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The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor
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The Book of Phoenix (edition 2015)

by Nnedi Okorafor (Author)

Series: Who Fears Death (0.5)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
5793740,653 (3.66)36
"Phoenix was grown and raised among other genetic experiments in New York's Tower 7. She is an 'accelerated woman'--only two years old but with the body and mind of an adult, Phoenix's abilities far exceed those of a normal human. Still innocent and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she is content living in her room speed reading e-books, running on her treadmill, and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human of Tower 7. Then one evening, Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated by his death and Tower 7's refusal to answer her questions, Phoenix finally begins to realize that her home is really her prison, and she becomes desperate to escape. But Phoenix's escape, and her destruction of Tower 7, is just the beginning of her story. Before her story ends, Phoenix will travel from the United States to Africa and back, changing the entire course of humanity's future"--… (more)
Member:sturlington
Title:The Book of Phoenix
Authors:Nnedi Okorafor (Author)
Info:DAW (2016), 240 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:***
Tags:2015, Science Fiction, Ghana, dystopia, genetic engineering, postapocalyptic

Work Information

The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

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» See also 36 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 37 (next | show all)
Hmm. This is a very angry book, and a very cruel one. A disclaimer: I understand where Nnedi Okorafor is coming from - and I can relate, but I obviously cannot have had the same experiences, since I am not a POC.

"The Book of Phoenix" is a bit of a mess - a blend of sci-fi and fantasy set in a dystopian world, with an almost godlike superhero battling evil scientists (who are REALLY evil); said evil scientists doing unspeakable things to people from Africa as a metaphor for colonisation and slavery; it is written as a fable or a folk tale; you can see where the plot is going; at its heart, it is a revenge fantasy.

At times it felt more like a pamphlet rather than a novel. This book is screaming its message - yet I kept thinking that those you can only reach by screaming (and maybe not even then...) will probably not read Nnedi Okorafor, while those who WILL, do not need much more than a whisper.

Also, I was extremely bothered by two things: "women are so emotional" explanation for Phoenix's actions (seriously!?) and that one of the male characters who is supposed to be one of the good guys is slut-shaming women, simply for being attracted to him and showing it (what's up with that!?).

I am rather disappointed, since I usually enjoy Nnedi Okorafor's writing - I loved Lagoon, I loved Binti and its sequels, and enjoyed Remote Control (there are some connections between the latter and "The Book of Phoenix" that I found quite interesting), but this book left me with messy and conflicting emotions.
( )
  Alexandra_book_life | Dec 15, 2023 |
Fun story, I probably should've read book 1 first but whatever, I just really like her mythologies. I guess I get to read the rest now. ( )
  Kiramke | Nov 4, 2023 |
Readers of the stunning Who Fears Death are haunted by the question of how the world came to be the way it was. The Book of Phoenix tells that story. It's numbered as a "prequel" and I suppose it is, but I'm glad I read it after reading WFD. It doesn't contain spoilers per se, but it does not resonate with the same power. ( )
  JudyGibson | Jan 26, 2023 |
Not that it was poorly written or anything but I don't care for mystical hoo ha. Plus it ended pretty crappy. ( )
  Luziadovalongo | Jul 14, 2022 |
In the distant future Sunuteel comes across abandoned computers and finds an audio file telling the story of Phoenix, a human genetically engineered to be a radioactive weapon.

Some interesting ideas but ultimately although I found it enjoyable reading it, I didn't really feel like reading it for too long at a time and was easily distracted. ( )
  Robertgreaves | May 14, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 37 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Okorafor, Nnediprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Battle, EricIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
G-Force DesignCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Glover, ElizabethDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kern, ClaudiaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lazo, ElisaCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Miles, RobinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rodriguez, PatriciaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ruth, GregCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sund, HaraldCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
"Voyage through death, to life upon these shores."

-- Robery Hayden, poet (Middle Passage)
Dedication
To the stolen girls of Chibok, Nigeria. May you awaken with the heart of Phoenix Okore and may your powerful flames illuminate your swift journey home.
First words
Nobody really knows who wrote the Great Book.
Quotations
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
This is the 2015 novel that expands on the novella, African Sunrise (Subterranean), that expanded on the novelette published in Clarkesworld.
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"Phoenix was grown and raised among other genetic experiments in New York's Tower 7. She is an 'accelerated woman'--only two years old but with the body and mind of an adult, Phoenix's abilities far exceed those of a normal human. Still innocent and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she is content living in her room speed reading e-books, running on her treadmill, and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human of Tower 7. Then one evening, Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated by his death and Tower 7's refusal to answer her questions, Phoenix finally begins to realize that her home is really her prison, and she becomes desperate to escape. But Phoenix's escape, and her destruction of Tower 7, is just the beginning of her story. Before her story ends, Phoenix will travel from the United States to Africa and back, changing the entire course of humanity's future"--

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