Rating 3.5
I liked the story and the characters overall. But I think the audiobook made it hard for me to understand and took me out of the story at times.

I discovered Nnedi Okorafor when I read Binti last year [I didn't want to read it as I am not a sci-fi person and this showed me that I actually CAN be, I am just more particular about it than I am about other genres] and have wanted to do a deep dive into all her work; so I totally jumped at the chance to listen to her new book Noor and I was so happy I did. This book does not disappoint and as it went on and I spent more time with AO and DNA [I actually snorted out loud when they introduce him in the book and he tells AO his name and then snorted again when he introduces his cattle. Hilarious!], I realized I wanted this book to be much longer than it was. That is probably my only complaint; it is too short. I wanted so much more, and considering that it deals with class, race, artificial intelligence, monopolies, government, colonialism, that is saying a lot in my opinion. I also believe that you should read this with little before knowledge - getting to know AO and DNA should be a process that is unique to you and with no preconceived notions from a review; it will be a deeper, more meaningful reading experience for you. The Narrator is absolutely amazing and she really added to the reading experience. I would listen to her again and again [I will be looking for books narrated by her for sure]. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nnedi Okorafor, and Tantor Audio for providing this Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two lost people find themselves, each other and a secret that the biggest corporation in the world hoped would never be found. A secret that the powers-that-be will do anything to protect. As the saying goes, once a can of worms is opened they never go back into the can. Especially when the secret that’s been hidden is as earth-shattering and sand-spewing as this one.

And no, we’re not talking about Arrakis. We’re talking about Earth. A future Earth after an ecological/climatological disaster has created the equivalent of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot in northern Nigeria. A sandstorm of such speed and force that the windpower it generates is powering great cities all over the world.

Even as it eats up and eats away the land that gave it birth.

The Red Eye is the place where people who don’t fit, where those who have nothing left to lose, and those who refuse to be monitored by giant corporations 24/7 take themselves when they have nowhere else to go. Or when they can no longer make themselves pretend that they belong in the world that has left them behind, in one way or another.

This big story, like that big ecological disaster, starts small. With AO and DNA, those two lost people who have each survived a trauma on the very same day. AO, born with multiple birth defects both internal and external, is now part cybernetic. In fact, AO is a lot cybernetic, with two cybernetic legs and one cybernetic arm to replace the nonfunctional limbs she was born with. And with cybernetics in her brain, not because there was anything wrong, but because she wanted the enhanced memory and permanent internet connectivity.

But the more AO looks like the “Autobionic Organism” she had named herself for, the less she is accepted by the people around her. Many object on religious grounds. Some do so out of fear – not that that’s much of a difference. Some find her rejection of traditional appearances and roles for women to be anathema. Many call her an “abomination”.

When the safe space she believes she has carved out for herself suddenly becomes anything but, AO refuses to submit. Instead, she uses her greater strength to not merely subdue her tormentors but to kill the men who expected her to submit to her own execution at their hands.

In the aftermath, AO runs. Away from the towns and towards the desert. Heading away. North. Towards the Red Eye. Driving as far and as fast as she can in an unthinking fugue state. At least until her car runs out of power and she continues on foot towards an unknown but probably brief future.

Where she runs into a herdsman named DNA, who is just as lost and traumatized as she is. Who has also just defended himself with deadly force against a mob that killed his friends and most of his herd of cattle in an act of misplaced revenge against terrorists posing as herdsmen.

Now DNA has been labeled a terrorist, just as AO has been labeled a crazed murderer. Everyone is literally out to get them.

But the context of both of their stories is missing. When they find that context, when they are able to dig down through the layers of propaganda and misinformation that surrounds the most traumatic events in both their lives, they find a deep, dark, deadly secret.

A secret that many people will kill to protect. A secret that brought them together – and is tearing their continent apart while entirely too many people, including both of their families, go complacently about their business.

Just the way the biggest corporation in the world had planned it.

Escape Rating A: One way of looking at Noor is that it is two stories with an interlude in the middle. Another way, and a better metaphor, is that it is a story that winds up like a hurricane or a tornado, pauses in a calm storm’s eye in the middle, and then unwinds quickly in an explosive ending as the storm dissipates.

I listened to Noor through the eye of that storm, and then read the rest because it and I were both so wound up that I couldn’t wait to see which direction all those winds ended up blowing. And the narrator, particularly for that first part, had a wonderful voice that was just perfect for storytelling. She helped me to not just hear, but see and feel that oncoming storm.

At first, in the story’s tight focus on AO, it all seems small and personal. AO is different, and she is all too aware of those differences. She, and the reader, are equally aware that one of the ways in which human beings suck is that anyone who is deemed by society to be different gets punished by that society in ways both large and small. AO’s constant awareness of her surroundings and her ongoing attempts to be less threatening and less “herself” in order to carve out a safe space in which to live will sound familiar to anyone who has bucked the way it’s supposed to be in order to be who they really are.

