In The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin brings New York City to life—literally. Each borough manifests as a human avatar, tasked with defending the city against an otherworldly force seeking to consume it. When the city’s primary avatar falls into a coma, five individuals must come together to protect their home. Mixing cosmic horror, urban fantasy, and social commentary, the novel explores themes of identity, resistance, and cultural diversity. It’s a love letter to New York and a powerful allegory about cities as living, breathing entities shaped by the people who inhabit them.
About The Great Cities Series
This urban fantasy series begins with The City We Became, where the soul of New York City manifests in human avatars, one for each borough. When an otherworldly enemy threatens the city’s identity, its avatars must unite to defend it. A sequel, The World We Make, continues this cosmic battle for culture and place. Jemisin uses speculative fiction to tackle racism, gentrification, and resilience in the face of existential threats. It’s a bold, allegorical series about cities as living entities and the people who embody their spirit.
About N. K. Jemisin
An American speculative fiction author celebrated for her intricate world-building, complex characters, and exploration of social justice themes within fantasy and science fiction. Her Broken Earth trilogy, which won three consecutive Hugo Awards, is a landmark of modern fantasy, tackling issues of oppression, resilience, and environmental catastrophe with powerful storytelling and innovative world-building. Jemisin is a significant and influential voice in contemporary speculative fiction.
Other Books by N. K. Jemisin
The Fifth Season
Series: The Broken Earth (#1)
In The Fifth Season, the world ends—again. In a single day, Essun returns home to find her son murdered by her husband, who has vanished with their daughter. At the same time, the empire of Sanze collapses, and a massive rift tears through the continent of the Stillness, unleashing ash that will darken the skies for years. As civilization crumbles and survival becomes a brutal fight for dwindling resources, Essun sets out through a dying land to rescue her daughter. She doesn’t care if the world burns—she’ll shatter it herself if that’s what it takes. A fierce, gripping tale begins.
The Stone Sky
Series: The Broken Earth (#3)
The incredible conclusion to the record-breaking triple Hugo award-winning trilogy that began with the The Fifth Season. The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women. Essun has inherited the phenomenal power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every outcast child can grow up safe. For Nassun, her mother's mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has seen the evil of the world, and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.
The Obelisk Gate
Series: The Broken Earth (#2)
In this Hugo Award-winning sequel to The Fifth Season, the world teeters on collapse as orogenes manipulate seismic forces to survive. Essun continues her search for her daughter while mastering the deadly power of the Obelisk Gate. Jemisin expands her fractured world with heart-wrenching depth, weaving themes of oppression, legacy, and survival into a unique, genre-defying narrative.
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