents characters, literally out of nowhere, and then fails to give them any kind of character development or role other than to appear when needed and give the story a little (or gigantic) push. Kahl and Usein were the biggest offenders.
While Jemisin's writing is easy to read (most of the time) and her stories are a breath of fresh air, I was incredibly disappointed and let down with this book. As per my review of The Broken Kingdoms, I felt that she had remedied the flaws from The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but it seems they have just come back ten fold in this last book. I don't see how she could go from book two which had a definite, clear objective and a cast of impressive characters to this. The fact that it was the final book in the trilogy was also a disappointment; nothing was revealed or resolved at all - in fact only new and irrelevant things were added. The one resolution that has been building across the three books was instead left completely by the wayside - an absolute crime!
In my opinion readers should not even bother with it and just pretend the series ends with book two.
On a side note, there was one line which I thought was quite entertaining and made me laugh out loud; "I suspect that if Wrath got through this day with his position intact, he would soon put his soldiers through a heavy training course on Gods, the Quick Recognition and Not Attacking Of."
November 27, 2021
I'm trying not to be bummed because three stars is still a good rating (and I think I'm an outlier, on a brief scan of ratings on GR) but this just didn't satisfy me the way books one and two did.
I've mentioned in my other review that the way book two fit into book one was different but still connected. Well that trend continues with book three but this one steps even further away from the major themes that connected those earlier instalments. This one also shifts gears in the particular perspective we follow.
Regardless of my liking of it, though, it's impossible to argue against the fact that Jemisin did really interesting things with this. We really delved into the meat of her world, her characters, and the division between her mortals and her gods and all from the perspective of a character we've grown to love up until this point. But while I appreciated some new facets to him, and again a better understanding of the way it all worked, I think the problem was I just wasn't as compelled by him; or the new characters we met along the way.
But again, it was all interesting.
It can't be said Jemisin isn't creative as hell and what she does with her concepts, the narratives and explorations, not to mention her late stage reveals, are just brilliant. And while I dragged my feet a bit, and didn't love the (long) journey of this one every step of the way, I did actually like the ending. It's such a change from where we started and I love that.
And it's not over! I actually have two novellas still to complete but I don't think I'll do much reviewing of them unless they blow me away.
If you've read to read Jemisin, if you've yet to read this debut series of hers, don't delay. I highly recommend.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
I've mentioned in my other review that the way book two fit into book one was different but still connected. Well that trend continues with book three but this one steps even further away from the major themes that connected those earlier instalments. This one also shifts gears in the particular perspective we follow.
Regardless of my liking of it, though, it's impossible to argue against the fact that Jemisin did really interesting things with this. We really delved into the meat of her world, her characters, and the division between her mortals and her gods and all from the perspective of a character we've grown to love up until this point. But while I appreciated some new facets to him, and again a better understanding of the way it all worked, I think the problem was I just wasn't as compelled by him; or the new characters we met along the way.
But again, it was all interesting.
It can't be said Jemisin isn't creative as hell and what she does with her concepts, the narratives and explorations, not to mention her late stage reveals, are just brilliant. And while I dragged my feet a bit, and didn't love the (long) journey of this one every step of the way, I did actually like the ending. It's such a change from where we started and I love that.
And it's not over! I actually have two novellas still to complete but I don't think I'll do much reviewing of them unless they blow me away.
If you've read to read Jemisin, if you've yet to read this debut series of hers, don't delay. I highly recommend.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
February 7, 2017
Here are two seemingly contradictory statements regarding this book: 1) This book is the weakest in the series; and 2) It's a good ending for the series. I don't think these two statements actually contradict one another, but they'll give you a good idea of my mental state during and after reading this book.
I think this book had two things working against it that weren't quite overcome in the execution. First, it's the only one of the trilogy whose main character is not mortal*. The protagonist is Sieh, the eldest child of the gods, the god of childhood and mischief. Sieh has had a rough time of it over the course of the previous books, and here it's time for him to work out his issues. Still, because he's a god, his perspective is more alien and harder to empathize with. And second, the book is about 150 pages too long. The other books were both just under 400 pages, and this one clocks in at 540 pages. I don't mind long books, but this one dragged. It took about sixty pages to set up the main conflict, whereas the other books dove right in. And it took too long for everything to come to a head.
*Yeine and Oree were both mortal for the majority of their books, and Oree was always mortal, even when she found out she was a demon.
But with that said, I liked what Jemisin was going for here. Even if it didn't quite work out, I liked that Sieh got the chance to grow up and mature, particularly since that's not something you expect the god of childhood to do. The main arc of the book involves Sieh becoming involved with two mortal children, two Arameri twins. Their impulsive request for a bond of friendship causes Sieh to start becoming mortal, something that he wrestles with the rest of the book. His newfound mortality also causes him to reevaluate other parts of his life, even as the world threatens to erupt into chaos and war around him, not in small part due to something Sieh had a hand in eons before that now comes back to bite him in the ass.
I liked seeing Sieh's growth, and his complicated relationship with the twins was interesting, but it didn't touch me emotionally for most of the book, the way that the other two books did. The last 50-100 pages were pretty great, though. I thought the ending was great. It gave me a really satisfied feeling of completion, not just for this book and Sieh's story, but for the trilogy as a whole. I can't say any more than that without spoilers, but it does that thing that's so rare in books where it manages to surprise you by doing the perfect thing that you really should have seen coming but somehow didn't.
All in all, I'm really glad I read this series, and I can't wait to check out N.K. Jemisin's other stuff.
[3.5 stars rounded up]
I think this book had two things working against it that weren't quite overcome in the execution. First, it's the only one of the trilogy whose main character is not mortal*. The protagonist is Sieh, the eldest child of the gods, the god of childhood and mischief. Sieh has had a rough time of it over the course of the previous books, and here it's time for him to work out his issues. Still, because he's a god, his perspective is more alien and harder to empathize with. And second, the book is about 150 pages too long. The other books were both just under 400 pages, and this one clocks in at 540 pages. I don't mind long books, but this one dragged. It took about sixty pages to set up the main conflict, whereas the other books dove right in. And it took too long for everything to come to a head.
*Yeine and Oree were both mortal for the majority of their books, and Oree was always mortal, even when she found out she was a demon.