The violence against her is sadly expected and both she and the reader sadly expect it – until it becomes life-threatening and she strikes back.

When she meets DNA and his two steers, GPS and Carpe Diem, he is in the same emotional trauma coming from an entirely different direction. Where AO has embraced the future – perhaps too much – DNA has clung to his people’s past as a nomadic herdsman. That they find themselves in the same situation is ironic and tragic, but not in any way a coincidence.

And that’s where things get interesting. The more that AO and DNA search for answers, the bigger the questions get. The more they find friends and allies, the bigger the forces arrayed against them.

And the less the story is about those two lost people and the more it is about the forces that put them in that situation in the first place. The story expands its tent to encompass colonialism, complacency and exploitation in ways that make the most singular acts have the most global of consequences – and the other way around – in an infinity loop at the heart of the storm.

When an incident in a market leads to AI being on the run, she has to find somewhere to hide. She comes across the unlikely companion of DNA, a herder who also finds himself in some trouble. Soon they’re on a mission to find safety while also taking down the shady business that has entangled themselves in everyone’s lives.

Nnedi Okorafor always writes entertaining and thought provoking science fiction. Noor is no exception and fits perfectly in with her other work. I thought the commentary around disability was really important and interesting, especially as we ourselves move into a future where technology can essentially help with disabilities yet our society still wants to leave disabled people behind.

I really enjoyed this book on audio and thought the narrator did a fantastic job with all these unique characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook ARC.

Noor
by Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by Délé Ogundiran
A Review

Nnedi Okorafor is one of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to hear that she had yet another book coming out this year!

I’m not too familiar with audiobooks, I’ve only listened to a handful over the years but this was an excellent choice!

With Okorafor’s words Délé Ogundiran sweeps you away to an africanfuturist Nigeria, scared by an insidious corporation, Ultimate Corp, it’s surveillance technology and exploitation and corruption.

It’s violent and sharp with social commentary!

A lovely story to lose yourself in for a few hours.

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this opportunity to listen to this in exchange for an honest review!

After reading Binti with my 18yo son early this year I was very interested when I saw Nnedi Okorafor has a new novel for adults and I was lucky enough to get an audio copy through @netgalley when I requested it.

It is a science fiction/ African futurism novel of that explores the a potential future at the meeting point of bioengineering and destiny as well as humanity in a near-future Nigeria. Okorafor’s short novel drew me in right away and I had to keep listening. Dele Ogundiran’s narration adds another layer to the experience. The vision of the future explored in this book is rather cynical, life has gotten comfortable but the comfort comes at a price. A single corporation and its surveillance technology has entered all parts of life. Humans are still quite human which means that patterns of scapegoating and exploitation remain largely unchanged. But AO whose massively augmented body (after surviving birth defects and a car accident she became a sort of test subject) makes her an outcast learns a unique way to make herself heard. Which makes Noor a fabulous tale of a designated victim that forces the world to listen.

I have done a fair amount of hiking this past weekend trying to soak up all the autumn beauty before the never ending doom and gloom of the NE winter is upon us. Noor ended up being a perfect audiobook companion! Fast paced and imaginative it sucked me right in!

I actually started listening to a different audiobook, but alas, it was NOT going for me. Nothing was wrong with that particular audiobook - ya''ll know I like slower paced literary fiction, but due to some external circumstances I just could not get into it. Kept rewinding, losing my trail of thought etc. Noor to the rescue!

This was my first book by Nnnedi Oforafor, and honestly I don't know why. I love West African Fantasy. It gave me major Children of Blood and Bone vibes. Except it is not YA - so it actually has some pretty realistic descriptions of the relationships problems etc. No teenage angst LOL! (unless it's inline with the timeline:)

The imagery in Noor is simply amazing - I kept picturing some sort of West African Mad Max :Fury Road, and also some of the famous images of the dust storm from Burning Man festival a few years back. Especially when AO, DNA and his steer were walking towards the Red Eye.

While Noor is a work of fiction, if you listen to it carefully you will easily detect not so subtle criticism of the corruption in the Nigerian government, and big corporations' (I am looking at you Jeff Bezos) exploitation of Africa's people and natural resources.

There are also more philosophical questions of the woman's body and which decisions do and do not belong to her (spoiler: they ALL belong to her!), what it means to be human, and the effect of the media's interpretation of the events on people's minds.

