N. K. Jemisin – The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

I have no idea who N.K Jemisin is, but this audiobook is a great story of gods made flesh, and desperate to disincarnate. It is a weird, wonderful examination of magical creatures in human chains.  This book is strange enough that I cannot describe exactly what it is about it that so compels me; let me just say the narrator is really, really good at giving each character her/his own voice, expressions and soul, although assigning a soul to a god is a dicey idea to me (but central to the plot, hint, hint).  That the protagonist is completely helpless except for her wits makes her instantly sympathetic to me, but that may just be my personal lack of self-esteem speaking.  Seriously, if it wasn’t for the sympathy I have for the character I’m not sure I could stand this horror story, because the humans who hold the gods in chains are serious psychopaths.

I suspect I will want to read the rest of her stuff.

Exciting update (um, all my updates are exciting):  the e-book version is 2.99 USD!  Not as exciting as the audiobook, but it’ll get into your hands faster than waiting for the local library to stock the audiobook.  Also, N.K Jemisin has a website, and she’s chatty.  She is, as I suspected, a woman of color and her site seems to say this is her first book, which I think has to be a goddamned lie.  She’s much, much too good for this to be a first book.  I’m not alone in this, she has a cheekfull of award nominations: Hugo, Nebula and the Prix des Imaginales (whatever that is.  I’m America centric, although cultured enough to be embarrassed by it).  She’s probably a lot older than she lets on. 

Also, I found out that actress who read the audiobook is Cassandra Freeman, but her resume doesn’t show this yet…no idea why.