In the fourteenth chapter of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I AM FULLY UNABLE TO DEAL WITH THE NUMEROUS ANSWERS I GOT IN THIS CHAPTER. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.
Chapter Fourteen: The Walking Dead
Oh my god.
- “We cured your father,” said Sieh. “That was your mother’s price. In exchange she allowed us to use her unborn child as the vessel for Enefa’s soul.”
- THOSE ARE LITERALLY THE OPENING LINES OF THIS CHAPTER. N.K. JEMISIN WASTES NO TIME AT ALL ANSWERING THIS MYSTERY AND THIS IS THE OPENING OF THE CHAPTER. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS.
- In order to keep Enefa’s creations alive (which is ALL OF HUMANITY AND EXISTENCE), Itempas kept part of her body alive. That’s the Stone of Earth. WHICH IS THE APRICOTSTONE THAT KINNETH WORE IN HER NECKLACE.
- Can I remind everyone that we aren’t even halfway done with this novel and nearly every mystery is already answered? I am terrified of the future. TERRIFIED.
- I wasn’t surprised, however, by the revelation that all of this was done with the intent of freeing the Enefadeh. This was all about self-interest in that sense, and the gods’ actions made that clear. Still, that doesn’t lessen a single thing about the exposition we get in chapter fourteen.
- There’s also so much depth to what Jemisin writes here. In revealing the true intent of the gods, Yeine is forced to examine her loyalties and her identity. Her ancestors created this wretched situation, and she clearly wants nothing to do with her Arameri side. And yet, Enefa’s soul is within her, and that complicates everything with Sieh and Zhakkarn, who cannot ignore that their mother is inside of Yeine. Plus, Yeine now has to acknowledge that her own mother signed her daughter’s life over to the Enefadeh, especially once it’s revealed that whoever wields the Stone PRETTY MUCH ALWAYS DIES AFTERWARDS.
- But more on that in a bit, because it’s a tad bit more complicated than that. I was floored and fascinated by the exchange between Zhakkarn and Yeine regarding Sieh’s affection for Yeine because of the soul inside of her. In this scene, Jemisin forces us to think about the oppressive existence the Enefadeh suffer though because they’ve been stripped from their mother, who was murdered, and forced to serve a vile family in the process. That doesn’t mean what they did to Kinneth and Yeine is fair, but it’s a way of understanding the motivations of these characters. That’s something I bring up when I get the chance on Mark Reads: Character development is everything to me when I read a book or watch a show. I want to understand these characters, even if I despise them, because it makes the experience all the more rewarding to me.
- At the same time, Jemisin brilliantly builds Yeine’s anger throughout this chapter. What’s happened to her is deeply unfair as well, and she’s been forced into an epic struggle for survival and identity without her permission, and her own body is at the center of this. So while she can understand Zhakkarn’s fury or Sieh’s sadness, she’s been held up against a GODDESS. It’s something that Zhakkarn is quick to do without thinking about what that must be like.
- Can we talk about the way in which Jemisin performs exposition here? I have complained (or at least discussed) many times here on Mark Reads and over on Mark Watches that I really hate it when drama is born of characters simply not spending five seconds to ask the question they need the answer to. Here, Yeine is relentless in her search for the truth, and it’s so fucking refreshing, y’all. It’s good character writing, too, because Yeine is precisely the kind of character who would demand answers instead of waiting until it’s more fitting or acceptable.
- Oh, right, we also learn the blood sigils COMPEL LOYALTY. LITERALLY: “No one who wears a sigil can act against the interests of the family head. If not for measures like that, Scimina would have found a way to undermine or kill Dekarta long ago.” This family is RUTHLESS, I swear.
- So, let’s talk about the Stone of Earth, which must be used in the succession ritual to transfer the master sigil. Whoever wields it during the ceremony becomes “one of the Three” for a few seconds AND THEN DIES. Which also explains why ALL RELATIVES LIVE IN SKY.
- !!!!!!!!!!!!!
- There’s still a couple mysteries left, though. Why did Dekarta specifically choose Yeine to come to Sky and to be the mortal who wields the Stone? Why was Kinneth murdered and by whom?
- Unfortunately, just because Yeine possesses Enefa’s soul does not mean she is immune to the Stone. She, too, will die if she wields it, despite that she would be able to use it as if she is Enefa. So that’s what waits at the end of this: Yeine’s death. Yeine has to die to get revenge.
- SWEET BABY JESUS, WHAT IS THIS BOOK.
- I love it, then, that getting revenge for her mother’s death is going to involve her WINNING THE CONTEST OF SUCCESSION, TOO. Holy shit, YEINE, I LOVE YOU. I mean, she’s willing to die to earn protection for Darr, and she wants to take out Relad and Scimina and Dekarta in the process.
- THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD, EVERYONE. So good.
Part 1
Part 2
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