History Literature / TheFifthSeason

* JustBeforeTheEnd: The prologue opens on [[spoiler: Alabaster]] opening the rift and releasing the Season to end all Seasons upon the world. Damaya and Syenite's stories take place approximately 30 and 12 years before, respectively.

* BlessedWithSuck: In a world that is always seismically unstable, you'd think being able to control earthquakes would be great, but orogenes who don't know how to control their power can accidentally murder people by instinctively sucking the heat energy out of them to use as power, and they are widely hated and feared.

''The Fifth Season'' is a 2015 novel by Creator/NKJemisin. In a world plagued by terrible earthquakes, the survival-obsessed populace scrapes by living in disaster-prepared city-states called comms and following the survival tips of the ancients known as stonelore. There once was an empire called the Sanzed Equatorial Affiliation in this land, whose presence is still felt through the culture, rules, and other things passed down by their former capital Yumensce and the rest of their former lands. The government of Yumensce helps maintain stability with the Fulcrum, an army of enslaved orogenes trained under the watchful eyes of the mysterious Guardians. These orogenes are born with staggering power, but are widely feared and hated, considered agents of the bitter, humanity-hating Father Earth.

* BiTheWay: Pretty much everything about Innan is loud, proud, and out. He, Alabaster, and Syenite spend roughly two years in a polyamorous relationship that might just be the happiest times of all their lives.

* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler: Innan]] is the only person we see killed onscreen by the Guardians' most feared ability--destroying an oregene with their own power, from the inside out. [[spoiler: Alabaster]] isn't dead at the novel's conclusion, but would likely be better off that way. Alabaster's mentor was killed by the Guardians in a flashback, as well.

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Fulcrum wisdom says that orogenes can't cooperate; the more powerful taurus cancels out the other. The [[spoiler: the obelisks]] get around this rule, though only Alabaster knows it. He uses them to [[spoiler: combine his power with all the Node Maintainers' and destroy Yumenesce,]] perhaps illustrating why the civilization that made this possible isn't around anymore.

* FantasticRacism: Orogenes are widely viewed as subhuman monsters who'll go nuts and kill everyone around them at the drop of a hat. In fact, they were legally ruled ''not'' human a few thousand years before the start of the book. The hatred of orogenes is so strong that Essun's husband ''beats his three-year-old son to death'' because he thinks he is one.

* FantasyGunControl: Yumensce has asphalt and electric lights, but the cannon is a brand new technology. The handheld weapon of choice seems to be the crossbow. Borders on SchizoTech, considering that gunpowder predated hydroelectric power in the real world by more than 500 years.

* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: Alabaster is the very best orogene the Fulcrum has ever trained. He also hates them, did ''something'' to his Guardian to get her out of the way (nobody knows what), gets the hell out the first chance he gets, and [[spoiler: causes the end of the world because he thinks it's the only way to break Yumensce's power and destroy the Fulcrum for good]].

* UngratefulBastard: The people of Little Tirimo to Essun. They survived a literal world-ending earthquake with their homes and food supplies mostly intact because of her... and they try to kill her anyway because she's a "rogga".

* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Son]]: And kidnapped her daughter. This is why Essun is chasing down her husband Jija.

** Less strictly, being transgender is one of the reasons that [[Tonkee's family disowned her.]]

* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler: Innan]] is the only person we see killed onscreen by the Guardians' most feared ability--destroying an oregene with their own power, from the inside out. [[Alabaster]] isn't dead at the novel's conclusion, but would likely be better off that way. Alabaster's mentor was killed by the Guardians in a flashback, as well.

* HoiseByHisOwnPetard: At least one--perhape all--of Alabster's children--which he only had because the Fulcrum forced him too--are node maintainers. Alabaster uses them [[spoiler: courtesy of the obelisks]] to destroy the entire culture that created and maimed them.

* FakingTheDead: How Essun has stayed under the Guardians' radar. They think she died when [[spoiler: she blew up Meov]].

* FantasyGunControl: Yumensce has asphalt and electric lights, but the cannon is a brand new technology. The handheld weapon of choice seems to be the crossbow. Borders on SchitzoTech, considering that gunpowder predated hydroelectric power in the real world by more than 500 years.

* FantasyGunControl: Yumensce has asphalt and electric lights, but the cannon is a brand new technology. The handheld weapon of choice seems to be the crossbow.

* Really700YearsOld: [[spoiler: Hoa]] is at least twenty-seven centuries old, but looks about eight.

* MuggleBornOfMages: [[spoiler:Children of orogenes who don't have orogeny themselves become Guardians]].

''The Fifth Season'' is a 2015 novel by Creator/NKJemisin. In a world plagued by terrible earthquakes, the survival-obsessed populace scrapes by living in disaster-prepared city-states called comms and following the survival tips of the ancients known as stonelore. Their once was an empire called the Sanzed Equatorial Affiliation in this land, whose presence is still felt through the culture, rules, and other things passed down by their former capital Yumensce and the rest of their former lands. The government of Yumensce helps maintain stability with the Fulcrum, an army of enslaved orogenes trained under the watchful eyes of the mysterious Guardians. These orogenes are born with staggering power, but are widely feared and hated, considered agents of the bitter, humanity-hating Father Earth.

* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: Alabaster is the very best orogene the Fulcrum has ever trained. He also hates them, did ''something'' to his Guardian to get her out of the way (nobody knows what), gets the hell out the first chance he gets, and [[spoiler: causes the end of the world because he thinks it's the only way to break the Empire's power and destroy the Fulcrum for good]].

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Alabaster.]] Yes, causing the massive earthquake killed thousands if not millions of people and is going to kill even more. But it also destroyed the corrupt Empire and horrifically abusive Fulcrum, which was the point.

* WizardingSchool: ''Horribly'' subverted. The Fulcrum may look like a school, but it's just a place to beat and brainwash young orogenes into becoming obedient slaves of the empire. Anyone who causes too much trouble or fails too much is taken away and [[spoiler: lobotomized]].

* FantasticSlurs: "Rogga" for orogenes. Ykka aims to make it an AppropriatedAppellation [[spoiler:in her orogene-friendly community]] and adopts it as a use-caste name, effectively treating the term as if it were a profession rather than an insult.

''The Fifth Season'' is a 2015 novel by Creator/NKJemisin. In a world plagued by terrible earthquakes, the survival-obsessed Sanze Empire rules, maintaining stability with the Fulcrum, an army of enslaved orogenes. These orogenes are born with staggering power, but are widely feared and hated, considered agents of the bitter, humanity-hating Father Earth.