The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Series #1)

In response to the review "Something to avoid" by Anonymous

NK Jemisin's blog is NOT "anygryblackwoman;" it is one of the many blogs she follows. Get your facts straight before you post comments like that. Also, just because a person has different opinions than you doesn't mean that you can't enjoy their writing. Diversity is to be celebrated, not attacked.

22 out of 22 people found this review helpful.

Amazing start to a new fantasy trilogy.

Shortly after Yeine's mother passes away, a mysterious death, Yeine is called to Sky. Sky is the elite city in the air on a single column overlooking the kingdoms in which the Arameri, people awarded by the god Bright Itempas with contol of weapons given to them, live. Yeine does not know why her grandfather, whom she has never met, has required her presence in Sky. Once in Sky Yeine is bombarded with many things; being named heir to the throne, the difference in culture, the imprisoned god Nightlord and his three children called Enefadeh, and twin cousins who will do anything to be the heir to the powerful throne. Yeine is warned of how dangerous the imprisoned god and Enefadeh are, yet she has something they need. The cousins are also named heirs to the throne and Yeine is not sure what is to happen with three named heirs.

I have to say I enjoyed this book very much. I loved the creation of the gods and why they were weakened, trapped, and tortured. Along with the way a god could be kept under thumb and used for the power holders ways, needs, or just for the power possessed. I was also mesmerized by the relationship and differences between two cultures and way of life. Then there's the wondering question of who do I trust or not trust in a new world. Not only do I, as a reader, ask this question in a new book or series but Yeine the main character has to work this out herself. I started learning of the magic present in the story, and I look forward to learning more as the rest of the trilogy unfolds.

The story is written from Yeine's point of view, in the first person, which gives the feeling I am seeing, experiencing and learning everything with her. There are sections at the beginning and through out the chapter in which Yeine is remembering pieces of additional information or stumbling slightly in her storytelling, but if you know these sections are there you should not be confused. I liked the insight these shared as potential tidbits to help know what is going on or why.

It was a great debate novel for Nora Jemisin and an amazing start to a trilogy. I WILL be looking forward to book two, The Broken Kingdoms due out fall 2010, and book three.

14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

Entertaining, but didn't live up to its potential

This book started out great. Loved the world-building. But the sex with gods stuff just seemed absurd and interfered with my suspension of disbelief. And the ultimate fate of our heroine was easy to see coming from miles away. But it was entertaining enough that I'll probably get the next book.

7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable and different

The book is a great read and not your typical fantasy. It is Yeine's story told in the first person, as she is reminiscing yet sometimes backtracks. Occasionally, hard to follow but explained eventually. I'm definitely picking up the author's next book.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Like a novelised version of a Manga!

Ok, as a 30something male, I'm going to try not to gush like a 19yrold girl over a book about a 19yrold girl...but, this book was excellent. Combining an original and enveloping writing style with an original take (heavily influenced by the Greek pantheon) on the relationship between gods and mortals, made this debut novel for N.K. Jemisin a page turner that couldn't be put down. The author is clearly right there on the page for the reader, making the sometimes convaluted segments easily overlooked in favor of the book's overarching sentimentality.
In the hands of most other authors this first book would have been stretched into 2 or 3 seperate parts of an overlong saga, in Jemisin's hands however, the book is compact and the story succinct leaving the reader wanting more. Like most great books the 100k Kingdoms leaves the reader wishing it hadn't ended. In a rarity however, the story is original enough and the characters hinting at a complexity that could have easily allowed this book to double itself in size.
With a STRONG female character I'd recommend this book to anyone with highschool age daughters (strong erotic/sexual story lines may make it inappropriate for younger readers).

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Awesome read!

I cannot wait for the next book! I could not put it down! Awesome!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Couldn't put it down!

It has been a long time since I started reading a book and couldn't put it down until it was over! What a fun book, with unique characters in a fantastic world. I am so glad I bought this! Can't wait for more from this author!

If you love epic fantasy and have been bemoaning the lack of good new books in the genre, definitely check this one out!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms... A great way to make an entrance!

I have just finished reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I must say, "Bravo!" to Jemisin! I am not a professional book critique in the least, nor a very adept writer. However, I must say that I have read many fantasy / science-fiction novels over the years and "The Inheritance" Trilogy is shaping up to be one of my favorites already.