But with that said, I liked what Jemisin was going for here. Even if it didn't quite work out, I liked that Sieh got the chance to grow up and mature, particularly since that's not something you expect the god of childhood to do. The main arc of the book involves Sieh becoming involved with two mortal children, two Arameri twins. Their impulsive request for a bond of friendship causes Sieh to start becoming mortal, something that he wrestles with the rest of the book. His newfound mortality also causes him to reevaluate other parts of his life, even as the world threatens to erupt into chaos and war around him, not in small part due to something Sieh had a hand in eons before that now comes back to bite him in the ass.
I liked seeing Sieh's growth, and his complicated relationship with the twins was interesting, but it didn't touch me emotionally for most of the book, the way that the other two books did. The last 50-100 pages were pretty great, though. I thought the ending was great. It gave me a really satisfied feeling of completion, not just for this book and Sieh's story, but for the trilogy as a whole. I can't say any more than that without spoilers, but it does that thing that's so rare in books where it manages to surprise you by doing the perfect thing that you really should have seen coming but somehow didn't.
All in all, I'm really glad I read this series, and I can't wait to check out N.K. Jemisin's other stuff.
[3.5 stars rounded up]
November 19, 2017
This book, both metaphorically and in a plot essence, is a clusterfuck. What the word!? Let me explain.
Just so you know, I did not finish reading it at about 70%, nor do I intend to do it. I can, however, give you a disgruntled summary of what you may expect. Warning, spoilers ahead!
Just like the first part of the Inheritance trilogy concentrated on the Dark Nahadoth and the second followed the footsteps of Bright Itempas, the finale takes Sieh as the focal point of a cosmic clusterfuck. That word again?
That word is an apt description of the main plot-line, the silver lining of the Inheritance series: an incestuous, polyamorous affair between two male gods and one female goddess went awry. The opening book dealt with ramifications of all that went wrong, the second went on to trace disintegrating pieces. The third one said: You know what, this is all beyond redemption. Let us start from scratch.
Meet Sieh, one of the oldest brats of the original Trio. Sieh featured in the previous instalments, and did so brilliantly, but now he is given the spotlight. He does not take it well. Maybe because while it is easy to give glimpses of a god-child, someone immersed into the wisdom of millennia and simultaneously caught up in a perpetual state of childish immaturity, delivering a convincing narrative of such person is not an easy achievement. Jemisin thought she would escape this trap with an ambiguous mix of poetry, theology, and vagueness. It most definitely did not work for me.
Below please find a simplified synopsis of what unfolds on the boring and predictable pages of The Kingdom of Gods:
Whoa! I'm Sieh, a lonely godchild. Whoa! Not so lonely as I meet two human children that I love or maybe hate. Shahar and Dekarta. Brother and sister. How cute. Whatever, let's try to kill them.
Whoa! I'm dying (in case you didn't surmise it from the 100 pages of narrative written specifically to keep you lost like a child in the fog).
Who cares why and why not?
Whoa! I'm growing up (because I'm dying, although not quite now).
Hey, Shahar has curves. I am an adolescent so sex is a viable option. Hey, Shahar let's have sex. No children, don't worry, I am permanently sterilised by my divine mother.
What? You wanted to have a baby with me? I feel so used and by none other than a human female! That's it, I'm off.
Whoa, I'm still thinking about Dekarta.
Hey, Deka, you've manned up. Look at you all magic and manliness. There is no other option, let's have sex.
You know what? Actually, let's have a threesome with your sister as I always envied the trio my parents have.
Whoa, I'm finally happy! I will never be alone again.
In the meantime, there was a cosmic fuck up with a god of vengeance whom I have begotten with my own mother (she made me forget it, so it was nothing personal I guess). Who cares, when having a polyamorous and incestuous relation with two mortals-turned-gods is all that matters.
And what could go awry with this kind of partnership, right? Right (1968 forever in a parallel universe! Peace, sex, and freedom!)?
Frankly, Jemisin, I want to forget I read this thing of yours. I will pretend I never did. I will live in denial, this mystical land where you writing career starts with The Fifth Season. Some stories should not have been written.
Also in the series:
1. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
2. The Broken Kingdoms
Just so you know, I did not finish reading it at about 70%, nor do I intend to do it. I can, however, give you a disgruntled summary of what you may expect. Warning, spoilers ahead!
Just like the first part of the Inheritance trilogy concentrated on the Dark Nahadoth and the second followed the footsteps of Bright Itempas, the finale takes Sieh as the focal point of a cosmic clusterfuck. That word again?
That word is an apt description of the main plot-line, the silver lining of the Inheritance series: an incestuous, polyamorous affair between two male gods and one female goddess went awry. The opening book dealt with ramifications of all that went wrong, the second went on to trace disintegrating pieces. The third one said: You know what, this is all beyond redemption. Let us start from scratch.
Meet Sieh, one of the oldest brats of the original Trio. Sieh featured in the previous instalments, and did so brilliantly, but now he is given the spotlight. He does not take it well. Maybe because while it is easy to give glimpses of a god-child, someone immersed into the wisdom of millennia and simultaneously caught up in a perpetual state of childish immaturity, delivering a convincing narrative of such person is not an easy achievement. Jemisin thought she would escape this trap with an ambiguous mix of poetry, theology, and vagueness. It most definitely did not work for me.
Below please find a simplified synopsis of what unfolds on the boring and predictable pages of The Kingdom of Gods:
Whoa! I'm Sieh, a lonely godchild. Whoa! Not so lonely as I meet two human children that I love or maybe hate. Shahar and Dekarta. Brother and sister. How cute. Whatever, let's try to kill them.
Whoa! I'm dying (in case you didn't surmise it from the 100 pages of narrative written specifically to keep you lost like a child in the fog).
Who cares why and why not?
Whoa! I'm growing up (because I'm dying, although not quite now).
Hey, Shahar has curves. I am an adolescent so sex is a viable option. Hey, Shahar let's have sex. No children, don't worry, I am permanently sterilised by my divine mother.
What? You wanted to have a baby with me? I feel so used and by none other than a human female! That's it, I'm off.
Whoa, I'm still thinking about Dekarta.
Hey, Deka, you've manned up. Look at you all magic and manliness. There is no other option, let's have sex.
You know what? Actually, let's have a threesome with your sister as I always envied the trio my parents have.
Whoa, I'm finally happy! I will never be alone again.
In the meantime, there was a cosmic fuck up with a god of vengeance whom I have begotten with my own mother (she made me forget it, so it was nothing personal I guess). Who cares, when having a polyamorous and incestuous relation with two mortals-turned-gods is all that matters.
