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The City We Became

Book 1 in the series:Great Cities

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In The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin creates a fantastical tale where New York City's soul manifests into human avatars representing its five boroughs, each embodying the unique characteristics of their area. These avatars must come together to battle an ancient evil threatening the city, with themes of racism, diversity, and unity woven throughout the fast-paced narrative. The book is praised for its thrilling plot, diverse characters, and the homage it pays to the complexities of New York City, capturing both its flaws and its beauty.

Characters:

The characters are diverse representations of New York's communities, each embodying the unique personality of their borough, and they grapple with their identities as avatars.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is engaging and vivid, combining humor with serious themes and contains heavy social commentary, making it both accessible and complex.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on the emergence of human avatars for New York City's boroughs as they unite to combat a supernatural threat, reflecting themes of urban identity and social issues.

Setting:

The setting is contemporary New York City, where the unique characteristics of each borough are highlighted and interwoven with fantastical elements.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally fast and exciting, though some sections may feel slow due to exposition, leading to fluctuating engagement throughout the narrative.
Fucking city. I stand on the rooftop of a building I don’t live in and spread my arms and tighten my middle and yell nonsense ululations at the construction site that blocks my view. I’m really singin...

Notes:

The City We Became expands on Jemisin's short story "The City Born Great" and serves as its prologue.
The story revolves around the concept that cities are born as living entities when they accumulate enough culture and history.
Each of New York City's five boroughs has its own human avatar, representing their unique identities and challenges.
The main characters fight against a mysterious enemy that embodies modern urban issues such as gentrification and racism.
N.K. Jemisin's writing includes rich social commentary, exploring themes of race, identity, and community.
The diversity among characters reflects real-life NYC, showcasing various ethnicities and backgrounds.
The character Aislyn, representing Staten Island, embodies complex themes related to privilege and fear of others.
The novel critiques Lovecraftian horror while confronting its inherent racism, giving a fresh perspective on the genre.
NK Jemisin is a three-time Hugo Award-winning author, known for her complex world-building and compelling narratives.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include depictions of racism, violence, and some themes of oppression.

From The Publisher:

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

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

One of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of all time

One of TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2020

One of Vanity Fair's 15 Best Books of 2020

One of Amazon's Best Books of 2020

Ratings (37)

Incredible (9)
Loved It (15)
Liked It (4)
It Was OK (4)
Did Not Like (5)

Reader Stats (111):

Read It (39)
Currently Reading (2)
Want To Read (59)
Did Not Finish (4)
Not Interested (7)

1 comment(s)

Loved It
3 months

4.5*

 
 
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