Noor

By: Nnedi Okorafor

Narrated by: Délé Ogundiran

From Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful rumination on biotechnology, destiny, and humanity in a near-future Nigeria.

Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong". But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong.

Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the "reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist" and the "saga of the wicked woman and mad man" unfold.

This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn't so predictable. Expect the unaccepted.

©2021 Nnedi Okorafor (P)2021 Tantor

A Fantastic story

This is the first story from an author who experienced life on the African continent that I have read. It combines current day events and perspective from the point of view of people who are from a different culture and perhaps, class with future technology. It also shows that you don’t have to have advantages created by money to affect change in the world.
Well done!

Loved it!

Yes it started slow. But the structurally I understand it, the author lays out the unseemly connected Easter eggs early on for the reader. But after the first incident, the story progresses well. Though it seems like all of the event happened in a matter of a week, it felt like much longer. The clever use of the character names was genius! Where is the movie! Not for kids….I wasn’t expecting that AT ALL. I saw the tension…but damn. Didn’t see that coming so quickly. I expected a lot slower burn. Subtle comedy was good too. Where is the movie?

Brilliant

Fast paced, action packed novel. Sci-Fi with a novel, modern twist. I loved the inferences to the current business model, and to the indifference caused by comfortable lives.

Refreshing Cyberpunk

Maybe more "hopepunk" than cyberpunk. A really well done story. Lots of desert tech and culture.

Terrific read!

This is an extremely captivating work from great start to excellent finish. Highly recommended book!

Nice story

It was a fun short listen - Afro-cyberpunk type setting. Strong leading characters. I wanted more of something I can’t put a finger on it. It was good - I wish it was great.

a shallow adventure rather than an introspective work

The story leaps from action to action leaving the protagonist (and the reader) bewildered and without direction. The antagonist is the standard evil corporation and the people are complicit in accepting when the corporation supersedes the government. The protagonist reveals the truth of it all mostly by accident and manages to incite revolution and escape each trap through last-minute providence or discovering unforeseen powers. I would have liked to learn more about the implied magic that her companion may have had, or more about the mystic who guides them on their journey. I’m not a fan of the cheap sexual acts the characters indulge in or the way the author portrays marijuana use as not only acceptable but medicinal and even magical. The author portrays the people as simple in thought, barbaric in cruelty, and unsophisticated in politics. I was disappointed to find this novel did not challenge stereotypes of sub-Saharan Africa, but instead reinforced popular preconceptions of a nomadic, brutal people easily swayed by propaganda, power, and promises.

Evocative, realistic Cyberpunk

Afro-futurism. Solarpunk. Cyberpunk. Gritty Realism. Corporate Domination. There is a distinct irony leaving a review for a story where the villain is "Ultimatecorp" on an Amazon owned app.

Her description of the pain and rehab of cybernetics is something often glossed over or montaged through in Cyberpunk, because it keeps you from getting to the cool stuff. But here, dwelling in the pain and suffering of it is essential to AO's journey.

This is also a refreshingly unique perspective, having these matters in a small Nigerian town rather than a mega city dripping with neon.

And one of my favorite notes was that solar power has almost taken over completely as the power source, but problems still exist in the world. I think too often narratives tend to make any society which subsist entirely on Solar a utopia or the good guys, while here it's like "Okay, everyone has and uses solar. Guess what, people are still people." A refreshing note of realism.

I can't think of anything I disliked.

Outstanding

Okorafer never fails to make you fall in love with her characters. I can't get enough of her stories. This one is less brutal than some. Wonderful adventure and love story. So exceptional in the writing and performance.

I couldn't finish it

I absolutely loved the Binti books. And I really like the narrator. But this book just did not grab my attention like her other books did. I'm going to keep it, maybe I'll try it again later.