AO is a biomechanical woman who has more machine parts than human parts left of her body. Where she sees these improvements as an enhancement to herself, others see her as less than human and despise her for them.
AO's enhancements are from a company called Ultimate Corp. They sell everything from clothing to crops and it has become integrated into every aspect of most every humans life. They control the media, the energy that is harvested from the African winds, as well as employing the majority of Nigeria's citizens in some way or form. (Think Amazon on steroids).
When the hatred against AO becomes violent, she finds herself on the run with a herdsman she comes across named DNA. Together they come to realize that Ultimate Corp may be about to start a war and AO's enhancements have given her abilities beyond her wildest dreams.
Everything I've ever read from Nnedi Okorofor is absolutely brilliant. I love the way she blends the African culture into the science fiction of her stories. I will always highly recommend her books.

This is my first time reading a book by Okorafor but I enjoyed it nonetheless and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. I tend to avoid dystopian/sci-fi/futuresque-on-Earth novels but couldn't resist because of the synopsis. Okorafor definitely knew where they were going with the commentary on today's society and especially with the world-building and characters. I enjoyed every second of it and will definitely be checking out Okorafor's books in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-Arc.

This was fantastic. I quite like Okorafor's Africanfuturism titles and this one is just what I would expect from her. I thought AO was a really relatable character. The setting was beautifully set and I really appreciated and found solace in the anticapitalist undertones (and overtones) of this story. I found comfort reading this title in this current time in history that we're living through.

AO Oju has remade herself, literally, using cybernetics and AI augmentation, but in this Africanfuturism blend of technology with deep cultural roots, she is kept an outsider by people whose constant refrain is “what kind of woman are you?” On the run from a particularly disturbing engagement in the marketplace, she meets Fulani hersdman Dangote Nuhu Adamu (DNA), and together they set off into the desert, getting closer and loser to the abomination known as the Red Eye.

Written in Okorafor’s trademark mythical language, rich with pulsing sentiment, the story is an intriguing combination of the cultural and the technical. There is plenty of injustice and unfairness and big, bad corporations at the root of it all, balanced with wonderfully inventive technical solutions. I didn’t buy the science really, but as Arthur C Clarke famously said, “any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic” so …

An engaging read. Works for the YA and Adult SF market.

At this point I consider the author a master of her works. I’ve never been disappointed by anything of hers I’ve ever read.

When we’re introduced to the story it takes place in Africa. West Africa, specifically Nigeria.

In this story we follow AO, a woman who was born disabled and throughout her life has augmented her body, changing out malformed legs and a missing arm for cybernetic legs, matching arm and eventually a chip in her brain.

She’s looked down on for it, most people, we find out, see her as a machine first or a demon. She’s a mechanic and after a nasty event at a market, AO goes on the run.

From there we meet DNA. They get off to a rough start but the day before they met DNA, a Fulani herdsman, went through his own personal nightmare and they are kindred spirits in it.

The themes in the book are easy to follow and leave it open to ask a lot of questions.

While I didn’t really love the characters, I felt a certain kinship with AO. We have similar health issues and if I could replace the parts of me that don’t function as they should, I’d do it in a heart beat.

As usual, the worldbuilding is fantastic and there is enough room in it for more stories if she chooses. I’d love to know more about the fallout of the characters’ actions in the last 15% of the story. And a prequal would be interesting as well.

I will spoil none of this book. There are two “sex scenes” but one is cut to black and the other has really no detail. It’s like a sentence or two.

And they actually matter to the story. I’ve read some stories where it feels like author’s have just thrown sex into it because they could. This was not that. It was tasteful and it said something about the relationship the characters were developing.

There are some pretty obvious parallels in this story to our current world. The horrendous and continued exploitation of African countries and even people thinking of Africa as one big country instead of being made up of many. And the way giant corporations cause so much havoc and can still get away with it.

This book gets a solid four (4) stars from me. I can’t give it five (5) because I just didn’t fall in love with the characters but I did like them quite a bit. Especially the cows.

I will not put this book in the category of Afrofuturism even though others have put the author’s works there. It is Africanfuturism.

Here is a link to the author explaining what that means and why it is to be used for her work.

https://nnedi.blogspot.com/2019/10/africanfuturism-defined.html

It’ll be out November 9th so be sure to pre-order!

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch duology, so when I saw Noor on NetGalley, I was delighted. Overall the book was a pretty good read, and it had so many compelling themes and ideas, which make it stand out from other novels.

For a book under 300 pages, Noor has a lot going on. Essentially, it takes place in Africa, many years in the future. The protagonist, AO, was born with birth defects, and over the course of her life, decides to have operations that allow her to use cybernetic legs, an arm, and a device that is connected to her brain. When AO defends herself after being attacked in a market, she is suddenly thrust into the life of an outlaw, and she soon meets DNA, who ends up in a similar situation. Together they must fight, not only against the government and the mega-corporation, Ultimate Corp, but also against harmful stereotypes.

Okorafor has an uncanny talent when it comes to world-building. It can take many authors multiple books to truly develop a world, but Okorafor manages to do it flawlessly in only one short novel. I also appreciate the fact that the author finds inspiration in everyday life for her stories. Honestly, the world in Noor has so much potential, I could see many more books being written within the same world!

Additionally, I didn’t necessarily adore any of the characters, but they were at least likeable. For me, the characters in this novel were not what kept me reading, but I admired their perseverance and determination to change, not only their circumstances, but the world they lived in.

Furthermore, I enjoyed how the themes in the novel have parallels within our world. Okorafor makes statements on the commercialization and exploitation of African countries, the abuse of power by mega-corporations, and the way in which powerful businesses, not only financially damage small businesses, but also force customers to use their business by undercutting prices. Through AO, Okorafor asks us to imagine what choices we truly have when major corporations are sometimes the only available option.

Finally, my favorite aspects of the book related to AO’s self image. She urges us to ignore traditional standards of beauty because they convince us that we aren’t enough. She tells us that we should celebrate our bodies, even when they don’t fall into specific, glorified categories of what is considered “normal” or “pretty.” Ultimately, AO’s courage in the face of adversity sends the message that we can be the heroes of our own stories, no matter what circumstances we may face.

All in all, this book didn’t necessarily blow me away, but it was certainly worth reading. The themes throughout the novel were definitely the most compelling aspects of the book, and the world-building leaves open the possibility for more books set in this world. Noor will be published on November 9th, so don’t forget to preorder a copy today!

Okorafor has done it again! A master author of both YA and adult science fiction, her novels leave you questioning so much of our present preoccupations with technology and consumerism. Love this author and loved this book.