Fascinating near(ish) future SF. So many fascinating world building details fit into such a small book! I loved the two main characters, how their lives reflected and informed the story -- as well as giving the opportunity to show multiple ways of being in the same environment.

Very much a story of surveillance capitalism, of companies having far too much control of the lives of people. ( )

The pacing is weird - for such a short book with such a lot of action, I'm not sure why it was such a slow and disjointed read.

The book tries (and mostly succeeds) to hold the Even Better Than Natural tech and development solutions in tension with back-to-the-land tradition. If it comes down anywhere it's on the side of tradition, which I feel kind of :S about. (view spoiler)

*Most* of the sci fi elaboration was very interesting and thoughtful, but unfortunately some of it was very dumb. [Example: "What fascinated me most was that, because the anti-عجج prevented rain and wind, people lived right out in the open, not a house in sight." Great start, go on! "And there was so much open space, privacy wasn't an issue." What!! So even supposing that everyone is so enlightened that they have no desire to fuck in private (not addressed), Okorafor does not seem to be saying this is a utopia, there is definitely capitalism happening, and do you really expect there to be no theft or assault? People just feel comfortable being at one big slumber party with the entire city? Maybe we're supposed to imagine it's like a big park, with trees and stuff, but the need to artificially install sunlight anywhere you want plants to grow and the lack of mention of any landscaping makes that a harder sell.

I really did enjoy a lot of the sci fi, but the superpowers were extremely silly and broke my suspension of disbelief. (hide spoiler)] ( )

Intriguing and active all the way through! Such compelling characters…always as expected from Okorafor…Brilliant story-telling with a strong voice. Clearly (but not preaching) for environmental justice on African continent through beautiful fiction. ( )

I really enjoyed the technology and the message that consumerism is bad and letting giant companies control everything, really bad. The mystery as to why AO was the way she was, a real big letdown. Why DNA was the way he was, a bigger letdown. I think I just wanted more of the world and how it worked, not a mystery that had a convenient ending. ( )

In a future Nigeria, Okorafor explores the lasting effects of colonialism and capitalism, with climate change and identity thrown into the mix. AO is a cybernetically enhanced woman who chose her implants and artificial limbs to overcome the limits of her physical disabilities, yet those enhancements make her different, as others question her humanity. Still, she manages to live a quiet life as a mechanic, until a trip to the market turns everything upside down. On the run, she meets a nomadic herdsman who goes by his initials: DNA. He, too, is on the run and the two head north where DNA's people live, and where the enormous windstorm known as the Red Eye can mean certain death.

For a short novel, Okorafor packs a lot into it. Drones are everywhere, Ultimate Corp, supplier of energy, has made itself indispensable, and everything is streamed with or without context, building on our present reality. As important as the physical journey is, so is the one AO takes as she discovers hidden truths and comes to understand just what she's capable of doing. I don't want to say more and ruin the joy of taking this journey with AO. ( )