If there’s a single word to describe how Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti reads, it’s “refreshing.” It’s short, accessible work of science fiction that eschews the usual cast of western characters, while adopting a universe that reminded me of William Kotzwinkle’s ET: The Green Planet. Space travel is by organic vehicles and aliens are as foreign as the creatures of the deep. The technology, and the culture, relies on principles of math and science that are steeped in the West African culture of Okorafor’s heritage, and the flavor that it gives Binti is delicious.
Nominated for a Hugo (Novella), Binti is a quick read, and despite solid writing and being draped in a culture foreign to most western readers, the plot was a tad predictable for anyone but the most beginning reader. On her way to Oozma University, across the dark universe, Binti finds her ship beset by the alien Meduse. Before long, the future of civilized space will rely on her to find a way to peace. But will the price cost Binti to lose all that she is?
Okorafor’s writing is clean and clear, and I look forward to reading her further, and I credit Binti for giving me a taste of her style. I liked it, and I want to add more of it to my reading diet.
Find past posts on Hugo Award nominees here.
Binti
science fiction
Tor.com
September 22, 2015
Paperback
96
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.
Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.
If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself ― but first she has to make it there, alive.
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