Noor means light, and in Nnedi Okorafor’s africanfuturist novel, Noor, it is the name of huge wind turbines that fill the deserts of Africa, generating enough power that electricity can be exported to Europe.

The book is set in near-future Nigeria, which has grown wealthy thanks to the huge energy business. It and pretty much everything else in life is in the hands of Ultimate Corporation, which provides for the poor too. The society is similar to ours, except even more connected by electronic devices and under constant surveillance by drones, the feed of which can be followed by anyone. To be off the grid requires special measures.

AO—Artificial Organism, like she prefers to be called—is a beneficiary of the corporation’s charity. Born without legs and one arm, she’s welcomed the artificial limbs and other improvements they’ve offered, even implants to her brain to stop weird hallucinations. But the society sees her as a demon, and her life is constant balancing between being useful and not drawing attention to herself.

She thinks she’s found a safe haven for herself in a small town, with most of her digital footprint erased. Then one day at the marketplace, a group of men attack her. Something snaps in her brain, literally, and she kills the men. Now she has to flee to the desert.

There she meets DNA, a traditional Fulani herdsman who’s also fleeing. His traditional way of life of grazing his cattle freely has angered the farmers who have attacked his people, killing everyone except him. He’s also had to kill to save his life, but like with AO, the news feed only shows the part where he is the aggressor.

Together they flee to the only place where they can’t be found, inside Red Eye, a huge sand tornado in the middle of the desert which hides many fugitives. There they uncover the truth about AO’s implants and the attacks against the herdsmen, and learn, that to save themselves, they have to go against the one thing that controls everything, the Ultimate Corporation.

The book was told in AO’s point of view, and it suited the narrative well. She was an interesting character, an outsider who both wanted to belong and had embraced her differences. Her growing abilities with technology weren’t entirely well explained—was it magical, or intentional by the maker of the implants?—but she embraced her role as a saviour/destroyer with all the anger she’d bottled. There was romance too, more on the background, but raising the stakes for both her and DNA.

This was a deceptively small novel that grew to have a global impact. From start to finish, it was impossible to see where it would lead, and if a happy ending was even possible. Stakes kept getting higher, with both technology and the desert against AO and DNA. The author knows the traditional Nigerian ways well, and everything felt authentic. All in all, an interesting read that will linger with me for a long time.

An Afrofuturist story set in Nigeria, Noor follows AO, a woman born with disabilities who exchanged organic parts for cyborg ones as she grew. After being attacked at the market, AO runs into the massive sandstorm known as the Red Eye. There she meets a Fulani tribesman named DNA, and together they share stories of survival and death. A great read, though frustrating to those who prefer a linear narrative.

Dearests, this book presents interesting discussions on transhumanism, beauty, pain and shifting cultures amidst an Futuristic African background. *Chef’s kiss*

Official title: Noor
My title: Steer the Sands
Author: Nnedi Okorafor (👏 excellent writer)
Publisher: DAW
Fav character: DNA
Readability: Intense
Type: Book
4.9/5

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ I love any book that discusses physical pain and it’s transformational effect, especially since pain is unknown/unseen by others, yet so important to the daily duties of the sufferer
~ The debate of transhumanism and how far humans can and should improve and enhance themselves is a prime theme of the book, where the fear of the unknown and the fear of the ‘other’ results in critical conflicts that unravel many lies
~ DNA is a King! A man thrust into so much unknown and yet thriving, loving, fighting 🥺 Plus, he gave me my favourite quote
~ The book packed with deep thoughts and considerations, a respect for culture and acknowledgement of change and the wonders of sci-fi
~ The Hour Glass is somewhere I would love to visit

AO, the mechanic, has spent her life improving and empowering herself through the addition of cybernetic parts, regardless of all of the pain. Her increasing ‘robotic’ appearance has been the source of conflict with her family and her boyfriend, and one day, after an incident in the market, it becomes too much for EVERYONE and AO must flee with the little she has on her. Trapped in the wild desert, with DNA, a Fulani Herdsman, his cows and the corporation that commands the country and a growing ability, there are secrets, lies and wonders that AO and DNA will uncover that will plunge Nigeria into the beginnings of an awakening and the brutal transformation of a place that takes its own time. ;)

I adored this book. I was going to rush through it, but I am happy I decided to take my time. I really came to care for the happiness and well-being of the characters. This is something that Okarafor has consistently managed to make me feel. ♡

✨Give it a read.