The portrayal of AO's body, the choices that she was forced to make, and the ones she made herself, her suffering, and what it feels like not to be able to move are especially good. Doubly so if you are familiar with the author's, Nnedi Okorafor's own story. Nationally known star athlete Okorafor had to undergo a spinal fusion surgery at the age of 19 which left her paralyzed waist down. That was actually how she started to write science fiction. With intense physical therapy she regained her ability to walk with the help of the cane. So when you read or listen to the part in which AO describes her pain, and all the angry feelings that she experienced due to her disability, stop and think for a moment. This is fiction, but those feelings are as real as could be.

I did find some parts of the book a bit confusing. Especially the one about the white wizzard person...(what was that ? lol) In addition to that some of the description of the particular technology use (think being completely off the grid but still using phone/tablets/internet etc) could have been thought through a bit more. This being said, I was a Computer Science major in college so I tend to overthink these things something awful.

All in all if you are a fan of African Futurism or just in a mood for a good, fast Sci Fi read I highly recommend you to check out Noor! And the narrator, Dele Ogundiran is fantastic!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.75https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4310979072

Well written characters and excellent storyline. This is science fiction that covers several ideas, race. Class. Ai. Government and other issues in a future Nigeria. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

A fast paced, africanfuturist, science fiction story, Noor is a refreshing tale. Can two people outrun a world where technology is everywhere and everything is being recorded? Can a disabled woman with cybernetic parts and a man accused of a terrorist act he didn’t commit escape a world where every action they make is being streamed?

Read. This. Book.

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

This was a bit hard to follow at times on audio. The plot jumped around quite a bit and felt a bit confusing. I feel like I would have followed along better in print. I've listened to several of 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.

A slim book with big ideas. Touches on afrofuturism, colonialism, capitalism, mega-corporations, race, technology, disability, and more. AO is a woman on the forefront of transhumanism and DNA is a traditionalist maligned by the world at large due to actions taken by a few. They are brought together by trauma in this eco-techno-thriller. The alternate futures that Okorafor is capable of dreaming up are again wonderfully rendered and feel as real as the present.

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. As an audiobook I often felt the narrator was difficult to understand. I had to slow down the playback when normally I speed it up. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow wow wow! Nnedi Okorafor always delivers. For such a short book, she is able to pack in a fully realized world of Afro-futurism, technological advances and corrupt corporations. there were many points in the book that I thought were the final climax only to realize they were another twist on AO's adventure. I saw other reviewers complaining that AO and DNA are not the most likeable of protagonists. I'd argue that they weren't *dis*likeable though and instead reacted to trauma realistically. Their core traits seemed consistent and the book avoided annoying miscommunications and other mishaps that drive character's connections to each other. In no way did their connection hinder the plot. I enjoyed this book and hope others will too!

Nnedi Okarafor writes interesting future settings set in Africa. This one takes place in a world where a company called Ultimate Corp is slowly taking over Nigeria. AO has many mechanical limbs thanks to the corporation's work. However, this makes people think she's an abomination. After being attacked and defending herself, she runs into a nomad named DNA, who has also been attacked and had to kill to protect himself.

This novel should have been longer. As much as I love a short novel, this one was dying to be fleshed out. The pace was too quick that I didn't have enough time to get a good feel for a character before something happened and we are moving somewhere else.

The romance was DNA was strange. It happened far too quickly. The entire book takes place in a week. They also have to deal with their world turned upside down and being on the run. Getting close, I understand but falling in love during this time didn't make sense.

I like the main characters, but I wish more time watching them grow and deal with their changing world. Maybe AO would love herself and her implants.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This was really good. Nnedi Okorafor has some of the best sci-fi/fantasy books out there so I am not surprised. Their books are so unique and the world building is beautiful. The challenge are so real but so unique. I am not own voices though so please go read reviews by those who are first. In fact I don't even want to touch on the main plot for that reason. I will say Okorafor has some of the most beautiful writing I have ever read. This book was phenomenal and I can not wait to share it with my customers!

Noor (audiobook)
by Nnedi Okorafor

The third book in the series that I have read. I found the author remarkably detailed, her idea of a future Africa is amazing. The idea that mankind in the first world has destroyed the environment of the entire world. Then those wealthy enough left, but those remaining exploited in a colony nature those who remain. This book actually expands the idea, bringing the development of power usage and how they replicate power on a environmentally depleted world. The idea that Africa is at the for front of scientific development, from power replication, controlling an eternal sand storm, to robotics. It is an interesting look at the change of interpretation of people and their own expectations. Nnedi Okorafor is an amazing author, only elevated by her use of empowerment of those who are repressed.

The reader has a remarkably interesting voice, her voice is exquisite and beautiful to listen to.

thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free eARC audiobook for this review!

The protagonist of "Noor" is A.O.: a woman who chose to be cybernetically enhanced with advanced prosthetics after being born with congenital limb defects. The book is about, generally, the culture clash between new technology and ways of life vs. tradition, with a strong air of anti-corporate anti-capitalism.

