The City We Became

By N. K. Jemisin

The City We Became - N. K. Jemisin
  • Release Date: 2020-03-24
  • Genre: Contemporary
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 413 Ratings

Description

Three-time Hugo Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author N.K. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, a "glorious" story of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City.

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power.

In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her.

In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.

And they're not the only ones.

Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She's got six.
For more from N. K. Jemisin, check out:

The Inheritance Trilogy
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Broken Kingdoms
The Kingdom of Gods

The Inheritance Trilogy (omnibus edition)
Shades in Shadow: An Inheritance Triptych (e-only short fiction)
The Awakened Kingdom (e-only novella)

Dreamblood Duology
The Killing Moon
The Shadowed Sun

The Dreamblood Duology (omnibus)

The Broken Earth
The Fifth Season
The Obelisk Gate
The Stone Sky

How Long 'til Black Future Month? (short story collection)

"A glorious fantasy." —Neil Gaiman

Reviews

  • The novel which never became

    1
    By Viewer22
    Very disappointing work of absurdist fiction. 3/4 of the book is prelude, and flowery exposition, which never amounts to anything. The rules of the novel are never explained. A handful of ordinary people become the boroughs of New York City, to fight off an inter dimensional ‘woman in white’. Really. That’s it. It never makes any sense. I was born and raised in NYC. Nothing about this work rings true.
  • A good read with one issue

    4
    By Z-String
    Compelling story. Well written characters. Beautiful linguistic style. One knock was that the reader was expected to take large leaps of faith as the explanation for what was happening and how it was happening was somewhat murky.
  • Love!!!

    5
    By Epona@11111
    Still one of the best authors ever!!!! A great read!!
  • Good fun read

    5
    By SneakyLittleDog
    Loved
  • Epic Epic Epic

    5
    By Soy Sos
    Fantastic, I love her writing! Read everything by this amazing author. I can’t wait for the next book and the next book, but I will.
  • So thrilling and so much fun

    5
    By KiltBear
    What an adventure. As a Jersey boy living on the Northern Left Coast, it was a delight to see so many of the tri-state metro area’s quirks hailed and glorified as heroic power. Goosebumps and edge of my seat reading were part of the reading. PLEASE turn this into a graphic novel.
  • Couldn’t put it down

    5
    By Brookland91
    I love this author. So far I’ve only been fortunate enough to read the Broken Earth Trilogy (HIGHLY recommend btw) but hey books are expensive. It was just chance that I searched her name and found this new one. So exciting!! I’m from New York so it was especially exciting. I was surprised she wrote about a real city but I think she nailed it. I feel like this author is so talented. She writes soooo weeeeeell and different than anything else I’ve read. Just even the way she writes her sentences, it’s hard to explain, but it’s just really impressive. I don’t want to give anything away, but definitely read this author if you love a fascinating imagination and content that has meaning. It makes you think and feel a lot of stuff.
  • Jemisin has done it again

    5
    By morgs9090
    Truly a master at her craft, this story is a fun romp through New York and other dimensions that was a ton of fun to read. The world building is unparalleled. And where most fictions set in New York feature nothing but white people, it is refreshing to see a cast of characters actually reflect who actually lives in the city. I can’t wait for the next one!!