Great Cities

N. K. Jemisin

In contemporary New York City, three strangers—each rooted in a different borough and a different kind of life—discover that the city is not merely a backdrop but a living force with a will of its own. When memory fractures and strange, myth-haunted signals begin to surface, they must learn what it means to hear the city’s “heart,” interpret its ancient stories, and confront the danger of a power that can both protect and destroy. Blending speculative magic with sharp cultural insight, the novel explores identity, belonging, and the myths we inherit—while asking who gets to define a place and who pays the price when it awakens. N. K. Jemisin’s acclaimed, award-winning style brings lyrical intensity and inventive worldbuilding to a story that feels both urgent and mythic, turning the city itself into the central character.