🌱THE MEH
~ We don’t know what happened to the cows 😬

♡🌱 But that’s just me ;)

One Sentence Summary: AO is on the run after a bloody incident at the markets and DNA is the sole survivor of an incident everyone believes he was an instigator of as a terrorist, but the true enemy is all around them.

Overall
Noor is a story of identity and technology. It’s a lovely story of a growing relationship between the two main characters, which was one of my favorite parts of this novel. I did find it a little difficult to connect with this story as AO felt so angry and off-putting to me, but DNA was really wonderful. Mostly, though, there was a huge focus on the technology and how it has impacted the people. In some ways, it felt like a cautionary tale to me, which really made me stop and think. I wish it had been longer so more could be connected together, but it really was a fun African-inspired story even if I didn’t quite feel it was for me.

Extended Thoughts
AO was born deformed. Over the years, she has acquired various artificial parts, making her an outcast as most believe her to be more machine than human. But she makes do, until provoked at the markets and is forced on the run into the desert of a Nigeria-inspired country. In the distance, a wind farm called the Red Eye whips madly.

DNA is one of the few remaining nomadic herdsmen. His people wander the desert, but the herdsmen, in particular, are targeted as most believe them to be terrorists. After he and a couple of other herdsmen attempt to steer their combined herd through a town, he’s the unfortunate sole surviving herdsman, and his people send him on the run.

Improbably running into each other, AO and DNA are on the run together, towards a greater purpose.

I’m not entirely sure of what I expected of Noor, but the author had been recommended to me, so I decided to give this a try. I thought it would be a fun African-inspired science fiction novel with lots of tech and an interesting story, but I spent most of it confused about what it was supposed to be about. I don’t think it was quite for me, but I really liked the relationship between AO and DNA and was bemused by Ultimate Tech, which kept making me think of Amazon.

For much of the story, I had a hard time figuring out what this was supposed to be about. It seemed to mostly be two people on the run, but with no direction, just a past that sort of haunts them. Otherwise, it came off as Ultimate Tech going after them for unknown reasons and them trying to dodge the drones and artificial soldiers coming for them. I think a good chunk of it was supposed to be focused on the characters themselves and what it meant to be who they were: one a nomadic herdsman who has lost everything and the other a woman who is half machine and half human. Unfortunately, AO came off as very angry, so I found it difficult to focus on the part where this novel is supposed to be about identity.

I did really like the relationship between AO and DNA, though. They had an interesting start, but the things they went through together just knit them together in wonderful ways. I, unfortunately, thought they were a little bland when taken on their own with one being very angry and the other very spiritual, but, together, they were wonderful. My favorite scenes were always when they were together. They fed off each other perfectly and friendship just bloomed so naturally between them.

Where Noor really shone, though, was in the world building. I could believe this was a futuristic Nigeria, but I could also rely on what I know of today’s Nigeria to help me paint the world in richer colors. Much of this story is set in the desert and revolved around the Red Eye brewing in one area. The history behind it was fascinating and how Africa operates regarding it was entirely believable. I really enjoyed how it made me feel like I was in the desert and how I could envision how this world arose from our own. The one thing that felt odd was that there was a single white man, who felt a lot like some weird, ethereal wise man, which disappointed me because I would have loved a black wise man. Overall, though, I found this to be a fantastic African-inspired story, but, not being African, I couldn’t speak to any authenticity.

