N. K. Jemisin

N. K. Jemisin, or Nora K. Jemisin, is an American author known for her works in the science fiction and fantasy genres. She was born on September 19, 1972, in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. She is the first African American writer to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel—and she achieved this remarkable feat three years in a row with her Broken Earth trilogy.

N. K. Jemisin

Jemisin graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1994 and later earned a master’s degree in school psychology from the University of Maryland. She studied science fiction writing at the Viable Paradise Writers’ Workshop on Martha’s Vineyard. Before dedicating herself fully to writing, she worked as a career counselor and psychologist.

Her debut novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the first book in The Inheritance Trilogy, was published in 2010 and received multiple awards and nominations. In 2015, she released The Fifth Season, the first book of The Broken Earth trilogy, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Jemisin currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, where she continues to write and publish new works. She also writes columns for The New York Times on topics related to science fiction and fantasy.

Books by N. K. Jemisin

Standalone Novels

  • The City Born Great (2016)

The Inheritance Trilogy

  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2009) – Winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Japan’s Sense of Gender Award
  • The Broken Kingdoms (2010)
  • The Kingdom of Gods (2011)
  • The Awakened Kingdom (2014)
  • Shades in Shadow (2015) – A collection of prequel stories

The Dreamblood Duology

  • The Killing Moon (2012) (published in Bulgarian as “Луната, която убива” in 2014)
  • The Shadowed Sun (2012) (published in Bulgarian as “Засенчено слънце” in 2014)

The Broken Earth Trilogy

  • The Fifth Season (2015) – Hugo Award for Best Novel
  • The Obelisk Gate (2016) – Hugo Award for Best Novel
  • The Stone Sky (2017) – Hugo Award for Best Novel

Short Stories

  • L’Alchimista (2004)
  • Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows (2004)
  • Red Riding-Hood’s Child (2005)
  • Cloud Dragon Skies (2005)
  • Bittersweet (2007)
  • The Narcomancer (2007)
  • The Brides of Heaven (2007)
  • The You Train (2007)
  • Playing Nice With God’s Bowling Ball (2008)
  • Non-Zero Probabilities (2009)
  • Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters (2010)
  • On the Banks of the River Lex (2010)
  • The Trojan Girl (2011)
  • The Effluent Engine (2011)
  • From The Killing Moon (excerpt) (2012)
  • Valedictorian (2012)
  • Walking Awake (2014)
  • Stone Hunger (2014)
  • Sunshine Ninety-Nine (2015)

Nonfiction

  • Geek Wisdom (2011) – co-authored with Genevieve Valentine