In general I like the idea of the book, but honestly-- I found it kind of slow and found the pacing to be strange. The ending was interesting enough to bump this up to 3 stars for me but I hoped to like it more.

The plot: <spoiler> AO is run out of town after she is hate-crimed in the public market, she fights back, and kills the attackers in defense. In the desert, she meets a Fulani herdsman, DNA, who just had the same thing happen to him. They're chased down at first for being murderers, but then, after a showdown with the huge corporate private police, for AO's new ability to control machines and for uncovering the company's past and current conspiracies. </spoiler>

I liked: the plot as described above, I think the events were good, I like the theme of progress vs. tradition, I enjoy when Nnedi Okorafor uses her future sci-fi books to highlight existing African culture and how it might progress into the future (as she did with the Himba in Binti and the Fulani here). The setup of the title of the book and the long "podcast" story at the beginning had me thinking at about 80% in, "why did they tell me all that" and so then the payoff at the end was great.

I didn't like: the pacing, generally, there is a lot of wandering in the desert, there are plot threads that are kind of introduced right as they're needed ("there was a rumor about a city in the middle of the red storm eye. oh wait here we are"). I think some of these issues are resolved more in Okorafor's novels (which have more space to breath obviously) or in her novellas of smaller scope- thinking again of Binti #1 which took place almost entirely on one ship. Bintis #2 and #3 actually I think suffer from a lot of this same problem. Also just in general, perhaps I'm missing the point here but i thought the names were just kind of cheesy, i think you can name One Character "AO for Autobionic Organism" or One Character "DNA., those are my initials but that's what I go by," but then at the point where it's like "AO looked at DNA. Where were GPS and Carpe Diem" I'm like. Is this necessary

In re: the audiobook narration itself-- I didn't find it notably BAD but I also didn't find it very notably GOOD. In general I think that Délé Ogundiran did a FINE job, I like her general cadence and she's very legible as a speaker, but I think that she did not do such a great job of 1) differentiating between two characters when doing dialogue, or also 2) putting a lot of emotion behind the (many) impassioned speeches taking place in this book. there was, I felt like, a lot of "she said 'you go girl' " delivered in a very flat affect. This isn't like a terrible audiobook crime, I've seen it a lot, but since I am reviewing the audio as well as the book I felt like I'd throw it in there: Nnedi Okorafor has done better before for narrators

Summary: eh? fine book? Similar tone and structure to others by the author; if you're a fan of hers, you'll probably like it, if you're looking for something really new and different to her previous stuff, this isn't quite that.

Noor is an African-futurism book with some really interesting ideas and very meandering storytelling.

I'll be honest that this isn't my favorite thing from Okorafor, but you should know that I listened to this as an audio review copy which may have impacted my experience. I found the story difficult to follow at times and maybe a physical copy would have been helpful. This is nothing against the narrator because she did a great job, I just felt like I missed key details along the way. (like what exactly is this Noor? Were we ever told? Did I somehow miss that?)

That said, there were definitely elements I liked! This is set in a futuristic Nigeria and follows a woman named AO who was born severely disabled and has a lot of biotech components, for which she faces discrimination. It's worth noting that Okorafor is herself disabled which lends added weight to the way that experience is described.

The big bad is a global biotech company with fingers in many places. We follow AO on a journey of sorts after her engagement is broken off. A lot of seemingly random things occur, but a lot of it does come together at the end, even if it takes awhile to get there. One element I found entertaining is the subversion of the "magical negro" trope by instead having this mystical white man appear and offer the main characters wisdom on their journey. And also marijuana. Setting a white character as the exotic other in this way is an interesting choice.

Overall I had mixed feelings on this one. I had kind of a confusing reading experience, even with frequently going back to re-listen to sections that lost me, but I can't tell if that's because of the audiobook or the narrative itself. But I appreciated some of what the book was trying to do. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include sexual assault, violence, death, ableism, mention of letting disabled children die, and more.

Full disclosure, I got an ARC from Netgalley.

This was a frustrating book for me. When it focused on personal relationships and personal lives, it was VERY good - but the overall narrative felt kinda generic. I did like it, mostly, but it was also mostly okay.

I LOVE her short stories, so I'll continue to read her work.

I should have known better when I started this book that I wouldn't be able to put it down till I finished it! I am a fan of Nnedi Okarafor and once again she doesn't disappoint. In Noor, the main character who has renamed herself AO, and due to her crippling disabilities at birth and later a car accident, augments her body with enhancements and implants. There are many layers to peel back in this story from technology, climate change, and the effects big corporations have on society.

The narrator did a great job and my only complaint is I wasn't ready for the story to end.