It didn’t hit me until the end, when I felt all the action really happened, but Noor is kind of a scary story of how tech affects people and just how easily it can take over. I couldn’t not think of Ultimate Tech as an Amazon-like entity, which actually kind of scared me. In a world where tech is everywhere, Noor kind of felt like a cautionary tale. AO clearly depends on the tech in order to live her life, but maybe she took it too far. And with more tech after them, there’s really no place to hide. It literally felt like the tech and all the eyes were everywhere. While it came in incredibly handy, if a bit weird, it’s still scary just how present and prevalent it is. Though I did really enjoy how all the modern tech was woven into the fabric of the story and how people live. It somehow felt both modern and old-fashioned. But now I’m kind of afraid of large companies that ship everything everywhere.

In some ways, Noor did manage to impress me. In other ways, I felt a little lost as to what I was reading. It was a fun adventure with something of a scary story woven in, but I also felt how it started became a bit unimportant by the end. I really enjoyed the relationships between the main characters and just how all the tech impacted their lives. I did feel a little disconnected, but there was still a lot in it to make me stop and think and reconsider my own life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Despite owning several of Nnedi Okorafor's books, I somehow managed to not read one until this one. And I promise, I am putting her others at the tippy top of my list now! This story, set in the Nigerian desert, certainly wowed me. I also learned so much about Nigeria, too. Like the aejej that our main characters are running from (and have some pretty cool futuristic tech for in the story), that there really are energy producing power stations (such as our titular Noor) in Africa. I think that the author did such an amazing job weaving the futuristic technology into the current technology that was basically seamless, and very impressive.

I must first note that the atmosphere is incredibly on point. I absolutely could sense what AO was feeling as she traipsed across the desert, trying to stay alive. It was quite brutal at times, especially when running for one's life. I also quite loved AO herself, speaking of. She's strong and tough, mostly because she has to be. But she has a ton of heart. And wow, she's had a rough go of it. It's quite hard to not feel empathetic toward her, even when not all of the community agrees. DNA, who she encounters along the way, is equally great. Not going to say too much about either of their stories because they're major plot points, but suffice it to say, I was invested for sure.

There are a lot of great twists throughout, and I loved the journey (both the literal journey that AO and DNA take, as well as their personal journeys). I will say, my one qualm was that at times the pacing was a bit slow. Not so rough because it's a short book, but still worth mentioning.

Bottom Line: Such an atmospheric and twisty story, with equally fabulous characters. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Daw Books, and the author for a chance to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I'm relatively new to both Afrofuturistic books and Nnedi Okorafor, although I've obviously heard of both and have several of Okorafor's works on my TBR list.

This was terrific and I'm ready to move the other books from my TBR list to my Currently Reading shelf. I absolutely loved the setting; I felt completely immersed in future Nigeria from the dialect and slang to the foods to the places. The description of the market at the outset was so evocative, I could practically feel the packed dust underfoot. The two main characters, AO and DNA, were perfect compliments and even though their connection seemed a little rushed, it was so easy to root for them.

And yet, some of the themes are so universal: the intrusiveness (increasingly so) of government, the ubiquity and oppressiveness of corporate greed, the magic and ruin of technology, prejudice, classism, ableism, elitism. Kudos to Ms. Okorafor for being able to cram so MUCH into this book, in such an organic (ha) fashion.

It was a short book (relatively speaking) but so, so, so good and one I'll be recommending far and wide.

Nnedi Okorafor's writing reminds me a lot of Octavia Butler. They both drop you right into a fictional world without preamble, and you quickly realize that things are different there. But it's up to you to scramble to your feet and orient yourself in this foreign land because no one's going to hold your hand and give you a guided tour; you're launched directly into the reality that the protagonist has lived every day of her life, and she doesn't have time to explain how things work.

Noor is set in a near-future Nigeria in which cybernetic body modification is an everyday reality but looked upon by many as a perversion against nature. The protagonist, AO, is one of these people whose cybernetic prosthetic limbs - a necessity due to both birth defects and an automobile accident when she was young - make her an object of suspicion. After a violent altercation in the marketplace, she finds herself on the run in the desert, where she meets a man named DNA. What unfolds is a Bonnie and Clyde tale of sorts as the two of them travel across the desert and into the heart of the Red Eye, a raging dust storm that could mean certain death.

