The City We Became

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The first step is to download the Fable app. From there, you’ll be able to create your own private or public book club and invite others to read with you. Once your club is created, click on the plus sign under “Currently reading” and search for this book to add it to your club.

By N. K. Jemisin

Publisher Description

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

The Inheritance Trilogy (omnibus edition)
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

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Curate your feed

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4477 Reviews

3.5

Serina LovesReading

Created about 8 hours ago

Diverse representation Likeable Twisty Atmospheric Immersive world-building Setting fits the story Vivid descriptions Original Captivating Thought-provoking Well-organized Well-paced

Teef

Created about 19 hours ago

“A sci-fi love letter to the city of New York”

Diverse representation Original Slow start, strong finish Original Takes getting used to

FrankLotion

Created 1 day ago

Believable Diverse representation Clever plotting Fast-paced Satisfying conclusion Atmospheric Evocative imagery Vivid descriptions Beautifully-written Descriptive Engaging Fascinating Thought-provoking Personal experience Flows well Conversational Effective visuals Stylistically unique

The Glitter Ghoul

Created 1 day ago

“I really, really wanted to love THE CITY WE BECAME but the first few chapters are really repetitive in that each one introduces us to one character and their environment until we get through a large chunk of an ensemble cast of characters that still need to get together for the story to get moving. It’s very monotonous and hard to follow until you get a good sense of what’s going on. By the time the story gets into first gear, it may or may not have already lost your attention. For me, it was still mildly piqued, so I pushed through. Ultimately I am glad I did because once the story gets going, it’s really interesting and unique, if a little heavy handed. Still, original sci-fi is hard to come by these days and I really enjoyed the ideas at play and loved all the characters. My biggest problem here is that THE CITY WE BECAME is very clearly just half of a story and the last act feels rushed and anticlimactic. I know a sequel has been published recently but unfortunately I don’t think I enjoyed this enough to pursue it.”

About N. K. Jemisin

N. K. Jemisin is the first author in history to win three consecutive Best Novel Hugo Awards, all for her Broken Earth trilogy. Her work has also won the Nebula, Locus, and Goodreads Choice Awards. She has been a reviewer for the New York TimesBook Review, and an instructor for the Clarion and Clarion West writing workshops. In her spare time, she is a gamer and gardener, and she is also single-handedly responsible for saving the world from King Ozzymandias, her dangerously intelligent ginger cat, and his phenomenally destructive sidekick Magpie.