I am highly anticipating book two, "The Broken Kingdoms" and I hope Jemisin brings the thrills and suspense back with Yeine and her friends! Bravo, once again!

V/r
-B_Sierra_Murray

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Enthralling fantasy

Barbaric warrior Baroness Yeine Darr lives in the Northern Kingdom of Darr. When her mother dies mysteriously, she has no time to grieve or investigate. Instead she is "invited" to come to the center of the universe by the Emperor of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by her grandfather the Dekarta Arameri ruler of all. In the capital city of Sky, a bewildered Yeine learns her grandfather the ruler names her his third heir along with her cousins once removed twins Lady Scimina and Lord Relad.

Confused and bewildered over her selection to the competition to replace the aging Dekarta, Yeine soon realizes her role at court is to be an expendable pawn used by her cousins as each has ambitions to be the next ruler. However, she also learns more about her family's history and the gods serving them; losers in the Gods War eons ago who humiliatingly must bow to the mortals as their retribution for the crime of defeat. She proves to have backbone though all at court thought she would and intelligence that none thought she had while trying to save the kingdoms and free the god-slaves.

The first tale of the Inheritance Trilogy is a fascinating adaptation fantasy told through the filter of the heroine who uses her experiences as a chieftain and lessons from her late mother to understand the glamorous cesspool she has been tossed into. Yeine is a terrific lead protagonist who keeps the deep story line focused whether she deals with her grandfather, her amoral rivals, the slave-gods especially Nahadoth. Although the engaging story line is simplified too much between the forces of good and bad, readers will enjoy the opening account of a fully developed convoluted world in which debts of the soul are paid by losing your rights as Nahadoth the Nightlord One of the Three and now Yeine know the difference between the slave and the princess.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Don't waste your time

Bland, vanilla main character. Plot jerks back and forth in time to hide info from the reader. Baddie is going to kill main character. Main character doesn't care, so why should the reader?

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

fun and inventive

I stayed up late to finish the book. I have been out of the SciFi genre for many years, and this was a fun re-introduction. I will try other books by Jemisin.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I LOVED this book

This is an excellent read. I picked it up on an impulse and I'm so glad that I did. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.

I loved the characters, I really feel like I got a good grasp of them, and the world and cultures were just so well done. The writing style took a little getting used to, but all in all, that really worked well also. I would highly recommend this book to anyone at all.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An absolutely amazing book

I read the sample, and at first the writing style seemed a little odd, not what I'm used is all, but by the time I got through the first chapter I was hooked. Excellent story, great characters, awesome plot. This has instantly become one of my favorites, I can't wait for the second book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great new fantasy series!

After all this time, you would think that I would have learned by now not to judge a book by it's cover. All the years I've been reading, I really should know better. But no, I'm embarrassed to admit that I judged this one by it's cover and blurb, then assumed it wasn't for me. I was mistaken. *hangs head in shame*

This was a recommendation on Barnes and Noble's book club blog and since I've enjoyed every other book they've recommended, thought I'd give this one a try and requested it from my library. Once I picked it up, I found myself going all judgemental on it. Thought it would be one of those epic fantasy tales that I don't like, so put it to the side. As the due date fast approached, finally picked it up and was quickly hooked! I will never doubt BN's recommendations ever again!

The main character, Yeine, quickly won me over. She's the main narrator and tells the story the same way I would, in bits and pieces. She'll start to relate something, then stop and say no, no, first I have to tell you about this! Just like a regular conversation between friends, because who remembers everything perfectly when telling a story? I loved that!

While there are gods and magic and a royal family and plots galore, it wasn't anything like the stereotypical epic fantasy I expected. Loved this story, and especially enjoyed Yeine. Despite being looked down upon by her royal relatives as a barbarian, Yeine is not stupid. She has to navigate her way around a dangerous new situation and figure out why she has been named heir. She knows that she's a pawn, but needs to discover why. I thought she handled herself well, and did much better than I probably would have!