This was my first book by Nnedi Okorafor, and I was fascinated by its intricate world-building and by its envisioning of a future ruled by complex technologies and rampant capitalist monoliths. However, I found the story's narrative to be a little too meandering and at times difficult to follow. I also wanted more character development for AO, and I felt that there wasn't enough to really get to know who she was and what her motivations are beyond survival. But I really enjoyed this read overall and look forward to seeing more from Okorafor.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

I am a fan of the author's writing having read six of her previous works and I will continue to read new releases and catch up on old ones. 

Noor follows the life of Anwuli Okwudili who changed her name to AO - short for Artificial Organism.  She was born with birth defects and made the choice to get augmentations to her body.  She embraces the pain and her choices and is determined to live life on her own terms.  Others call her freak, devil, and worse and see her mechanical legs and arm as abomination.  The day comes where AO protects herself in self-defense and her life is destroyed.

The novel follows her journey on the run and the truths she discovers.  I really loved AO as a character.  The pain she suffered, her self-will, and her ability not to see the world through the lens of hatred were admirable. I love both her body positivity and her realistic viewpoints on human behavior and prejudice.  Not that I wish people weren't so horrible of course. This novel doesn't shy from the selfish things folks do out of ignorance or selfishness or fear.  But there is good in humanity as well.  I also loved the herdsman DNA and his two awesome cows.

The world building is as wonderful as usual.  This book was inspired by the author's visiting an African solar plant.  I loved the solar and wind powered tech.  I loved the desert life and the tech for survival..  I loved how the big bad corporation controlled the world and how there is a small amount of justice in the end.  This comeuppance may not last long but it is nice to see the maligned and outcast part of society win.  There is always satisfaction in that.  If ye haven't read this author's afrofuturism style before, this is a good place to start.

So lastly . . .

Thank ye DAW!

Side Note: There is going to be a third book in the Akata Witch series out in January 2022.  Cool!!

Author Nnedi Okorafor proudly wears the Afrofuturist tag in her latest stand along novel Noor. At one point going so far as to provide some exposition using the transcript of a podcast called The Africanfuturist. In Noor, Okarafor, plays with a bunch of cyberpunk traditions – cybernetic body parts, enhanced mental connection to technology, rampant corporations more powerful than governments - and drops them into an African, more specifically Nigerian context.
AO Oju lives in the Nigerian city of Abuja, having moved there from Lagos to live with her boyfriend Olaniyi. But Olaniyi has now left her and, on her own, she falls prey to growing prejudice against her. That prejudice is due to the cybernetic enhancements that she has received while growing up – one arm and both legs having been replaced by cybernetic limbs. Following some hostility in the markets, she lashes out, killing five men and has to go on the run. On her journey she finds a kindred spirit in Dangtoe Nuhu Adamu (or “DNA”), a traditional herdsman also wanted for a murder that he was pushed into. The two go on the run together, pushing deep into the deadly, constant sandstorm known as the Red Eye to find both an oracle and a secret refuge city. Along the way discovering both the extent of AO’s powers and the depth to which they and the community had been deceived by the faceless villain of the piece - Ultimate Corp.
As noted above, much of the plot of Noor feels like an update of the some classic cyberpunk tropes. But Okorafor deploys these to consider some particularly African issues. The corruption of farmers by corporations selling them genetically modified crops, the demonisation of those who are trying to hold on to a traditional way of life, and the converse use of religion to create fear of technology. She does this all within a propulsive story, a roadtrip and romance with a resilient heroine at its core.

This one just wasn't doing it for me, which is odd because Okorafor is one of my favorite authors. I tried reading and audiobook—I think the prose just wasn't for me in this volume.

The nitty-gritty: Another fantastic entry into the Africanfuturism subgenre, Noor blends sci-fi tech with interesting characters and an intriguing African desert setting.

