Binti: The Complete Trilogy

This collection has the first three Binti novellas, plus a new story.

Binti
The novella/short story is practically an art form, especially in Sci-fi or Fantasy where worldbuilding is so essential. Authors who excel at writing novels often fail at writing in short form for this reason. Okorafor has shown in Binti that she is a masterclass.

The reader is thrust immediately into Binti's world where mankind travels the stars and mingles with alien species. She will be the first of her family to attend a prestigious university on another planet - against their wishes. She is a harmonizer, an exceptional mathematician and the unexpected way to peace for two warring people. All this in less than 100 pages.

Binti: Home
Okorafor's Hugo-winning show more novella, Binti, was exceptional. It introduced readers to Binti's world where mankind travels the stars and mingles with alien species. She is the first of her family, of her people, to attend a prestigious university on another planet. But she did so against their wishes, potentially making her an outcast. This sequel returns to Binti a year into her education. She wants to go home. Needs to. But doing so will change her as radically as her encounter with the Meduse had done. This novella ends on a cliffhanger, which was a detriment to the original release, but is fine as part of the full trilogy collection.

Binti: The Night Masquerade
Since the last book ended on a major cliffhanger, I was eager to read the conclusion. And, the author did not disappoint! I found Binti’s African heritage to be a great way to explore SciFi.

In the first story, Binti defied tradition to travel off-world to an alien university, and found herself in the center of a war between Meduse and Koush. In the second novella, she traveled home with her Meduse friend Okwu along for the visit. She struggles with her new outsider status, discovers her heritage was not what she was lead to believe and gets caught up in world-shattering events once again. In this conclusion, the war reignites and Binti must not only embrace major changes in herself, but also help her people to do so as well.

I loved how unpredictable this story was! Despite the short length, the story had several exciting twists and went in unexpected directions. Okorafor’s world-building is excellent, especially the African cultural aspects, but she didn’t shy from breaking it down either. Tradition can often be used as a cover for prejudice and intransience, and Binti can fall into the trap as easily as anyone. Overall, this conclusion was satisfying, but I truly hope the author returns to this world in the future.

An amazing story with exceptional worldbuilding and a fully-realized protagonist. There is plenty to mine in this world and I hope the author writes more - perhaps from another character's POV. Highly recommended. show less

While reading the Binti novellas collected together, I wondered what it would be like to read each separately. They combine so well into a single novel that breaking them up seems counterintuitive. Nonetheless, I doubt that fragmentation would reduce the appeal of the vivid and fascinating Afrofuturist world building or the emotional impact of events. The plot follows Binti, a young woman of the relatively isolated Himba tribe on Earth, as she leaves home for university. Her exceptional maths skills have won her a place at Oomza Uni many light years away. She leaves secretly, as her family don’t want her to go. The journey is disastrous and tragic in ways that change Binti forever.

I thought the treatment of trauma and reconciliation show more throughout was particularly good. The lasting impact of traumatic events is always taken seriously, while showing that healing can come with time and support. Binti encounters cultures with a history of war and mutual intolerance and finds herself changed by them. She retains her Himba roots, while gaining connections to other cultures on Earth and beyond. All the material details, like importance of the clay mixture Binti applies to her face and hair, make the setting rich and visceral. Binti’s drive to learn, understand, and promote harmony makes an excellent engine for the plot. She struggles to overcome obstacles with the help of friends and other allies. Oomza Uni is a particularly excellent location and I’d love to read more sci-fi set in interstellar universities! Binti is a great protagonist and I found the story of her first year at university compelling. It was ultimately hopeful, despite the violence and war. Although the Binti novellas are not light reads, they are undoubtedly distinctive and memorable. show less

Some Sci-Fi is about the world. Although this story takes place in a compelling world, the story itself focuses on the quest to know one's self. What the setting provides that makes this a deeply Sci-Fi story (rather than a story that merely happens to have aliens and spaceships) is the way that Okorafor uses various alien species and technology to explore change and belonging. Yet this story is not all about exotic worlds. Much of the story takes place in Africa and is full of rich cultural references.

Although this was originally published as three separate novellas, the collection itself reads as a single novel with a major story arc that ties together the originally separate parts. If you did not know they were published separately, show more the only thing that would clue you are the few brief recap paragraphs. show less

Binti is the first Himba to be admitted to Oomza University. Since Himba rarely leave their own territory let alone Earth, she runs away to take up this opportunity. But while she is on the way to Oomza, her ship is attacked and apart from the pilot and Binti herself, all of the passengers and crew are killed. Binti develops a special bond with one of the attackers, Okwu. Can she ever go home again, and if she does, will she be welcomed?

Apart from one slip that really should have been caught by the editor, this is a masterpiece of storytelling. I am defiintely going to be keeping an eye open for the author's other works.

A trio of novellas about Binti, a teenage girl who sneaks away from home (Earth) and travels to another planet to attend University. Her superpower? She uses mental mathematical gymnastics to create harmony (and to meditate). She meets people (creatures) from all over the galaxy, she has adventures, she finds herself in many dangerous situations, and while doing all this, is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants.

The book worked for me on 2 levels - the sci fi part was interesting and not so complex that I couldn't follow it. I particularly loved the living space vehicle - SO clever! Then it also worked as Binti was dealing with real issues like homesickness, making new friends, discrimination toward her and from her toward show more others, being terrified of change and yet craving it. There's a lot packed into these short books.

I found it as I was searching for something for #ReadHarder a sci-fi novella - this one is Hugo and Nebula winning, so it seemed a good choice. It also works for a #BooklistQueen category. show less

A trilogy of novellas plus a story, but easily read as a single novel. Young adult in that it's a coming of age story, that spends some time at a university for aliens, and sex is minimal and discreet. Young adult also in that the workings of the world and universe at large is mostly untouched. All that matters to Binti is her family and village, and what happens to her. She plays an outsize role in the matters of interstellar conflict, as is common in YA science fiction.

What distinguishes Binti, beyond the character herself, is the complete absence of any population from Earth other than the several African groups in the story. The invisibility and irrelevance of China, Russia, the West, is refreshing to this old reader.

Recommended.

Muito bom.
A força interior de Binti para ultrapassar os seus medos e crenças é muito motivante e positiva.
A autora transmite-nos uma mensagem de esperança.
Depois de uma aventura e tanto chegamos à página de agradecimentos e temos mais uma boa surpresa com a descrição dos passos de criação e de como a ideia surgiu.
Uma autora a descobrir e ficar atento para mais boas experiências.
Um bom livro para oferecer e recomendar.