And what could go awry with this kind of partnership, right? Right (1968 forever in a parallel universe! Peace, sex, and freedom!)?
Frankly, Jemisin, I want to forget I read this thing of yours. I will pretend I never did. I will live in denial, this mystical land where you writing career starts with The Fifth Season. Some stories should not have been written.
Also in the series:
1. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
2. The Broken Kingdoms
October 6, 2011
http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-king...
Many fantasy fans loved N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms. Yet, a lot of these readers were put off by The Broken Kingdoms being set a decade later with an entirely new protagonist. Indeed, The Broken Kingdoms almost seemed like a stand-alone novel set in the same world. Fortunately, it wasn’t so. The story in The Broken Kingdoms was spun forth from the events of The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms, and while offering a new perspective, it couldn’t exist without the first.
Much the same can be said about Jemisin’s latest novel, The Kingdom of Gods. This intriguing ending to The Inheritance Trilogy is set some hundred years after The Broken Kingdoms, but unites both stories in spectacular fashion. The viewpoint is that of Sieh, the trickster child godling who appeared in both previous books. After successfully writing the viewpoint of a magical blind woman, Jemisin now proves that she can also pull off a convincing first person perspective of a god.
Divine perspective
Jemisin’s trilogy seems to be shaped after Greek epics—with seemingly separate stories telling one big, epic, overall arc—and Jemisin’s gods seem to share their nature with those from Greek mythology. There are a great many of them, all related in one way or another. They hate each other and they love each other. They wage war on each other and work together when it suits them. From the perspective of Sieh, we get a deeper insight into these divine relationships. These gods aren’t human. Humans were created in their image, definitely, but there is something very different about the gods, each with their own aspects from which they derive their power. For Sieh, this is the nature of a child and trickster, and he grows powerful as he does childish things but weakens as he is forced to deal with maturity—an interesting dynamic that receives all the attention it deserves.
With the skill of an artist, Jemisin relays these aspects, turning The Kingdom of Gods into an exploration of the divine. It is an almost reflective, philosophical journey into the many elements of the immortal and mortal realms alike. For gods, time does not pass the way it does for us, and this shows in The Kingdom of Gods, making years pass in the blink of an eye while mere moments last minutes or even hours when enough happens. This is no shallow story, but an introspection of the way us humans deal with war, stress, love, and treason; thus I felt like I could relate more to the narration of Sieh than that of Oree or Yeine before him.
An evolution of sorts
Of course, The Kingdom of Gods again utilizes those elements that made its prequels such wonderful reads. Honestly, I’m a slow reader. An average novel usually takes me a couple weeks to read. When I finished The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms in under four days, I was surprised. It was only after reading the last page that I realized what a page turner it truly was. Though The Kingdom of Gods is a much larger novel—at 575 pages, it is Jemisin’s longest story to date—I again read it in mere days. These books aren’t page turners because of their extreme suspense, though there definitely is some of that. Instead, it is the easygoing focus on characters combined with the marvelous, almost poetic prose that make these such easy, engrossing reads.
The Kingdom of Gods is an evolution of its predecessors in other ways as well. As already mentioned, there are the deep and multifaceted characters, both human and divine. The atmosphere and setting in this third volume are equally as brilliant and colorful as those in The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms. Lovers of magic, too, can rejoice, for while the previous books introduced us to an interesting and creative magic system, The Kingdom of Gods finally truly explores this magic in all its forms and glory.
Genre-bending fantasy
Don’t expect a story as well-paced as The Broken Kingdoms, however. The Kingdom of Gods is much like Jemisin’s debut, a story of a character thrust into an unlikely situation against his—or her, in the case of The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms—will, where he is faced with dilemma, mystery and deathly secrets, the outcome remaining uncertain until the very end of the novel. No worries, though; near the end, the pacing truly picks up when a series of exciting events lead to a thrilling conclusion. With that knowledge, I would say The Kingdom of Gods is better than Jemisin’s debut, and almost as good as The Broken Kingdoms. It is definitely a masterpiece that exceeds the fantasy genre and enters literary fiction with genre-bending and artistic creativity. I often got the impression that every word Jemisin writes serves a higher purpose, and all events throughout her story have meaning. The only exception, perhaps, is the exorbitant foreshadowing toward a certain revelation.
Why should you read this book?
The Kingdom of Gods corroborates what those who read its predecessors already surmised: N. K. Jemisin is a true superstar of fantasy literature. The Inheritance Trilogy may well be the single most intriguing fantasy series I have ever read, and I cannot wait to see what Jemisin has in store for us in her future novels. If you were let down by the change in viewpoints between books, I urge you to give The Broken Kingdoms a chance anyway. If you haven’t read The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms yet, you should probably run off to the bookstore or library right now. And if you have read these books, The Kingdom of Gods will simply be all that you expect it to be: an amazing reading experience that will leave you yearning for more. Oh, and don’t forget to check the glossary at the back when you’re done. It is hilarious!
Many fantasy fans loved N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms. Yet, a lot of these readers were put off by The Broken Kingdoms being set a decade later with an entirely new protagonist. Indeed, The Broken Kingdoms almost seemed like a stand-alone novel set in the same world. Fortunately, it wasn’t so. The story in The Broken Kingdoms was spun forth from the events of The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms, and while offering a new perspective, it couldn’t exist without the first.
Much the same can be said about Jemisin’s latest novel, The Kingdom of Gods. This intriguing ending to The Inheritance Trilogy is set some hundred years after The Broken Kingdoms, but unites both stories in spectacular fashion. The viewpoint is that of Sieh, the trickster child godling who appeared in both previous books. After successfully writing the viewpoint of a magical blind woman, Jemisin now proves that she can also pull off a convincing first person perspective of a god.
Divine perspective
Jemisin’s trilogy seems to be shaped after Greek epics—with seemingly separate stories telling one big, epic, overall arc—and Jemisin’s gods seem to share their nature with those from Greek mythology. There are a great many of them, all related in one way or another. They hate each other and they love each other. They wage war on each other and work together when it suits them. From the perspective of Sieh, we get a deeper insight into these divine relationships. These gods aren’t human. Humans were created in their image, definitely, but there is something very different about the gods, each with their own aspects from which they derive their power. For Sieh, this is the nature of a child and trickster, and he grows powerful as he does childish things but weakens as he is forced to deal with maturity—an interesting dynamic that receives all the attention it deserves.