I’ve read enough Nnedi Okorafor books now to recognize her particular writing style, and Noor not only embraces that style, but it’s full of the author’s brilliant, futuristic ideas and social commentary. If you’ve never read Okorafor’s books before, Noor would be a great place to start. As with most of her books, this one is set near Lagos, Nigeria, and the main character is a young, misunderstood African girl with enough grit and determination to survive in a world that doesn’t want anything to do with her.

Anwuli Okwundili, or AO as she prefers to be called, is more machine than human. AO was born with severe birth defects—a shriveled arm and two stumps for legs—but when she turned fourteen, Ultimate Corp offered her cybernetic upgrades to repair her body. Now AO lives a fragile existence: people fear and hate her because of her appearance, and so she’s careful to stick to familiar places where people know her.

But one day in her favorite market, a group of men attack her, and AO fights back, killing all five men before she’s realized what she’s done. AO takes off into the desert, hoping to escape the authorities, but the desert has its own challenges. A perpetual dust storm called the Red Eye threatens anyone who goes near it, but AO is desperate. When she runs into a Fulani herdsman named DNA and finds out that he’s also running away from a terrible event, they team up to keep each other safe. Their journey takes them into the heart of the Red Eye itself, where AO will discover her true nature.

Okorafor’s visions of futuristic Africa are always so interesting, and this time she sets her story on the vast, dusty plains of Northern Nigeria. The world-building in Noor is fantastic. The Red Eye is a constant threat to those who live nearby, and I don’t want to spoil the story by revealing certain things about it, but trust me, it's pretty cool. The government has developed a machine called an anti-aejej that can protect users from the sand, and people often carry personal anti-aejejs with them when they go outside. Huge Noors—which relate to the book’s title—act as wind turbines to create electrical energy for distant cities. I loved the idea of “wireless energy transfer,” invented by a woman named Zagora, who AO idolizes. Her idea allows all the energy gathered from solar farms to be wirelessly transferred to cities. Okorafor explains that she got many of her ideas for the story from visiting a solar plant in Africa called the Noor Solar Complex. Finally, AO and DNA discover a large anti-aejej deep in the desert called the Hour Glass, a hidden structure that moves every hour and is a sanctuary for people like AO and DNA who are on the run.

AO is such a great character. She’s always felt like an outsider because of her body modifications, but she loves the way she looks and feels, so she tries to ignore the stares and taunts. I love this exploration of body positivity with a science fiction spin, it was so well done. The only thing that seems to set her off is when people say things like “What kind of woman are you?” They see her as more robot than human, and she hates that because she’s still human in the ways that count. AO has also suffered years of living with intense pain while her body adjusted to her cybernetic limbs, and she’s become stronger because of it.

I liked DNA as well. He has a steer and a cow that follow him everywhere, the two remaining members of his herd. I’m a sucker for animals in stories, especially when they are loved by their owners, and you can tell DNA loves his cattle. He and AO made a great team. They are both in desperate straits, driven to survive, and despite their differences, they worked well together.

Okorafor imagines Ultimate Corp—a huge company that can supply you with everything you need and then some—as a stand in for Amazon. I always get a kick out of stories that skewer Amazon, and I especially loved that AO finds a way to get back at Ultimate Corp in the end. 

My only hesitation in rating this higher is that the plot meanders quite a bit. This is more or less a “quest” plot, as AO and DNA journey into the desert to avoid the authorities, and there was even one part that reminded me of the Wizard of Oz, when they are sent to meet a “wizard” named Baba Sola who dispenses wise advise while smoking pot with AO. (lol) I’d be hard pressed to tell you exactly what AO and DNA are trying to accomplish, other than to keep one step ahead of the authorities they are convinced are coming after them. The two go from place to place without a clear plan, although at the end they do accomplish something pretty big, but it sort of comes out of nowhere. I really liked the way the author had AO go through some trials (she starts having extremely painful headaches and visions) so that she could emerge on the other side stronger than she was in the beginning of the story. The two also uncover a big secret that Ultimate Corp is hiding, and that realization plays a big part in how the story ends.

