As N.K. Jemisin has just been awarded the MacArthur “Genius” Grant it seems remiss that I haven’t included her in my recommended books prior to now.
Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy changed my understanding of what secondary world fantasy fiction can be. Not only was it written in multiple view points (including second person), the trilogy broke boundaries in other ways as well. With this trilogy Jemisin became the first author to win the Hugo Award for best Novel three years in a row.
Personally, I loved the way Jemisin interwove points of view and timelines to create a story of otherness and loss set against the backdrop of a global natural (or possibly magical) disaster. I loved the magic system Jemisin used, based in earth science, where users can manipulate tectonic plates.
In my personal opinion, N.K. Jemisin is a must read for anyone to proports to be a fan of speculative fiction. While her work and her point of view may not be comfortable reading for everyone, I think it is the discomfort her work creates that makes it so vital.