With the skill of an artist, Jemisin relays these aspects, turning The Kingdom of Gods into an exploration of the divine. It is an almost reflective, philosophical journey into the many elements of the immortal and mortal realms alike. For gods, time does not pass the way it does for us, and this shows in The Kingdom of Gods, making years pass in the blink of an eye while mere moments last minutes or even hours when enough happens. This is no shallow story, but an introspection of the way us humans deal with war, stress, love, and treason; thus I felt like I could relate more to the narration of Sieh than that of Oree or Yeine before him.
An evolution of sorts
Of course, The Kingdom of Gods again utilizes those elements that made its prequels such wonderful reads. Honestly, I’m a slow reader. An average novel usually takes me a couple weeks to read. When I finished The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms in under four days, I was surprised. It was only after reading the last page that I realized what a page turner it truly was. Though The Kingdom of Gods is a much larger novel—at 575 pages, it is Jemisin’s longest story to date—I again read it in mere days. These books aren’t page turners because of their extreme suspense, though there definitely is some of that. Instead, it is the easygoing focus on characters combined with the marvelous, almost poetic prose that make these such easy, engrossing reads.
The Kingdom of Gods is an evolution of its predecessors in other ways as well. As already mentioned, there are the deep and multifaceted characters, both human and divine. The atmosphere and setting in this third volume are equally as brilliant and colorful as those in The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms. Lovers of magic, too, can rejoice, for while the previous books introduced us to an interesting and creative magic system, The Kingdom of Gods finally truly explores this magic in all its forms and glory.
Genre-bending fantasy
Don’t expect a story as well-paced as The Broken Kingdoms, however. The Kingdom of Gods is much like Jemisin’s debut, a story of a character thrust into an unlikely situation against his—or her, in the case of The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms—will, where he is faced with dilemma, mystery and deathly secrets, the outcome remaining uncertain until the very end of the novel. No worries, though; near the end, the pacing truly picks up when a series of exciting events lead to a thrilling conclusion. With that knowledge, I would say The Kingdom of Gods is better than Jemisin’s debut, and almost as good as The Broken Kingdoms. It is definitely a masterpiece that exceeds the fantasy genre and enters literary fiction with genre-bending and artistic creativity. I often got the impression that every word Jemisin writes serves a higher purpose, and all events throughout her story have meaning. The only exception, perhaps, is the exorbitant foreshadowing toward a certain revelation.
Why should you read this book?
The Kingdom of Gods corroborates what those who read its predecessors already surmised: N. K. Jemisin is a true superstar of fantasy literature. The Inheritance Trilogy may well be the single most intriguing fantasy series I have ever read, and I cannot wait to see what Jemisin has in store for us in her future novels. If you were let down by the change in viewpoints between books, I urge you to give The Broken Kingdoms a chance anyway. If you haven’t read The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms yet, you should probably run off to the bookstore or library right now. And if you have read these books, The Kingdom of Gods will simply be all that you expect it to be: an amazing reading experience that will leave you yearning for more. Oh, and don’t forget to check the glossary at the back when you’re done. It is hilarious!
April 16, 2019
The Kingdom of Gods is the third book in N. K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy. Like the first two books it tells a complete story, although I think the background from the earlier books adds more depth that one wouldn’t get if they jumped straight to this book for some ungodly reason. If I were a godling, I’d be the godling of Reading Series Books in Consecutive Order. :)
The story is set several decades after the last book and the main character is a godling that we’ve met before, but he’s new as a POV character. I’m going to put his name in spoiler tags for those who want to be surprised: . Although he did some things that I didn’t like and could not respect, he was often a fun voice to narrate the story and I did like him quite well by the end. I thought there were a few slow spots, but it mostly held my interest. In fact, until I finished and started updating my notes, I completely forgot that it was 200 pages longer than each of the previous two books. It didn’t feel longer to me.
For most of the book I was planning to give this a solid 4 stars, or possibly 4.5 and round down to 4 on Goodreads, but the ending made me very happy. And then, in my edition anyway, it was followed up with a short story called Not the End which takes place after this third book but provides some closure to the second book. It was a bit sappy, but it made me happy too. And then that was followed up with a glossary that totally cracked me up. Clearly the author made the mistake of letting her main character get a hold of it! So after all of those smiles at the end, I decided to rate it at 4.5 stars and round up to 5 on Goodreads.
I have a few more spoiler-filled comments, mostly about the ending.
The story is set several decades after the last book and the main character is a godling that we’ve met before, but he’s new as a POV character. I’m going to put his name in spoiler tags for those who want to be surprised: . Although he did some things that I didn’t like and could not respect, he was often a fun voice to narrate the story and I did like him quite well by the end. I thought there were a few slow spots, but it mostly held my interest. In fact, until I finished and started updating my notes, I completely forgot that it was 200 pages longer than each of the previous two books. It didn’t feel longer to me.
For most of the book I was planning to give this a solid 4 stars, or possibly 4.5 and round down to 4 on Goodreads, but the ending made me very happy. And then, in my edition anyway, it was followed up with a short story called Not the End which takes place after this third book but provides some closure to the second book. It was a bit sappy, but it made me happy too. And then that was followed up with a glossary that totally cracked me up. Clearly the author made the mistake of letting her main character get a hold of it! So after all of those smiles at the end, I decided to rate it at 4.5 stars and round up to 5 on Goodreads.
I have a few more spoiler-filled comments, mostly about the ending.
November 18, 2015
Although it wasn't my favourite of the trilogy, I'm giving this one five stars because it just wrapped up the entire series beautifully. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book - I did, very much! There are some breath-taking scenes in this, and the usual host of awesome characters. Sieh, our intrepid lead, is difficult to like but in the end so very winning. I'm so pleased I read this series!
July 10, 2017
Totally loved the way this one starts, hinting at the first two books!
The previous settings (world, mythology, magic, etc) are further explored and exploited to obtain a new storyline, the plot is complex and multi-leveled, making it maybe a little harder to follow sometimes, the ending is good (perfect without the coda, a little romanticized but good-for-the-heart with the coda).
