10 Books You May Have Missed This Summer

The Obelisk Gate

2. The Obelisk Gate

This book was all over certain subsets of Twitter when it came out, but N.K. Jemisin’s second entry in her Broken Earth trilogy deserves an entry on this list nevertheless. (Do not skip the first book, The Fifth Season, however.)

Essun remains an excellent protagonist, because she’s actually human. Here, we mean this to say she’s three-dimensional. She has victories, she has failures, she makes mistakes, and she isn’t always kind. Jemisin once again continues using the second-person narrative, meaning you, the reader, are addressed throughout the story as if you are Essun. However, Jemisin also weaves in Nassun, Essun’s daughter, and her own story as well.

Basically, this book is just great. And mind-blowing. And great. Did we mention great?

Even if you don’t consider yourself an epic fantasy fan, you should read this one. Goodreads reviews note that The Obelisk Gate even manages to avoid the perilous Middle Book Syndrome, since the plot simply refuses to drag. If you’re still not convinced, check out Culturess’ own review of the book.

Orbit; paperback, 448 pages.

Next: 1. And I Darken