The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Encyclopedia
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was N. K. Jemisin
's debut novel
, the first book of "The Inheritance Trilogy." The fantasy
novel was published 2010 by Orbit
. It is a winner of the 2011 Locus Award for Best First Novel , the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, and it has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, Gemmell, Tiptree and World Fantasy awards. The sequel is The Broken Kingdoms
, also released in 2010.
Yeine Darr, mourning the murder of her mother, is summoned to the magnificent floating city of Sky by her grandfather Dekarta, the ruler of the world and head of the Arameri family. As Yeine is also Arameri (though estranged due to the circumstances of her birth), he names her his heir but has already assigned that role to both his niece and his nephew, resulting in a thorny three-way power struggle. Yeine must quickly master the intricacies of the cruel Arameri society to have any hope of winning. She is also drawn into the intrigues of the gods, four of whom dwell in Sky as the Arameri's powerful, enslaved weapons. With only a few days until the ceremony of the Arameri succession, Yeine struggles to solve her mother's murder while surviving the machinations of her relatives and the gods.
The day she arrives, she meets T'vril, the palace steward, who is also an Arameri (although lower-ranked); the entire palace staff down to the floor cleaning servants is Arameri. This is because only Arameri are permitted to pass a night in Sky, for reasons that T'vril does not immediately explain. T'vril attempts to get Yeine to Viraine -- the palace scrivener -- to be "marked" as an Arameri before nightfall. However, Scimina, one of the other potential heirs, finds them first. Because Yeine lacks the mark, she unleashes Nahadoth, one of the Arameri's captive gods, on Yeine.
Yeine flees and is assisted by Sieh, another of the captive gods. Before they can escape, Nahadoth catches up and attacks Sieh, whereupon Yeine stabs Nahadoth to apparent death with her knife. Nahadoth kisses her before he falls, saying he has been waiting for her, much to Yeine's confusion. Being a god, Nahadoth returns to life shortly afterward. Yeine then meets the other gods -- and quickly realizes that they, like the Arameri, have frightening plans for her.
Yeine, however, has her own agenda: still in mourning, she has come to Sky to determine who may have killed her mother before the start of the story. While attempting to forge an alliance with Relad, her cousin and the other potential heir, she also seeks out answers to the mystery of her mother's past. This leads Yeine to terrifying revelations about herself, her world's history, and the gods themselves.
As the day of the succession ceremony approaches and Yeine finds herself left with few options, she chooses to ally with the Enefadeh -- even though Nahadoth warns her that they want her life in exchange for their assistance. Determined to learn the truth about her mother even if she dies in the process, she agrees to the gods' bargain. She also begins brief liaisons with first T'vril, then Nahadoth himself, the latter of whom seems equally drawn to her, though his motives are unclear.
The story culminates with the Arameri Ceremony of the Succession, at which Itempas himself -- the Skyfather, ruler of the universe -- appears, and Yeine makes a fateful choice.
N. K. Jemisin
N. K. Jemisin is an American speculative fiction writer and blogger. Her 2010 debut novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, was nominated for the 2010 Nebula Award, the 2011 Hugo Award, and is nominated for the World Fantasy Award and was ranked #5 on Amazon's "editors' pick" list of the year's best...
's debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, the first book of "The Inheritance Trilogy." The fantasy
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
novel was published 2010 by Orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
. It is a winner of the 2011 Locus Award for Best First Novel , the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, and it has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, Gemmell, Tiptree and World Fantasy awards. The sequel is The Broken Kingdoms
The Broken Kingdoms
The Broken Kingdoms is the second book of the Inheritance Trilogy written by N. K. Jemisin. It takes place ten years after the events of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and centers around a young woman named Oree Shoth, who lives in the World Tree-shrouded, godling-inhabited city of...
, also released in 2010.
Yeine Darr, mourning the murder of her mother, is summoned to the magnificent floating city of Sky by her grandfather Dekarta, the ruler of the world and head of the Arameri family. As Yeine is also Arameri (though estranged due to the circumstances of her birth), he names her his heir but has already assigned that role to both his niece and his nephew, resulting in a thorny three-way power struggle. Yeine must quickly master the intricacies of the cruel Arameri society to have any hope of winning. She is also drawn into the intrigues of the gods, four of whom dwell in Sky as the Arameri's powerful, enslaved weapons. With only a few days until the ceremony of the Arameri succession, Yeine struggles to solve her mother's murder while surviving the machinations of her relatives and the gods.