The ending is rather dramatic, and I loved the way things came together. And I have to say, best last line in a book I’ve read in quite some time! Nnedi Okorafor leads the pack when it comes to Africanfuturism, and this is a great example of the subgenre.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

My second books by Okorafor. The first being REMOTE CONTROL, which I absolutely loved. NOOR is a fantastic story of AO who is basically part machine. She has to leave home and in her journey, meets DNA, and the story then takes off with their adventures as they get to know each other and she starts to find her way.
There's absolutely something about Okorafor's writing that is just gorgeous. This story delves into what we still see today with consumerism, classism, racism, artificial intelligence, going to space... while also delving into the human side of relationships and learning that there are shades of grey to any and all things.

The narrator is fantastic and I would absolutely recommend listening to this story. While this is science fiction, I do wonder about own voices readers and their thoughts on the prosthetics and disabilities of AO. AO's character herself is fascinating and multilayered and I enjoyed her relationship with DNA. I think they learned a lot from each other and allowed readers to learn of the culture within.

While I may not have loved this as much as Remote Control, I certainly would recommend this and I most definitely will be picking up more from this author.

Noor is the latest novel by Africanfuturist author Nnedi Okorafor, well known for her novel Who Fears Death, her Binti series of novellas, or her YA/middle-grade Akata Witch series, among many many other books. Okorafor's works have run the gamut in terms of tones and themes, although a few themes - the exploitation of Africa by the West and by capitalism both in the past and the potential future - do tend to come up repeatedly - for good reason.

Noor is another book dealing with those themes, centering upon a woman in Africa who grew up with deformed limbs and replaced them with cybernetics, and a Fulani Herdsman, both of whom find themselves on the run after others attack them and they defend themselves. The bulk of the story features them facing off against an exploitative corporation, as they try to find safety around an area of Africa* seeming rendered uninhabitable by crazy winds and sandstorms. The result is a really strong anti-capitalist and anti-colonialist story that feels similar to some other prior works of Okorafor (The Book of Phoenix, Remote Control), but is also unique in its own way - and definitely powerful.

*This book takes place in West Africa, at least a good part in Nigeria, but it does seemingly cross what are current borders of the area, so I'm not going to try and parse which country certain events take place in and will just refer to the area of the setting as Africa or West Africa.

-----------------------------------------------------Plot Summary---------------------------------------------------------
AO is proud of who she is - a woman who replaced/augmented her deformed/injured limbs with cybernetic ones, and appears as much artificial as human - to the extreme dislike of the prejudiced and religious. The cybernetics let her live a normal life, and the only cost to her is some headaches and bearable minor symptoms. But after her fiance left her, she finds herself attacked at a market she thought was safe...and in the process of defending herself, she kills several men and is forced to go on the run. There she meets a Fulani Herdsman named DNA, fleeing the massacre of his people by farmers with his only two remaining steer.

Soon, AO and DNA find themselves on the run not just from prejudiced farmers and marketpeople, but from the corporation that runs the power stations - the Noors - and business enterprises all throughout Africa - Ultimate Corp. Their only chance of escape may be to head into the sandstorm known as the Red Eye, home to people who live with the aid of technology off the grid....but even that may not be far enough to escape Ultimate Corp., which wants them to take advantage of powers AO never knew she possessed.
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Noor is a story of a future Africa that looks very familiar in some ways to the one we know - you have Felani Herdsmen and Farmers who fight each other over land and rights, you have people who are religious who sometimes act against technology, and you have a major western corporation that tries to exploit the resources of the land, all the while providing services and goods to the native Africans such that they can get away with it. On the other hand, it's also an Africa with technology that can shield from sandstorms, where an African genius created an energy transmitting device that transmits power to the rest of the world, pursuant to a deal where some of it is still kept in the continent for the native people, and things like cybernetic arms and AI are very real.

