Also the plot device sounds like the mutants in the Marvel universe being discriminated against.

I'm ok with ridiculous criticism, I hope that criticism is ridiculed as well.

Does this book parallel that? Or are short-sighted readers assuming it does because it's the only way they understand the concept of slavery, despite many wildly different implementations throughout history?

No, my point is that it does not parallel that. Also, I think that people who say that did not read the book at all, but found slavery mentioned in book analysis and jumped to conclusion. Because you can easily read the book without thinking about slavery at all and much less American one. The word itself is used only few times.

Also, in born abilities are not the only way to become a slave in that book. Guardians are slaves too.

"this book" being Blood Heir, not The Fifth Season.

Ah, ok. I have no idea. I reacted to "It immediately reminded me of Jemisin's "The Fifth Season", because that's pretty much the central plot device there: people with dangerous magical powers being discriminated against, out of fear, in ways that directly and obviously parallel racial discrimination of blacks in real world USA." in parent. The description that made him think of fifth season does not sounds like fifth season either.

I did not read "Blood Heir" and don't know anything specific except seeing some tweets about about the issue. All those tweets were from people with strong agendas (both ways agendas but still not fully trustworthy in their analysis). Which is why I don't want to speculate on its content.

So orogene/rogga didn't give you any obvious word associations?

There's more if you look closely, though. Let me quote something straight from the second book in the series, "The Obelisk Gate":

"Our position is thoroughly identified with the physical integrity of the Stillness — for the obvious interest of long-term survival. Maintenance of this land is peculiarly dependent upon seismic equilibrium, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the orogenic can establish such. A blow at their bondage is a blow at the very planet. We rule, therefore, that though they bear some resemblance to we of good and wholesome lineage, and though they must be managed with kind hand to the benefit of both bond and free, any degree of orogenic ability must be assumed to negate its corresponding personhood. They are rightfully to be held and regarded as an inferior and dependent species.

— The Second Yumenescene Lore Council’s Declaration on the Rights of the Orogenically Afflicted"

Recognize that wording? It's the Mississippi declaration of secession in the Civil War. Here's the original bit:

"Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery - the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization."

Of course orogenes are not the same as African Americans (they're not a race, for one!), and the situation in the books is different in many ways. Nevertheless, there are many intentional parallels and call-outs like that there.

I did interpreted it as insult made to sound like current insult. There are call outs as you say, but it is in no way parallel. More like she learned from history and mixed pars of it into the book. I think that she also learned from some former slave stories.

The whole system of oppression in the book is completely different from chattel slavery. It is not even really race-based except to the extend where ability is inherited. The overall system resembles genocide more - there is some commonality with wwii too. American slavery had slaves permeated whole society, serving in households closely under whites. That is not like that at all in book and Jemisin knows that. American slaves where money, property. Not at all in book. American slavery did not had beautiful fulcrum. Not took away all the kids from parents.

There are call outs, but in important defining things it is different and resembles also other historical events to the same degree. Jemisin took pieces of this and that and mixed it to something original.

Here's how Jemisin herself describes orogenes:

"Technically it makes no sense to call this a race at all; they emerge from every people of the Stillness in roughly equal proportions, though more of them live to adulthood in the Arctics and the Equatorials because the Fulcrums are located in those regions. There’s nothing visually distinct about orogenes; the thing that makes them unique is perceptual, behavioral. Yet race in our own world is a social construct, not anything related to actual biology, so it makes sense that a world which has such complicated feelings about orogenes would conceptually fission them off from the rest of humanity. In fact, as Essun alludes at one point in TFS, Old Sanze officially classified orogenes as non-human a few centuries back. The better to oppress.

But there’s also something about the common experiences of orogenes which lends some substance to the label. Orogenes of the Fulcrum use a highly specialized vocabulary — e.g. torus, crucible, grit. They aren’t used to hiding, which is one of the reasons it’s rare for them to successfully escape; having spent years among their own kind, there are markers in their behavior which make them stick out like sore thumbs among any non-Fulcrum population. Only those who lived outside the Fulcrum as children have much real hope of blending in. But orogenes who grow up outside the Fulcrum — ferals, as Fulcrum orogenes call them — have their own unique traits. They share the markers of an oppressed group in hiding — and just as black people can sometimes spot those who are passing via “blackdar”, and just as other hapas often know on sight that (frex) Keanu Reeves is One Of Them, it’s something that can be seen. It might be subtle, protective camouflage… but it’s visible to those who have reason to look for it."

(http://nkjemisin.com/2015/08/creating-races/)

So I'd say that it's intentionally closer than you believe it is. But also - sure, it's different, but then isn't the book being discussed here also different?

Also, regarding orogene/rogga - it's not just the second part. Look at the first word closely, and consider the letters it consists of. Or just read it backwards.

I did not read the other book. I have no idea how different it is to Jemisin nor to history. I have no idea whether I would personally consider it bad or whether I would not cared.

In any case, fifth season is not parellel to real history nor contains stereotypes. The author goes out of her way to give distinct personality to each character and no group is composed of same-like individuals. All biological groups have members of differing opinions and personalities. Shared traits are carefully explained as result of situation.

I don't know what you mean to say by that description of orogenes and fulcrum. Black could not blendin (except few very white individuals at risk to have dark child), they were not separated to largely self-governing institution). Instead they lived in households and plantages. Blacks indeed had own dialect, but so did any group of people separated by livestyle or rules. Different classes and separated places always grow to differ in language and habits. None of it is specific to black history in United States or very closely parallel to it.

It shows that Jemisin do know how groups of people develop cultur and shows her opinion on race being social construct. It does not show special closeness to black history in USA except in some taking cues of how people behave. She is educate and knows psychology and likely sociology well.

I think that you read too much from wordplay+callouta and ignore massive massive differences between orogenes and real world blacks - both during and after slavery.

And what difference do those massive differences make to my original point?