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Book Review: She Who Knows by Nnedi Okorafor
Blending science fiction and fantasy in a near future West African setting, this engaging prequel offers a compelling plot blended with a unique coming-of-age story in a quick read.
Summary:
Najeeba knows.
She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s not a terrible thing, just strange. So when she leaves with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake, there’s neither fanfare nor protest. For Najeeba, it’s a dream come true: travel by camel, open skies, and a chance to see a spectacular place she’s only heard about. However, there must have been something to the rule, because Najeeba’s presence on the road changes everything and her family will never be the same.
Review:
This short, powerful book packs quite a punch with its quickly established setting, a main character you can easily root for, and action scenes that will leave you breathless.
This is a perfect example of science fantasy (also called space fantasy), blending elements of both science fiction and fantasy seamlessly. The science fiction aspect is revealed through its post-apocalyptic future—something happened to reset the world. Paper books are rare and kept in a community building, and the salt fields that Najeeba’s people harvest from were created by a drying up of the water. The fantasy elements feel just as integrated, from the “Call” that Najeeba’s people receive when it’s time to go to the salt, to the supernatural powers some individuals can access. (For another science fantasy read, check out my retelling of Thumbelina set on Venus.)
Though part of a prequel series to Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death, you don’t need to have read that to enjoy this one. I hadn’t read it either, and I never felt lost or like I was missing crucial context. The initial conflict—Najeeba’s desire to do something that’s typically only for boys—is easy to grasp, and the world-building is subtle and effective. By the time the more unique and fantastical elements come into play, I was fully immersed in the world.
Set in a future version of West Africa, this features Black protagonists, with other characters who are Arab. While some of the abilities that develop in the story could be read as an allegory for developing a disability, none are explicitly represented.
The plot kept me hooked, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I found myself eager to explore more of this world. I’m excited to pick up the next book in the series when it’s available.
Overall, this is a quick, engaging read that brings science fantasy to a West African future setting. It’s a refreshing take on the near-future genre, offering a new perspective that I look forward to exploring further.
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4 out of 5 stars
Length: 161 pages – average but on the shorter side
Source: Library
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Book Review: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Series, #1)
Summary:
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.
Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti’s stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.
If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself – but first she has to make it there, alive.
Review:
A scifi novella I heard about in the context of bringing some much-needed new energy to the genre. It’s not that there’s never been scifi starring a black woman, but there hasn’t been a lot of it. What I found most intriguing about the novella, though, was the main character seeking to pursue her scientific interests without losing her ties to her culture. I think this is a struggle that many first-generation college students feel, and I liked seeing it represented so eloquently in literature.
The young black woman going to university isn’t devoid of her own character and culture. The characterization isn’t just like every other scifi main character ever whose skin just happens to be darker. No, Binti is much more than her skin tone. She’s a whole backstory of a tribal culture that is simultaneously rich in scientific knowledge. (A great concept, beautifully executed). Being the first to leave is scary, and she clings to what she knows of home while also being unafraid to reach out and learn new things.
Without spoiling things, her culture and her diversity ends up being a key factor that aids in the war with the Meduse in a creative way that had me smiling. So there’s a lot to like about the novella.
I didn’t 100% love it, though. Much as I got a good sense of Binti, I didn’t get a good one of the secondary characters around her. This made it so that when the bad things start happening later in the novella, it was hard to care about them. Obviously novellas are limited by length, but I do think the secondary characters could have been more fleshed out like Binti to make the action scenes have the emotional impact on the reader that they do on her.
All in all, though, as a woman with curly hair that has been called “tentacle-like” I loved having a scifi read with tentacle-like hair playing such a central role. I’m excited to read the next entry in the series.
If you found this review helpful, please consider tipping me on ko-fi, checking out my digital items available in my ko-fi shop, buying one of my publications, or using one of my referral/coupon codes. Thank you for your support!
4 out of 5 stars
Length: 96 pages – novella
Source: Library
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This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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