The Stone Sky
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature, Science fantasy |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | N. K. Jemisin |
| Products | Science fantasy novel |
The Stone Sky is a 2017 science fantasy novel authored by American writer N. K. Jemisin. In 2018, it earned the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Upon its publication, the book was met with widespread acclaim. It serves as the final volume of the Broken Earth trilogy, succeeding The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate, both of which also received Hugo Awards.
Setting
Similar to its predecessors in the Broken Earth series, The Stone Sky is situated on a vast supercontinent called the Stillness. The majority of its inhabitants reside within city-states termed "comms," where society is divided into castes aligned with specific social functions.
The Stillness endures frequent seismic catastrophes, with some triggering global volcanic winters known as Fifth Seasons. Certain individuals, identified as orogenes, possess the ability to control both geological forces and magical energies. Despite facing fear and discrimination, orogenes have played an essential role in humanity’s endurance during these apocalyptic events.
Plot
After the events of The Obelisk Gate, survivors from Castrima move northward following damage to their geode sanctuary caused by the rival comm Rennanis. Essun awakens from a coma with a stone arm, a consequence of the Obelisk Gate’s mystical power. She discovers that the Moon is approaching its closest orbital point, which threatens to extend the duration of the Fifth Seasons unless its orbit is corrected.
Essun’s daughter Nassun, traumatized after killing her father with an obelisk, intends to use the Gate to force a collision between the Moon and Earth, resulting in mutual destruction. Accompanied by her Guardian Schaffa, she journeys toward Corepoint where the Gate can be activated independently of Essun’s controlling obelisk.
After enduring a perilous desert crossing, Essun arrives at Rennanis and uncovers Nassun’s intentions. Now pregnant by Lerna, a healer from her former comm Tirimo, Essun embarks toward Corepoint alongside allies. Hoa, a stone eater and follower, offers subterranean transportation; however, they are ambushed during transit and Lerna is killed.
Nassun and Schaffa locate an operational transport system beneath Antarctic ruins that leads directly to Corepoint. While traveling through Earth’s core—revealed as a sentient entity enraged by humanity’s exploitation and lunar loss—Nassun learns that this core energy powers Guardians’ abilities via iron shards implanted in their brains.
Flashbacks disclose Hoa’s history: advanced biotechnology combined with magic created the Obelisk Gate to tap into Earth's magical core for limitless energy. Tuners—humans genetically connected to an oppressed group—were engineered to control this power source. Upon discovering their ancestors were enslaved as magical batteries in torment, Hoa redirected the Gate’s energy to annihilate Syl Anagist instead of sustaining this cruelty. The Earth itself attempted catastrophic crust melting but was halted by tuners who transformed into the first stone eaters. This activation of obelisks caused massive destruction known as "The Shattering," propelling the Moon into an elliptical orbit and initiating the Fifth Seasons. One tuner survived and established the lineage of orogenes.
At Corepoint, Earth extracts Schaffa’s iron shard to prevent Nassun from destroying the planet; this condemns him to premature death. To save Schaffa, Nassun attempts to transform humanity into immortal stone eaters through the Gate. Essun arrives to reclaim control and restore the Moon’s orbit. After a deadlock, Essun surrenders control and is petrified. Touched by this sacrifice, Nassun completes her mother’s mission.
With the conclusion of the Fifth Seasons, civilization begins its reconstruction. Beneath the surface, Hoa awaits Essun’s revival as a stone eater. Essun emerges from a geode symbolizing hope for a better future. Together they depart, implying that Hoa has narrated Essun’s life story throughout the trilogy as a means of reconnecting her with her former self.
Narration
The Broken Earth trilogy utilizes various narrative techniques, prominently featuring the second person perspective. It is disclosed that Hoa serves as the narrator. In The Stone Sky, Hoa recounts past occurrences using first-person narration, presents current events from Essun’s viewpoint in second person, and relates Nassun’s and Syenite’s experiences through third-person narration. Jemisin selected the second-person perspective for Essun’s sections to reflect her sense of "disassociation" and fragmented mental state.
Reception
The Stone Sky was eagerly awaited on numerous "best of" lists within the science fiction and fantasy genres, including those by The Washington Post and io9. Upon its publication, the novel garnered extensive praise, securing Jemisin her third straight Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Publishers Weekly commended the book for its "vivid characters, taut plot, and outstanding worldbuilding," describing it as an "impressive and timely story" about survivors attempting to heal and save their environment. Kirkus Reviews emphasized Jemisin’s "sensitive, clear-eyed portrayals" of a dysfunctional family and ingrained prejudice. RT Book Reviews awarded it five stars, surpassing the ratings given to earlier installments in the series. Although Library Journal did not assign a star rating, it characterized the novel as a "powerful conclusion" featuring a richly developed world and complex characters.
NPR’s Amal El-Mohtar observed that the novel challenges conventional fantasy norms by questioning whether worlds founded on oppression are worth preserving. Tor.com’s Niall Alexander, who had reservations about the second book, praised The Stone Sky as definitive proof of Jemisin’s position among leading fantasists and lauded the trilogy as "one of the great trilogies of our time." Joel Cunningham of Barnes & Noble credited it with transforming epic fantasy, a sentiment echoed by The Verge’’s Andrew Liptak, who called it "a triumphant achievement" that successfully merges elements of fantasy, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic storytelling.
Awards
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Nebula Award for Best Novel | Template:Won |
| 2018 | Hugo Award for Best Novel | Template:Won |
| Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel | Template:Won |
As the final installment in the Broken Earth trilogy, The Stone Sky earned Jemisin an unprecedented third consecutive Hugo Award for Best Novel, marking a historic achievement in speculative fiction.