Description
Book SynopsisNow optioned as a TV series for HBO, with executive producer George R. R. Martin!
An award-winning literary author enters the world of magical realism with her World Fantasy Award-winning novel of a remarkable woman in post-apocalyptic Africa. In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. A woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert, hoping to die. Instead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand. Gripped by the certainty that her daughter is different—
special—she names her Onyesonwu, which means Who fears death? in an ancient language.
It doesn't take long for Onye to understand that she is physically and socially marked by the circumstances of her conception. She is
Ewu—a child of rape who is expected to live a life of viol
Trade ReviewPraise for
Who Fears Death"
Haunting and absolutely brilliant. My heart and guts are all turned inside out." —John Green,
New York Times-bestselling author of
The Fault in Our Stars
"
Who Fears Death is one of the most
striking, chilling, truly fascinating, and all-around remarkable novels I've read in a very long time.” —Peter S. Beagle, bestselling author of
The Last Unicorn
"Nnedi Okorafor is American-born but her Nigerian blood runs strong, lacing her work with
fantasy, magic and true African reality. Many people need to read Who Fears Death, it's an important book." —Nawal El Saadawi, bestselling author of
Woman at Point Zero "To compare author Nnedi Okorafor to the late Octavia E. Butler would be easy to do, but this simple comparison should not detract from
Okorafor’s unique storytelling gift." —
New York Journal of Books
"Both
wondrously magical and terribly realistic." —
The Washington Post
"
Believable, nuanced characters of color and an unbiased view of an Africa full of technology, mysticism, culture clashes and true love." —
Ebony Magazine (editor's pick)
"A fantastical,
magical blend of grand storytelling." —
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Beautifully written, this is dystopian fantasy at its very best.
Expertly exploring issues of race, gender, and cultural identity, Okorafor blends future fantasy with the rhythm and feel of African storytelling. " —
Library Journal (starred review)
"Her pacing is tight. Her
expository sections sing like poetry. Descriptions of paranormal people and battles are disturbingly vivid and palpable. But most crucial to the book's success is how the author slowly transforms Onye's pursuit of her rapist father from a personal vendetta to a struggle to transform the social systems that created him." —
The Village Voice
"Okorafor is a master storyteller who combines recent history, fantasy, tradition, advanced technology, and culture into
something wonderful and new that should not be missed." —
RT Book Review (top pick)
