My Thoughts:
Nnedi Okorafor is the best science fiction/fantasy contemporary author. That she happens to be Nigerian American, that she happens to be black, that she happens to be an Afrofuturist author in the vein of Octavia Butler has nothing to do with what makes her such a memorable storyteller. Let us not belittle her talent by calling her a Black science fiction/fantasy author. She is a storyteller that continues to both entertain and provide a cautionary tale to humanity in the same way that all great science fiction and fantasy books do.
Shadow Speaker is book one of a duology taking place in a postapocalyptic Saharan landscape. Okorafor is very good at coming of age stories with strong female characters and this is no exception. Like her other books she also weaves in magic, technology, power struggles and war. The difference in this book is that the writing is more complex in a great way. Okorafor as a storyteller still pulls me in with the fast twists and turns, but she also takes the time to round out the characters, including Onion, the talking Camel. I dare you to not cling to Onion as a main character.
One of the most beautiful scenes, and one that I cannot talk too much about because it is a spoiler, opens up the idea that pain and death can really just be a metamorphosis to clarity and growth. It was almost like the author, like many other science fiction/fantasy authors is starting to talk about religion in her own way (Pullman, Golden Compass and even Butler, as examples). Either way, it does not matter. As a story teller, Okorafor is getting better and better with every book. That scene earned the last star. I know that this is an expanded edition of an out of print early novel, so perhaps it is not about her maturing voice, but either way, in the order in which I have read her pieces (Binti then the Akata series), this was is the best at character development. I definitely will read her next book, Like Thunder.
From the Publisher:
Niger, West Africa, 2074
It is an era of tainted technology and mysterious mysticism. A great change has happened all over the planet, and the laws of physics aren’t what they used to be.
Within all this, I introduce you to Ejii Ugabe, a child of the worst type of politician. Back when she was nine years old, she was there as her father met his end. Don’t waste your tears on him: this girl’s father would throw anyone under a bus to gain power. He was a cruel, cruel man, but even so, Ejii did not rejoice at his departure from the world. Children are still learning that some people don’t deserve their love.
Now 15 years old and manifesting the abilities given to her by the strange Earth, Ejii decides to go after the killer of her father. Is it for revenge or something else? You will have to find out by reading this book.
I am the Desert Magician, and this is a novel I have conjured for you, so I’m certainly not going to just tell you here.
It is an era of tainted technology and mysterious mysticism. A great change has happened all over the planet, and the laws of physics aren’t what they used to be.
Within all this, I introduce you to Ejii Ugabe, a child of the worst type of politician. Back when she was nine years old, she was there as her father met his end. Don’t waste your tears on him: this girl’s father would throw anyone under a bus to gain power. He was a cruel, cruel man, but even so, Ejii did not rejoice at his departure from the world. Children are still learning that some people don’t deserve their love.
Now 15 years old and manifesting the abilities given to her by the strange Earth, Ejii decides to go after the killer of her father. Is it for revenge or something else? You will have to find out by reading this book.
I am the Desert Magician, and this is a novel I have conjured for you, so I’m certainly not going to just tell you here.
Publication information:
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Publisher: DAW (September 26, 2023)
No comments:
Post a Comment