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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010)

by N.K. Jemisin(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0316043915 (ISBN13: 9780316043915)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Hachette Book Group Orbit

series

The Inheritance Trilogy

review 1: Fantastic book - it's about a woman who finds out she may be next in line to take over the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and soon finds herself in the midst of a cutthroat campaign featuring deadly enemies, gods and goddesses, all the while trying to navigate an entirely unfamiliar culture and discovering more about her past than she expected to.My only minor quibble, and I don't think this is the author's fault, actually lies with the title. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms suggests a story of tremendous scope and size, but it's mostly contained within the royal palace and follows just one main character, with a number of strong secondary characters. We never really get a sense of what the other kingdoms are like, or what the people from those lands are like. George R.R. Martin... more has seven kingdoms in Westeros, but each of those feel fleshed out and fully realized. Here, we barely even get to see one kingdom.So I'd say the title is a little misleading in that respect, but the story itself is really quite brilliant and well done, with a number of good surprises and mysteries to keep you reading.Finally, I should note that I'm a firm believer in needing diverse books, and this certainly qualifies. The main character is a short, black woman, but aside from a few off-handed references to her skin tone or hair, her race or gender isn't really brought up in the book. Yeine is a strong character who just happens to be a black woman, and it's a very refreshing approach.
review 2: I read this first last summer, after hearing a reference to the author on Pop Culture Happy Hour or some other podcast, and loved it. I don't write a lot of reviews, but this book stuck in my consciousness enough that I just re-read it, and thought I might as well talk about it here (since none of my flesh-and-blood friends have read it, yet!). There are several aspects of this book that appeal to the feminist in me - the manner in which characters are allowed to own their own desires, the lack of a knight-in-shining-armor, the fact that the (female) protagonist doesn't have to be tougher than a man to be the hero. All of these are wonderful, beautiful aspects of this story.The structure of the story and creativity of the ideas are also above par. The use of foreshadowing is stellar, making the reveal at the end more of a removal of the last opacity rather than a "gotcha."And really, I just loved the character voice throughout. The narration comes from two different directions, and the interplay between them is intriguing and sometimes hilarious, and actually works to deepen the storytelling, rather than feeling like a fancy trick or misdirection.Lastly, I appreciate the ways in which this story steps outside the traditional fantasy box. Characters come from different, and mixed, races. There is a powerful item that the protagonist must wield to claim victory, but that item is not a weapon, and she doesn't have to fight or quest to get said item - the story lies in her learning and accepting the fate that the item imposes.And nowhere, anywhere, is there a damsel in distress or (hot-chick with no value to the plot) trope. Thank you for that, Ms. Jemisin! less

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