Bonus points: a short little story at the end of the book, following certain events from The Broken Kingdoms - lovely :)
Some more resources which may interest you (although it would be best to read them AFTER you've finished the whole trilogy, as they contain spoilers) & my oppinion on them:
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Characters
This was perfect, as it explains some of the not so clear facts from the books, but BEWARE! it contains spoilers, so it would be best to read this after finishing the original trilogy.
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Locations
This one wasn't particularly helpful, as you get 99% of the info through the books.
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Races
Wow, I can see how some fictional universe may appeal so much to someone as to research more about it :)) There are lots of interesting info that you do not automaticly get from the book, the only comment is that I would have liked a more detailed approach on the difference between niwwah, mnasat, and elontid.
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Miscellany
This is an article about the timeline of the events in the Inheritance trilogy (very interesting) and the components of its Universe. I especially liked Jemisin's idea of afterlife:
Very interesting. Impressive how many details Jemisin thought to create about her Inheritance Universe. I really liked the ideas about contraception and "war crops".
”I tell you this so that you can relax. You’ll listen more closely if you aren’t flinching every other instant, waiting for the pratfall. “I find such things disingenuous, so I will simply tell the tale as I lived it.This time, the narrator is Sieh the Trickster and I must confess that his voice worked deliciously for me. He's good and bad, generous and mean, passionate and tired, courageous and fearful, all at the same time.
My mother was dead, but she got better. My father and I had been imprisoned, but we’d won our way free. My other father was still a murdering, betraying bastard, though, and nothing would ever change that, no matter how much penance he served.
Casting an uneasy glance at her still-naked blade, I considered several lies — then decided the truth was so outrageous that she might believe it more readily. “I’m a godling, sent by an organization of godlings based in Shadow. We think you might be trying to destroy the world. Could you, perhaps, stop?”
“Did you play with dolls as a mortal girl?”
“I was Darre. Dolls were for boys.”
The previous settings (world, mythology, magic, etc) are further explored and exploited to obtain a new storyline, the plot is complex and multi-leveled, making it maybe a little harder to follow sometimes, the ending is good (perfect without the coda, a little romanticized but good-for-the-heart with the coda).
Bonus points: a short little story at the end of the book, following certain events from The Broken Kingdoms - lovely :)
Most of mortalkind had no idea what war really meant anymore. They could not imagine the famine and rapine and disease, not on such a scale. Oh, they feared it of old, and the memory of the ultimate war — our War — had burned itself into the souls of every race. But that would not stop them from unleashing its full fury again and learning too late what they had done.
Within its white walls I had been starved, raped, flayed, and worse. I had been a god reduced to a possession, and the humiliation of those days had not left me despite a hundred years of freedom. And yet … I remembered my orrery, and En pulsed in gentle sympathy against my chest. I remembered running through Sky’s wild, curving dead spaces, making them my own. I had found Yeine here; without thinking, I began to hum the lullaby I had once sung her. It had not been all suffering and horror. Life is never only one thing.
Some more resources which may interest you (although it would be best to read them AFTER you've finished the whole trilogy, as they contain spoilers) & my oppinion on them:
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Characters
This was perfect, as it explains some of the not so clear facts from the books, but BEWARE! it contains spoilers, so it would be best to read this after finishing the original trilogy.
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Locations
This one wasn't particularly helpful, as you get 99% of the info through the books.
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Races
Wow, I can see how some fictional universe may appeal so much to someone as to research more about it :)) There are lots of interesting info that you do not automaticly get from the book, the only comment is that I would have liked a more detailed approach on the difference between niwwah, mnasat, and elontid.
- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Miscellany
This is an article about the timeline of the events in the Inheritance trilogy (very interesting) and the components of its Universe. I especially liked Jemisin's idea of afterlife:
"The Heavens and the Hells: Several thousand small universes built to house the souls of deceased mortals and gods. Each of the Three created some of them. As the term implies, some are pleasant and some are not. Souls are drawn to the heaven or hell that most closely resonates with their personality in life."- The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki: Darr
Very interesting. Impressive how many details Jemisin thought to create about her Inheritance Universe. I really liked the ideas about contraception and "war crops".
February 4, 2015
It’s taken me almost three years to finally finish The Inheritance Trilogy Omnibus. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, the previous books tied me up in emotional knots. This one? Not so much.
This book follows the godling, Sieh, son of the Three who created the world and all who live in it. Their love and their jealousy almost broke that very same world and killed many of their children. At the end of the Gods War, Sieh, his father Nahadoth, and several other godlings ended up trapped in mortal bodies, enslaved to the whims of Arameri people. When they were finally freed, they had their revenge against the god Itempas who allowed the Arameri to imprison them, by exiling him to mortality. But through all of the hate in millennia that past, there was always love, and that is what Jemisin explores through the eyes of a god whose nature is that of childhood, who in turn is cursed with mortality again and forced to grow up, literally and emotionally.
Unfortunately, this was all very tedious for me. Particularly because of Sieh’s nature. He is a trickster god, the god of play, and his antithesis is growing up. A Peter Pan, per se – who constantly has to remind you about all of that. And about the nature of all the other gods and godlings he meets, as well as the arrogant Arameri that rule the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, two of whom Sieh is in love with. This book is also about the depths of loneliness that Sieh experiences and sees in those he lovehates – which Jemisin also frequently reminds the reader of.
The significant difference between this book and its predecessors is that it is told in first person through the eyes of a godling who perhaps believes he knows more about mortals and gods than he actually does. The reiteration of the nature of this people and that is exactly how Sieh sees the world and interacts with it. But it was frustrating for me as the reader to deal with. Perhaps if the story had been told through Shahar Arameri, the heir to the Arameri kingdom. Along with her twin, Dekarta, and Sieh, she makes up the third in an unusual tryptic whose friendship threatens everything.
That’s not the major threat to the situation though. Similar to The Broken Kingdoms, there is a group and a sudden new enemy, conveniently hidden away all this time, who seeks to end both the Arameri reign, and the reign of the gods. The Big Bad – Kahl – is meant to pull on the heart strings when we discover who he is, but his existence lacked enough justification for me to feel anything for either him, or for Sieh because of him.
Magic and the power of the gods themselves feature prominently, with particular focus on how that magic is distributed through the bloodlines. I always love unique explorations of magic in fantasy stories, and for the most part, this doesn’t fail me, particularly with the newer godlings and demons learning what they can go do with their abilities. Still, some of their abilities seem a bit too convenient, and the characters themselves not fleshed out quite enough for me to appreciate them.
