The City We Became – N.K. Jemisin

ometimes a city becomes large enough and complicated enough and interesting enough that it literally comes to life. The change is literally of cosmic significance: Before, there were thousands or millions of alternative possibilities, each with its own version of the city. The awakened city spans all those alternities. That’s rough on the inhabitants of those other possibilities, who have just gone ‘poof!’.

Sometimes the transition is interrupted, and the new entity is stillborn. That’s rough on the city. The interruption tends to manifest as fire or flood or earthquake or volcano or something similarly-discouraging.

New York starts coming to life, and an entity from one of those other possibilities, who would rather not go ‘poof!’, is trying to kill it. Fortunately, the city’s new avatar manages to fight off the attack. Unfortunately, the entity has been preparing for this confrontation for a long time, and is not willing to lose gracefully. Fortunately, five people become avatars of the five boroughs. They have a chance, if they can find each other in time, and work together, and figure out how to help the original avatar. Unfortunately, the entity has no intention of giving them time.

The enemy is creepy and capable. It can influence people, and the influence tends to encourage their inner thugs. It can break things - like bridges and roads - and does. It can persuade. If it succeeds, it can destroy New York.