Plot
Yeine Darr was born to Kinneth Arameri, who was heir to the Arameri throne but abdicated twenty years before the start of the story to marry Yeine's father, a Darre man. Kinneth was disowned by Dekarta, and Darr blacklisted by the Arameri (throwing the country into a crippling economic crisis) as a result.The day she arrives, she meets T'vril, the palace steward, who is also an Arameri (although lower-ranked); the entire palace staff down to the floor cleaning servants is Arameri. This is because only Arameri are permitted to pass a night in Sky, for reasons that T'vril does not immediately explain. T'vril attempts to get Yeine to Viraine -- the palace scrivener -- to be "marked" as an Arameri before nightfall. However, Scimina, one of the other potential heirs, finds them first. Because Yeine lacks the mark, she unleashes Nahadoth, one of the Arameri's captive gods, on Yeine.
Yeine flees and is assisted by Sieh, another of the captive gods. Before they can escape, Nahadoth catches up and attacks Sieh, whereupon Yeine stabs Nahadoth to apparent death with her knife. Nahadoth kisses her before he falls, saying he has been waiting for her, much to Yeine's confusion. Being a god, Nahadoth returns to life shortly afterward. Yeine then meets the other gods -- and quickly realizes that they, like the Arameri, have frightening plans for her.
Yeine, however, has her own agenda: still in mourning, she has come to Sky to determine who may have killed her mother before the start of the story. While attempting to forge an alliance with Relad, her cousin and the other potential heir, she also seeks out answers to the mystery of her mother's past. This leads Yeine to terrifying revelations about herself, her world's history, and the gods themselves.
As the day of the succession ceremony approaches and Yeine finds herself left with few options, she chooses to ally with the Enefadeh -- even though Nahadoth warns her that they want her life in exchange for their assistance. Determined to learn the truth about her mother even if she dies in the process, she agrees to the gods' bargain. She also begins brief liaisons with first T'vril, then Nahadoth himself, the latter of whom seems equally drawn to her, though his motives are unclear.
The story culminates with the Arameri Ceremony of the Succession, at which Itempas himself -- the Skyfather, ruler of the universe -- appears, and Yeine makes a fateful choice.
Yeine
Yeine is half Arameri and half Darre. Her mother, formerly the Arameri heir, has been murdered when the story opens, and part of Yeine’s goal in the city of Sky is to avenge her death. Yeine is the chieftain, or ennu, of the Darre -- an hereditary/figurehead role, though with some representative power. She is considered a barbarian by the Arameri.Nahadoth
The Nightlord, otherwise known as the god of night, chaos, and change, is the most powerful of the Enefadeh, and the most dangerous. He appears in different guises.Bright Itempas
The god of law, order, and light, Bright Itempas is worshipped as the Skyfather the world over.Enefa
The goddess of twilight, dawn, balance, life, and death, she was murdered several thousand years before the start of the tale.Sieh
The Trickster, a godling (demigod) who chooses to take the form of a nine-year-old boy. In reality he is the eldest of all the godlings, several billion years old. He befriends Yeine for inexplicable reasons.Kurue
Another godling, the goddess of wisdom, and the apparent leader of the enslaved gods.Dekarta
As the head of the Arameri family, Dekarta is the "uncrowned" ruler of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and Yeine’s grandfather. He summons Yeine to Sky at the beginning of the story, and names her one of his heirs.Scimina
One of Yeine's cousins, a fellow heir. The apparent primary antagonist of the story.Relad
Scimina’s younger twin brother and the other potential heir. He is a bitter drunkard, but Yeine's best chance for an alliance in order to survive the contest of heirs.T’vril
A half-blood like Yeine, he is the palace steward. He quickly becomes one of Yeine's allies.Viraine
He is the palace scrivener, (a scholar who studies the gods' language; this language permits him to work limited magic). He too helps Yeine, though his motives are unclear.Reception
With relatively positive reviews, the book received- Hugo Award Nominee for Best NovelHugo Award for Best NovelThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
(2011) - Nebula Award Nominee for NovelNebula Award for Best NovelWinners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.- Winners and other nominees :...
(2010) - Locus Award for Best First NovelLocus Award for Best First NovelWinners of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, awarded by the Locus magazine. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year....
(2011) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
(2011) - GoodreadsGoodreadsGoodreads is a privately run "social cataloging" website started in December 2006 by Otis Chandler, a software engineer and entrepreneur. The website permits individuals to sign up and register books to create their library catalogs and reading lists. It also allows users to create their own...
Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2010) where it currently holds a rating of 3.84/5