Two whole stars go to the appearances of Nahadoth, whom I’ve already gushed over in a character appreciation post. The Nightlord is a beautiful and elegant creature of chaos. We have seen him in wrath, in utter desolation, in sadistic pleasure, and in passionate and complete love. Here, we get to see yet another side to his mutable appearance, as a parent who loves his son dearly. Because, while I am disappointed in this book as a whole, I have always loved Jemisin’s gods. Perhaps an entire book from Sieh’s point of view was too much, but Jemisin still gave me an interesting insight into the very human nature of creatures who believe themselves to be well above mortals.
www.BiblioSanctum.com
This book follows the godling, Sieh, son of the Three who created the world and all who live in it. Their love and their jealousy almost broke that very same world and killed many of their children. At the end of the Gods War, Sieh, his father Nahadoth, and several other godlings ended up trapped in mortal bodies, enslaved to the whims of Arameri people. When they were finally freed, they had their revenge against the god Itempas who allowed the Arameri to imprison them, by exiling him to mortality. But through all of the hate in millennia that past, there was always love, and that is what Jemisin explores through the eyes of a god whose nature is that of childhood, who in turn is cursed with mortality again and forced to grow up, literally and emotionally.
Unfortunately, this was all very tedious for me. Particularly because of Sieh’s nature. He is a trickster god, the god of play, and his antithesis is growing up. A Peter Pan, per se – who constantly has to remind you about all of that. And about the nature of all the other gods and godlings he meets, as well as the arrogant Arameri that rule the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, two of whom Sieh is in love with. This book is also about the depths of loneliness that Sieh experiences and sees in those he lovehates – which Jemisin also frequently reminds the reader of.
The significant difference between this book and its predecessors is that it is told in first person through the eyes of a godling who perhaps believes he knows more about mortals and gods than he actually does. The reiteration of the nature of this people and that is exactly how Sieh sees the world and interacts with it. But it was frustrating for me as the reader to deal with. Perhaps if the story had been told through Shahar Arameri, the heir to the Arameri kingdom. Along with her twin, Dekarta, and Sieh, she makes up the third in an unusual tryptic whose friendship threatens everything.
That’s not the major threat to the situation though. Similar to The Broken Kingdoms, there is a group and a sudden new enemy, conveniently hidden away all this time, who seeks to end both the Arameri reign, and the reign of the gods. The Big Bad – Kahl – is meant to pull on the heart strings when we discover who he is, but his existence lacked enough justification for me to feel anything for either him, or for Sieh because of him.
Magic and the power of the gods themselves feature prominently, with particular focus on how that magic is distributed through the bloodlines. I always love unique explorations of magic in fantasy stories, and for the most part, this doesn’t fail me, particularly with the newer godlings and demons learning what they can go do with their abilities. Still, some of their abilities seem a bit too convenient, and the characters themselves not fleshed out quite enough for me to appreciate them.
Two whole stars go to the appearances of Nahadoth, whom I’ve already gushed over in a character appreciation post. The Nightlord is a beautiful and elegant creature of chaos. We have seen him in wrath, in utter desolation, in sadistic pleasure, and in passionate and complete love. Here, we get to see yet another side to his mutable appearance, as a parent who loves his son dearly. Because, while I am disappointed in this book as a whole, I have always loved Jemisin’s gods. Perhaps an entire book from Sieh’s point of view was too much, but Jemisin still gave me an interesting insight into the very human nature of creatures who believe themselves to be well above mortals.
www.BiblioSanctum.com
June 24, 2013
Ages ago, the world was created when the first god got lonely. Since then he created several other gods and godlings to keep him company, not least Sieh, the eldest of the godlings but perpetually a child. After a struggle between gods that left the world nearly destroyed, the one of the gods set up a single family of his descendants to be the rulers of the world. This family, the Arameri, ruled for thousands of years, with the other gods and godlings as their slaves. But no structure can remain forever. At last, the Arameri's rule has faltered, and the gods are free. Everything is changing--including Sieh.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the world building is so interesting (the warrior "crop" in Darre! the sigils marking blood status on Arameri foreheads! godlings becoming part of the city!) and the underlying plot is cool and new to me. On the other hand, the pacing of this book is terribly uneven and all the plot happens off-screen. Shahar's entire political plot is only mentioned in passing. Deka has a huge mystical realization that basically makes him a godling, and it's glossed over. Ahad and Glee have an epic love affair that takes up about three sentences. And instead of getting to see any of this first-hand, we just get Sieh saying "then I woke up. Sixty years had passed, and blah blah blah had happened." over and over. The sheer number of times he blacks out and comes to after all the interesting stuff has already happened is just...it approaches Twilight territory. Sieh's romances are not quite as frustrating, but they are inexplicable. He has maybe ten minutes of interaction with these kids, spread across two years, and this is the basis of lifelong obsession and devotion for all three of them? I didn't buy it. I wanted to believe Sieh's romances, but I need some interaction between the would-be lovers before I'm willing to believe they'll create their own universe or whatever. I felt like the book kept telling me a moment was Huge and Important and Emotional, and I never had any understanding why.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the world building is so interesting (the warrior "crop" in Darre! the sigils marking blood status on Arameri foreheads! godlings becoming part of the city!) and the underlying plot is cool and new to me. On the other hand, the pacing of this book is terribly uneven and all the plot happens off-screen. Shahar's entire political plot is only mentioned in passing. Deka has a huge mystical realization that basically makes him a godling, and it's glossed over. Ahad and Glee have an epic love affair that takes up about three sentences. And instead of getting to see any of this first-hand, we just get Sieh saying "then I woke up. Sixty years had passed, and blah blah blah had happened." over and over. The sheer number of times he blacks out and comes to after all the interesting stuff has already happened is just...it approaches Twilight territory. Sieh's romances are not quite as frustrating, but they are inexplicable. He has maybe ten minutes of interaction with these kids, spread across two years, and this is the basis of lifelong obsession and devotion for all three of them? I didn't buy it. I wanted to believe Sieh's romances, but I need some interaction between the would-be lovers before I'm willing to believe they'll create their own universe or whatever. I felt like the book kept telling me a moment was Huge and Important and Emotional, and I never had any understanding why.
March 22, 2016
THIS WAS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.
August 17, 2016
Well, this is tough to review.
