I’m a huge fan of Ngugi wa Thiong’o, having read everything that I could get. I always exit a reading experience feeling that I have just learned a great deal, even while I simultaneously understood embarrassingly little. Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s backstory is so remarkable and his knowledge so vast. I think that he is an artist and a hero. I keep waiting for the Nobel Prize.

As soon as I became aware of “The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi”, I knew I had to read it. I will admit to some trepidation – given the complexity of other works such as “Petals of Blood” and “Wizard of the Crow”, I was afraid that I would be challenged with an epic poem and have to struggle to find the nuggets that are always buried in wa Thiong’o’s work.

No need to worry. “The Perfect Nine” is a highly accessible read. The flow is sublime, the visuals created spectacular. And what an spectacular story! “The Perfect Nine” is highly political in nature, describing a feminist, matriarchal world where violence is shunned upon. The journey, the quest, the races, the Ogres, lightness and dark, magic. As always, I learned so much, and probably understood embarrassingly little. Wonderful, compelling read.

Thanks to The New Press and NetGalley for the eARC. Much appreciated.