In the third chapter of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, there is no way in any universe I could have ever been prepared for what this book would do. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.
Chapter Three: Darkness
I know it would be redundant at this point to say that I did not expect this because obviously this is all surprising to me. I tried to think of the best way to convey this succinctly, but I know it would be best if I just explained what I meant. There are a lot of things at work here that are clear upheavals of fantasy tropes, and it’s those very things that are keeping me heavily engaged. (There’s also the sheer terror of the final sequence, but we’ll get to that later.) The use of a very personal, almost chatty first-person narration struck me as something that was bold for a dense, character-rich fantasy like this. I’m so used to that detached, flowery kind of prose for what little fantasy I have read or seen in movies and television that as soon as Yeine was asking me if she should stop to explain, I found myself responding to her. It is a way to make this story so much intimate than I’m used to, and I appreciate that. I appreciate the chance to hear this in Yeine’s words, rather than some distant narrator. None of this has that sense of detachment to it.
It helps that this chapter opens and ends with some scary shit. We learn that of the original three gods, Itempas (I assume that’s the one who survived) KILLED ONE GOD AND IMPRISONED THE OTHER IN A CELL OF BLOOD AND BONE. Arameri were gifted this weapon, and the weapon’s name is the Nightlord. Nahadoth. Oh my god, Yeine is being chased by THE MANIFESTATION OF PURE DEPRAVITY AND EVIL. That is the purpose of the blood sigils, I’m guessing. That must mean that Scimina wasted no time in trying to decimate one of her opponents. This is going to be brutal as hell, isn’t it?
But then N.K. Jemisin surprised me multiple times in succession, and I was left breathless by the unreal number of reveals I was given. As Yeine ran in terror from the Nightlord, we casually find out that there is magic in this world, magic that can be activated by thought. Nothing about this is presented to the reader in a grandiose sense. It’s just there, and I love that. Even better, there was actually magic EARLIER IN THE BOOK AND I DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE IT.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg of how fucking cool this book is based on this chapter alone. Of course, I totally fell for the fact that Sieh was a random city boy assisting Yeine. He had to work for Viraine, right? He was clearly knowledgable about Nahadoth, Viraine, and how the magic worked in Sky. It’s a common trope, but one that’s used well. I kind of have a thing for younger characters demonstrating their knowledge over those who are older because it inherently values the idea that kids can be smart and useful and helpful, and that age isn’t necessarily an indicator of intelligence or anything of the sort. However, Jemisin immediately plays with this by revealing that Sieh isn’t a boy at all. She leaves us in the dark on purpose, despite that Yeine has suspicions about who Sieh really is.
SIEH IS ANOTHER GOD. Or god-like being? And it’s here that I realized how fantastic it is that these gods are real characters who have agency in the narrative. I mean, it’s common in many types of fiction to keep gods as distant, detached, or nonexistent beings, but here, they are actively fucking things up. (Shoutout to the Tortall books, since I’m reading those and the gods in them are also active characters.) Sieh puts Yeine down in some sort of dead space full of colorful spheres, and I have no clue what those things are supposed to be. Planets? World? Kingdoms? So, is there where gods view all of the universe? That’s not important. What’s important is that these gods and children of gods communicate with Yeine. I love this because they are specifically seeking her out, or at least that’s the case with Sieh, the trickster god. (Gettin’ some serious Loki vibes from him.) He values this woman, though I’m not sure why at this point. Still, it’s significant to me because of how Jemisin centers this story on Yeine’s silent power. Sieh’s obviously taken with her, but they still take an interest in her after she STABS THE NIGHTLORD. SHE STABS THE GOD OF ALL EVIL. Y’all, we are talking about a character who understands that the power dynamics of this situation are not in her favor, and yet she still defends Sieh against Nahadoth strangling him. Holy shit, I LOVE HER.
I looked up; his eyes were warm, gentle, desperate. Human.
“I have waited so long for you,” the god breathed. Then he kissed me.
Then he fell.
OH MY GOD WHAT!!! Did he die? Why did he wait for so long for her? WHY IS THIS CHAPTER ENDING RIGHT NOW??? Ugh, this is oppression, I swear.
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