I'll get this out of the way: I liked The Kingdom of Gods and I thought it brought a pretty satisfying close to The Inheritance Trilogy. Sieh was an interesting choice of POV narrator, there was still a lot of charm of the world, and some of the newly introduced characters are compelling.
But you don't want to read about the good parts, and I certainly have no desire to rewrite praise for the aspects of the trilogy I enjoyed. If you are looking for that, please check out my reviews for The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (which I loved) and The Broken Kingdoms (which I thought was okay).
So, now I'm going to get a little critical.
I noticed a trend in the trilogy by the time I started this book. Our lead character is marked for certain death, and there seems to be no way out of their predicament. Their fate is sealed, except that Jemisin is always pulling a deus ex machina to save the character in some new and fantastical way. I'll admit that this whole thing works well in this book's final chapters and closes out the series nicely. With that said, if you expect Sieh to eat it on this one, you've not been paying attention.
Another thing: this book is a bit too long. Jemisin seemed to want to cram in all of her different ideas into this final volume, but the end result is a bit bloated for my tastes. Intelligently, Jemisin mixes up the characters we know from the previous volumes with some new faces. Perhaps I'm missing the point, but I felt like each of the previous volumes had stronger messages, while this one left me a little confused as to the author's intentions with the novel.
It's just, well, I expected more from this final volume. Perhaps it is a bit of burnout on the trilogy, which I read over the summer, but I just felt like I was retreading old ideas and plot lines in this instalment. Though Sieh's journey through love, maturity, reality-ending catastrophes, and politics is compelling, I became tired of his woe-is-me attitude as the novel wore on. But, I still enjoyed this book and the trilogy as a whole. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was my favourite instalment for its originality in story, setting, and writing style. Instead of growing in that respect, I felt Jemisin never felt the need to experiment or be risky with her story and writing.
With all this said, I look forward to reading Jemisin's latest trilogy sometime in the future. But, for now, I need a palate-cleansing break.
I'll get this out of the way: I liked The Kingdom of Gods and I thought it brought a pretty satisfying close to The Inheritance Trilogy. Sieh was an interesting choice of POV narrator, there was still a lot of charm of the world, and some of the newly introduced characters are compelling.
But you don't want to read about the good parts, and I certainly have no desire to rewrite praise for the aspects of the trilogy I enjoyed. If you are looking for that, please check out my reviews for The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (which I loved) and The Broken Kingdoms (which I thought was okay).
So, now I'm going to get a little critical.
I noticed a trend in the trilogy by the time I started this book. Our lead character is marked for certain death, and there seems to be no way out of their predicament. Their fate is sealed, except that Jemisin is always pulling a deus ex machina to save the character in some new and fantastical way. I'll admit that this whole thing works well in this book's final chapters and closes out the series nicely. With that said, if you expect Sieh to eat it on this one, you've not been paying attention.
Another thing: this book is a bit too long. Jemisin seemed to want to cram in all of her different ideas into this final volume, but the end result is a bit bloated for my tastes. Intelligently, Jemisin mixes up the characters we know from the previous volumes with some new faces. Perhaps I'm missing the point, but I felt like each of the previous volumes had stronger messages, while this one left me a little confused as to the author's intentions with the novel.
It's just, well, I expected more from this final volume. Perhaps it is a bit of burnout on the trilogy, which I read over the summer, but I just felt like I was retreading old ideas and plot lines in this instalment. Though Sieh's journey through love, maturity, reality-ending catastrophes, and politics is compelling, I became tired of his woe-is-me attitude as the novel wore on. But, I still enjoyed this book and the trilogy as a whole. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was my favourite instalment for its originality in story, setting, and writing style. Instead of growing in that respect, I felt Jemisin never felt the need to experiment or be risky with her story and writing.
With all this said, I look forward to reading Jemisin's latest trilogy sometime in the future. But, for now, I need a palate-cleansing break.
November 11, 2011
It absolutely breaks my heart to give this two stars because I loved the first two books in this trilogy so much. However, this last one didn't work as well for me. So, while I wouldn't necessarily direct anyone away from the third book I would certainly encourage a person to start with the first and not miss the second. They are truly wonderful. Even with my not liking this title as much as the others I'm still looking very much forward to Jemisin's next novel.
March 4, 2020
3 Stars!
Final book of the trilogy. I enjoyed The Kingdom of Gods, but didn't love it.
Final book of the trilogy. I enjoyed The Kingdom of Gods, but didn't love it.
July 3, 2022
(originally 4.5* but a few weeks after finishing it, it actually is a 5*).
My favourite book in the Inheritance trilogy and mayhap my favourite Jemisin in general (only read Broken Eart aside from this trilogy though).
I love how experimental and abstract this book was and I love how the story of the gods and this world was concluded as a whole.
It's definitely a book that's not for everyone. There is little to an obvious plot, aside from Sieh becoming human and having to deal wiht that. But, if you've been folloving my reviews for some time you'll know I don't need plot in my books.
Particularly as Sieh is one of my favourite characters of all time. He's the personification of a child trickster and a later a whiney teenager. Add to that messy but loving family relationships, amazing worldbuilding, Jemisin's evocative writing and a very sweet romance and loads of cameos: et voilà, you have the perfect package for me.
It's a book about loneliness, coming of age, family and finding your own happiness.
It's beautiful.
My favourite book in the Inheritance trilogy and mayhap my favourite Jemisin in general (only read Broken Eart aside from this trilogy though).
I love how experimental and abstract this book was and I love how the story of the gods and this world was concluded as a whole.
It's definitely a book that's not for everyone. There is little to an obvious plot, aside from Sieh becoming human and having to deal wiht that. But, if you've been folloving my reviews for some time you'll know I don't need plot in my books.
Particularly as Sieh is one of my favourite characters of all time. He's the personification of a child trickster and a later a whiney teenager. Add to that messy but loving family relationships, amazing worldbuilding, Jemisin's evocative writing and a very sweet romance and loads of cameos: et voilà, you have the perfect package for me.
It's a book about loneliness, coming of age, family and finding your own happiness.
It's beautiful.
November 23, 2015
This review is from my reread of the book in November 2015. 5 stars from my first read, heartily reaffirmed with this one.
Sieh, the eldest godling and the child God, befriends the twin brother and sister children of the ruler of the Arameri. Somehow this triggers a disastrous transformation rendering him mortal and aging. He remains bound to the brother and sister though and their complicated relationship plays out amid the consequences of the first two books in the series a few generations later. The world is finally ready to throw of the rule of the Arameri family and strange new magic and a new and powerful godling are set against them.