In this world you have AO, a woman whose choices to have cybernetic limbs were never approved by anyone close to her - like her family, or fiance - but who thinks herself as better because of them. But AO's understanding of the world, and her own choices, is shown by the story to be incomplete, and she soon realizes that much of her choices, and her ostracization, was helped along by the corporation Ultimate Corp. And that understanding is also shifted her meeting with DNA, who feels a connection to the land and just wants to live a traditional lifestyle as a herdsman, with whom she falls in love in a relationship that works really well. And DNA himself is another strong and really great character, caring for his old fashioned way of life even in the face of oa family that thinks it knows what's best for him - even as they love him.

These characters help build a story i don't want to spoil, but one with strong anticapitalist and anti-colonial themes. How can you defeat an enemy that provides so many goods and services to your own people, such that they won't care if they're exposed as evil? One that's willing to play on prejudice and bribery to turn people against one another? The story tries to deal with these questions, all the while showing the ingenuity and power of individuals on the ground who are working together, most notably the people who live in the middle of the Red Eye, to survive in the middle of what should be the most uninhabitable of places. The contrast between the people living in the Red Eye and the works of the Ultimate Corp works incredibly well here to build on these themes....with it, and the characters leading up to an ending that is just incredibly powerful and incredibly surprising, exposing the lies of capitalism and colonialism once and for all.

This book resembles The Book of Phoenix in its take on exploitation - of both individuals like AO (and Phoenix in that book) and of peoples in general, and like that book it ends in a moment of righteous fury...except this time it isn't one that is as destructive towards everyone, but instead promises a potentially better future for the exploited after all is said and done.

This is honestly a lousy review, I know, but this is a book that is very much best experienced without spoiling. Recommended.

I was provided an arc via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This story was a bit confusing at times . The plot jumped around quite a bit. Nnedi Okorafor's books previously, her writing is complex and full of meaning. I've gone back and re-read several of her works and gained a much deeper and richer experience on the second read. I feel like Noor will be the same way. I just finished it and I feel like I need to read it again to gain the full appreciation for the work itself. I also feel that on the second read I'll already have a handle on certain situations and characters.

Our main character AO, as she prefers to be called, was disabled at birth. She was fitted with with prosthetics, but a car accident at 14 injured her arms and legs even further. She was then outfitted with cybernetics much to her parents horror. AO accepts that she is human and part machine and rejoices in her dual nature. Society on the other hand does not really accept her with her robotic arms and legs. This causes people to lash out at her for no reason other than she is different. She is often asked "What kind of woman are you?" When this question leads to a physical altercation in a market, AO flees the scene and runs to the desert where she meets DNA. They are drawn to each others and are able to find comfort in their differences and the struggles they both face. DNA is a cattle herder, and when his herd is attacked, he and AO end up on the run from the authorities. As they run, AO begins to develop abilities that she finds are linked to her prosthetics and the corporation that is after her and DNA.

This is a little more violent and mature than Okorafor's other works. I think that plays along nicely with the social commentary regarding self acceptance, body shaming, and the anti-capitalist theme to the story. The big corporation, Ultimate Corp, has rooted themselves in everyday life and has influence over everything. It brings up a good social commentary discussion about big corporations and the power they wield and the impact they have on society and culture. We've seen this before where a big corporation has overstepped and played with the lives of people in books and movies before and I think that plotline was really interesting. It took a while to get to that part of the story and the truth behind what was really going on.

I thought the world building was really excellent. The descriptions of the Red Eye, The Hour Glass, and other places and events in the book were really well done. This was a really interesting African-futurism book that blended futuristic sci-fi with cultural aspects. I actually really look forward to reading it again to experience the full effect of the author's message and story.

This is the first Nnedi Okorafor book that I have not enjoyed, and I cannot figure out why. The premise is just as intriguing as all of her others. The cover and story form made me think of Remote Control, which I just finished and absolutely loved. The characters are as original as in all of her other novels, as is the setting and the sense of magic and mysticism that pervades the story. It addresses aggression and violence against those who are different, and seeks to right wrongs - again as with most of her other books - in a way that I continue to find resonant and engaging. Yet somehow I just never found my way into this one...