Gave this a 4/5 rating as I really enjoyed the story. Loved the characters, thought it was well written, and especially loved Yeine's voice! Looking forward to reading The Broken Kingdoms, the sequel due out this fall. Don't make the same mistake I did, or you'll miss out on a great story!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read

I love a good political drama, and this book has a lot of it as well as many other things I love: political intrigue, mystery, romance, and the typical fantasy coming of age tale. The book begins with Yeine travelling from Darr to Sky, the largest city in her world and also the Palace of the ruling Arameri family...the family her mother left years before to marry Yeine's father. She is called mysteriously to the city by her grandfather, Dekarta Arameri the head of the family and all around ruler of the world she lives in. When her mother left the family, she was disowned and no one ever bothered with Yeine before, so she wonders what her grandfather wants with her. She has no interest in her mother's family other than to find out what role if any they had with her death. She soon learns that Dekarta is acknowledging her as one of his heirs and wants her to compete with her two cousins for his position. Yeine and everyone else know that this is impossible because her cousins have a head start on her and are known, like all other Arameri before them, to be vicious. They have been battling each other from the womb. They would stop at nothing to win, and murder seems to be a totally acceptable method. The head of the family is encouraged to be without remorse and hard in order to maintain rule. So everyone knows Yeine will probably not make it out alive.

The history of the Arameri family is slowly explained as the chapters go by, and it is shown why they are such a vicious and hard people. Their task in the world is to serve as priests of the sort for the God Itempas. There was a war between the Gods: Itempas, Enefa, and Nahadoth, who are sibling. Itempas defeated them, killing Enefa and imprisoning Nahadoth and his other Godling children in human flesh and giving them basically as slaves to the family of his most trusted Priestess...the Arameri. So the Arameri have so much power and control because they control Gods and use them to do their bidding against their enemies, or heretics. They use the Gods to maintain their rule and to make sure everyone continues to worship Itempas. As with anything, when one group has so much power over not only other mortals, but Gods....they can become twisted. And the Arameri are very twisted as Yeine learns. She can't trust anyone at Sky. They all have an ulterior motives for what they do and none of them would benefit from Yeine living. She is basically the pawn in a game between her powerful family and the Gods. None of them see her as than a tool for their own ends.

The world created in this book is excellent. This is a world where there is no question that the Gods exist. They walk among the people and are unleashed on those who don't obey the Arameri. So we are introduced to a world that is living under a complete dictatorship. Dissent means death, and too many questions can be bad for your health. The people in Sky look at Yeine and they see a barbarian girl that has no chance in that environment, but Yeine soon begins to show them that she should not be underestimated. She forms an alliance with the most unexpected of people and that alliance leads to the final events that were both expected and surprising as well. Yeine know that either way she goes, it means her death...but her death did not have to mean the end and could be exactly what the world needs. And she is willing to sacrifice herself if it means destroying the Arameri.This is very much recommended for people that like high fant

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Worth Reading If...

You like to read an up & coming fantasy writer that may still have some kinks to work out in their writing style. The book was over all enjoyable & I will probably read the rest of this series, so long as it continues to improve past the first book.

What I liked: World building & description of scenery was accomplished well. Writer stuck to the plot to develop the characters & explain why the upper class society is so messed up. Evil & Good are not all white & black or light & dark. Really liked the humanity & humbling of the gods. Some unique concepts on the magic used by the gods & how the soul works.

What I didn't like: Writer timidly approached writing some of the intimacy in the book compared to the boldness of the more horrible things the main character experienced. The "steamy scenes" felt cheep like a vampire romance novel with little reason for the main character & the god to "fall in love". I felt she had more chemistry with the lesser god how the author was writing her. I don't like when authors make every character that dislikes the main character evil.

My vote: Give this author a chance. Everyone starts somewhere & I feel she will improve with the support of her fans so long as she doesn't turn her books into a dime store god romance.

Great Start

I found this book to both be a challange and a gift. The author knows how to challange my imagination and get me to think beyond normal fatasy fluff. They have also created a rich and wonderful setting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

What a great book!

I will definitely read more by this author. I was iimpressed by the setting and the characterization. Therewere so many twists...great read.

Read this right now

I wanted to read this again right after I finished it. The perspective from Yeine's point of view was so rich and colorful. I loved the background of her life and the war between the Gods. I loved the foreshadowing of things to come.

As someone who's read a lot of books and watched a lot of television and movies I was so happy to get engrossed in this story and not be able to predict the ending.

As for reading it again, I did manage to hold off for about two weeks before picking it back up and reading it a second time.

AWESOME!!! Hightly recommended

N.K. Jemisin is an amazing writer. Once I started, I couldn't put this book down. I have also just read the second book and it's equally amazing... Looking forward to the third...