I enjoyed this one a lot more the second time around. The first two books were wonderful, but it was always fairly clear what was going on and how they'd end up. Not so with this one. It's not at all clear what's happening with Sieh given the three most powerful entities in the universe don't understand it. And the godling Kahl is a mystery as well (although on rereading I picked the hints that should have given him away had I been paying closer attention the first time around). But given I understood what was happening I had much more inclination to just sit back and enjoy the journey. The complex push and pull of desire and hurt and manipulation between Shahar, Deka and Sieh is both beautiful and painful to watch but you almost feel the entire world trying to cheer them on to get it right.
Something that carries through well from the previous book is the larger cast of characters. Ahad is more realized in this book than the previous one and it's good to see him doing well for himself, particularly in his alliance with the wonderful Glee. Sieh comments at one point late in the book:Something bloomed against the horizon like a round, white sun. I wanted to cheer for magnificent demon girlsYep, me too.
Remath Arameri is also fairly wonderful, applying a layer of nuance to the role of ultimate ruler of the Arameri that the series has lacked from the beginning, although she has her Arameri moments.
I have no hesitation in continuing to recommend this series as my favorite epic fantasy series from recent years (although her new series starting with The Fifth Season may yet win out.
Sieh, the eldest godling and the child God, befriends the twin brother and sister children of the ruler of the Arameri. Somehow this triggers a disastrous transformation rendering him mortal and aging. He remains bound to the brother and sister though and their complicated relationship plays out amid the consequences of the first two books in the series a few generations later. The world is finally ready to throw of the rule of the Arameri family and strange new magic and a new and powerful godling are set against them.
I enjoyed this one a lot more the second time around. The first two books were wonderful, but it was always fairly clear what was going on and how they'd end up. Not so with this one. It's not at all clear what's happening with Sieh given the three most powerful entities in the universe don't understand it. And the godling Kahl is a mystery as well (although on rereading I picked the hints that should have given him away had I been paying closer attention the first time around). But given I understood what was happening I had much more inclination to just sit back and enjoy the journey. The complex push and pull of desire and hurt and manipulation between Shahar, Deka and Sieh is both beautiful and painful to watch but you almost feel the entire world trying to cheer them on to get it right.
Something that carries through well from the previous book is the larger cast of characters. Ahad is more realized in this book than the previous one and it's good to see him doing well for himself, particularly in his alliance with the wonderful Glee. Sieh comments at one point late in the book:Something bloomed against the horizon like a round, white sun. I wanted to cheer for magnificent demon girlsYep, me too.
Remath Arameri is also fairly wonderful, applying a layer of nuance to the role of ultimate ruler of the Arameri that the series has lacked from the beginning, although she has her Arameri moments.
I have no hesitation in continuing to recommend this series as my favorite epic fantasy series from recent years (although her new series starting with The Fifth Season may yet win out.
July 30, 2018
N.K. Jemisin continues to impress me. Her novels are consistently beautiful, heartbreaking, tragic, intimate, and moving. The Kingdom of Gods is the final book in The Interitance Trilogy, shifting focus to Sieh, the God of Childhood. I always liked him in the previous books but I loved what Jemisin did with him here. How does a god handle mortality? Especially a god whose nature is childhood? What happens when he grows up?
The book is written in first person from his point of view and at times it's almost too intimate. There's no escape from Sieh's thoughts and feelings. I mean that in a good and bad way. There were moments where I felt claustrophobic. I wanted to see the bigger picture, not just the limited view from Sieh's perspective. On the other hand, the first person perspective made me care deeply for him and his predicament.
Jemisin is a master at relationships. She understands their depth and intimacy and how deeply it hurts when the bonds of trust are broken. The only other author who writes bonds so beautifully is Robin Hobb. I'll read any book my either of them.
Jemisin is not for everyone. Her writing is often flowery and it can throw some readers for a loop. If you enjoy character based stories with gorgeous prose, pick up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, or better yet The Fifth Season and thank me later.
A-
The book is written in first person from his point of view and at times it's almost too intimate. There's no escape from Sieh's thoughts and feelings. I mean that in a good and bad way. There were moments where I felt claustrophobic. I wanted to see the bigger picture, not just the limited view from Sieh's perspective. On the other hand, the first person perspective made me care deeply for him and his predicament.
Jemisin is a master at relationships. She understands their depth and intimacy and how deeply it hurts when the bonds of trust are broken. The only other author who writes bonds so beautifully is Robin Hobb. I'll read any book my either of them.
Jemisin is not for everyone. Her writing is often flowery and it can throw some readers for a loop. If you enjoy character based stories with gorgeous prose, pick up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, or better yet The Fifth Season and thank me later.
A-
August 20, 2012
It took me a long time to get round to reading this. I started and stopped a few times. I think mostly I just didn't want it to come to an end -- and I didn't want to know if something bad happened to a character I loved. N.K. Jemisin is not exactly gentle: Madding, anyone? The ending of The Broken Kingdoms?
Anyway, it turned out to be every bit as readable, well paced and absorbing as the other books. I fell totally in love with Deka from the beginning, and wavered desperately over Shahar, hoping she'd come down on the right side. I was deeply involved in the family, torn by all the conflicting loyalties and needs of the characters.
I think Jemisin wrapped the series up well. There's always more I'd want to see, with a world I loved so much, but I like it the way it is too. She has a way of breathing new life into ideas that I'd be tired of elsewhere, and her trick with narration is a joy to read. The one part that didn't ring true was the chapter from Shahar's point of view, and that wasn't a big problem.
Hopefully I will now get round to the new books faster than I got round to this.
Anyway, it turned out to be every bit as readable, well paced and absorbing as the other books. I fell totally in love with Deka from the beginning, and wavered desperately over Shahar, hoping she'd come down on the right side. I was deeply involved in the family, torn by all the conflicting loyalties and needs of the characters.
I think Jemisin wrapped the series up well. There's always more I'd want to see, with a world I loved so much, but I like it the way it is too. She has a way of breathing new life into ideas that I'd be tired of elsewhere, and her trick with narration is a joy to read. The one part that didn't ring true was the chapter from Shahar's point of view, and that wasn't a big problem.
Hopefully I will now get round to the new books faster than I got round to this.
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