From the opening pages it felt different than all of her other books that I've read, and while I can't pinpoint why, the difference was strong enough that it made the read uncomfortable and not enjoyable for me. I'm in the vast minority here, so definitely check this one out for yourself, but this one just did not work for me, much to my great disappointment...

Noor thoughtfully examines what it means to be human and the lasting effects of corporate greed in a near-future version of Nigeria. Original and intriguing worldbuilding and powerful ideas are unfortunately undercut by underdeveloped characters who fell flat for me; I struggled to care about what happened to either AO or DNA. Readers who prefer character-driven stories may not enjoy as much as worldbuilding aficionados.

I honestly was disappointed by Noor as a fan of Okorafor’s other titles. Noor skipped around a lot and failed to explain pieces of worldbuilding, events and relationships. It seemed to linger on all the wrong details. I also fundamentally disliked most of the main characters or just never learned enough to love them. AO and DNA’s relationship felt rushed and unrealistic. I’m all for an indictment of capitalism, market monopolies and global surveillance, but the balance felt off. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A weird and interesting story. A Little disappointing. Not a fan of the style or theme, and found the main character (AO) unlikeable. Did like her sidekick, DNA, though, and his way of life and the politics around that were interesting.

Anwuli Okwudili,called AO was unwanted even before her birth because she was considered deformed, damaged. She required extensive augmentations to remain alive especially after a serious car accident when she was a teen. She fights to survive requesting surgeries and mechanical augmentation from the Corporation to stay alive. One day in the market everything changes for her. She is attacked by a group of men who tease, bully and push her too far; she snaps and kills them all. She is on the run from her crime when she meets a young man who has walked into a village with his fellow herdsmen and their cows, but the village is afraid they are raiders and kills all his friends and most of the cattle. He escapes with two of his cows and is on the run accused of being one of the murdering herdsmen. His name is DNA. The two of them try to escape arrest by entering an area that is a no man's land where most who try enter die, but if you make it there is a village of misfits. There AO and DNA mount a media campaign to proclaim their innocence through AO's connection to the web. They take on the corporation that owns and runs everything.
This is an interesting story ,if a bit slow paced. AO's physical suffering is hard to read.

This book is amazing. I was really excited about 'Noor' and yet I didn't expect I would love it so so much.

'Noor' is the story of AO and ADN, two completely different persons navigating prejudices while travelling through Nigerian dessert. It encompases all the best things of a road narrative plus a lot of mixed science fiction/reality written in superb style. And it has a cow and a bull I love with all my heart even if they don't have that much 'camera time'.

The only reason I don't give the five out of five stars rating is because of a part in the beggining, when you are starting to get hooked, and a worldbuilding explanation appears as if it where a podcast. It was cool enough that it would have been awesome if published appart but, in the book and in that moment, it broke the pace for me.

Annyway I highly recomend it. Thank you RAW and Netgalley for the opportunity! It has been an awesome ride.
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Pasando al español. Este libro es estupendo. Estaba bastante esperanzada, quería engancharme a Okorafor y lo he conseguido.

Aquí vais a encontrar la historia de AO y ADN, dos personas completamente diferentes que se ven sin embargo empujadas a navegar infinidad de prejuicios y malos tratos. Cuando se ven forzados a huir a través de un desierto con una vaca y un toro a los que quiero con todo mi corazón, y eso que no salen mucho, la ciencia ficción y la realidad actual se van mezclando de una manera estupenda.

Si no le doy las cinco estrellas es por un momento, cuando aún te estás haciendo a la historia, en el que todo se corta para hacerte una explicación del mundo como si fuese un podcast que me dejó un poco desenganchada.

Muy muy recomendable y si queréis saber más podéis leer mi reseña en gorgonas.com

https://gorgonas.com/2021/11/08/resena-noor-nnedi-okorafor/