I think I say this every time I read a book by Nnedi Okorafor, but she really is a master of worldbuilding. She writes with vibrant prose that makes the world and characters come alive. This Africanfuturist book is the first novella in a trilogy. The story centers around the mother from Who Fears Death, another of the author’s books, but you don’t have to read that one to understand this one. It’s a self-contained story while laying the foundation for what’s to come.

Najeeba hears the call to walk the salt road and harvest salt–but usually it’s only men who go. Her father and brothers take her along with them, and it starts her on a path to discovering who she is and changing everything. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next! It’s out now. Thank you to DAW and Netgalley for the eARC.

Listen, I always like Nnedi Okorafor's writing, but this is among my favorite books I've read from her. She Who Knows follows the mother of the main character in Who Fears Death, coming of age as a young teen girl in a society where the lives of women are often constrained. It's a fascinating take on science-fiction where the collapse of society and technology has made things feel like fantasy.

Najeeba's people are social outcasts, but they are the only ones who walk the Salt Roads- retrieving precious salt to sell at the market. But only boys and men travel the Salt Roads while girls stay home to read and have babies. But Najeeba feels the call of the road and her father allows her to come along on a journey that will irrevocably transform her.

Najeeba is such a great character and while this is a short novel, I felt like I knew her and was rooting for her to upend traditions and find out more about these mysterious abilities she is discovering. I was riveted throughout the story and it makes me want to go back and read everything else set in this world. Highly recommend this one! The audio narration is great- it feels like you're being told a story. Which I realize is technically what audiobooks are, but I hope you understand what I mean. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This novella is the first in a duology centered around the mother of Onyesonwu, protagonist of *Who Fears Death*. Nnedi Okorafor’s work is generally something I enjoy, though never quite as much as I expect that I should or will. This was the exception to that rule; I loved it.

My memories of *Who Fears Death* are pretty hazy, and I don’t remember anything at all about Onyesonwu’s mother. So while I might have gotten more out of this story if that were different, I never felt the lack. (Mostly. I’ll get to that.) So I’d say this works just fine if you’ve never read anything else Okorafor has written. I’d actually say this is an excellent entry point to her work: *Who Fears Death* is an excellent, excellent book, but a book written on the theme of “rape as a weapon of war” isn’t exactly light reading.

Anyway, this book is set in the future of what is presently Sudan, though it’s long enough after the apocalypse that name doesn’t come up any time. Najeeba is a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and living in a village with fellow members of her untouchable caste. The village survives on the salt trade; nearby is the remains of a lake long since dried up, leaving behind a vast field of salt crystals. Once a year, the men of her village will receive a kind of supernatural calling, and know that it’s the time to go to the lake and harvest salt. This happens one-family at a time; there is never overlap, and no one besides these untouchables can ever find the salt lake. None of this is explained, it simply is.

I said “the men of the village” deliberately; it’s the men who do this. Women aren’t exactly forbidden, but they never receive the call and do not go. Except Najeeba *does* receive the call and her father permits her to come. This starts Najeeba off on a path where she pushes the boundaries of both her gender and her caste, bringing both prosperity and persecution. Najeeba also discovers her own powers as a sorceress, but that aspect of things isn’t thoroughly explored though it’s highly present. I expect it’ll be a big role in the sequel. Very much Afrofuturism, like everything Okorafor does.

So what about my earlier comment about how *Who Fears Death* “mostly” isn’t relevant to this? This is, as I said, about Onyesonwu’s mother, and as such is a prequel. But there’s a little coda scene at the end that takes place after the end of *Who Fears Death* that leaves me suspecting that the events of that book will matter very much going forward. Might have to reread before the sequel to this comes out.

Nnedi Okorafor always puts me through it. Collecting salt was a lot of the story and then the last 20% is slapping me in the face left and right. "She Who Knows" will be the story of Najeeba from "Who Fears Death."

When there is a call, there is a often a response.
Najeeba experienced the call, a feeling to travel the Salt Roads to provide for her people. Small issue, she is the first girl to have it. This isn't bad, but some folks might have an issue with it. Over the journey she keeps feeling driven to do things, speak to crowds, travel in other ways, deal with spirits via fire. Something is changing.

Reasons to read:
-More background on a great book
-Dealing with issues with fire, while hard on property, does send a message
-The quite moments

Cons:
-It's gonna get rough out there

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW books for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this little book a lot. Nnedi Okorafor is a wonderful world builder with great character development and it keeps bringing me back to her books. The story is told from Najeeba after the end of Who Fears Death to Aro, and is the story of her childhood and when she first learned about her abilities.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Najeeba and her past, but some parts seemed a little rushed. Just when things would start getting interesting we would move on to the next thing. Granted this is a novella, so maybe the pacing just felt a little off for the length.

Okorafor's worlds are always so vibrant and rich, but painfully depressing. The sexism is often intense and this one follows in that line with most of the men in Najeeba's life fighting for her rights when it benefits them. I did like the relationship she had with her brother Ger, and kind of wanted more of it.

Overall, maybe I just think this should have been longer because it was doing so many interesting and good things. I hope she returns to this world again as I would love to see what happens to Najeeba after the events of Who Fears Death. Her life has been such a series of tragedies, I really hope to see her have something good happen.

Posted on Goodreads:

5⭐️

Ever since I read Binti five years ago, I’ve been obsessed with Nnedi’s work. Binti has been one of my favorite female leads ever. But, now, Najeeba may have stolen my heart.

With a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and west African culture, Nnedi brings forth the beginning of Nejeeba’s story. And quite the story it is.

Only men get the calling but she gets it to. She joins her father and brothers on a trip to mine salt from the dead lake and then travel to the market to sell it. It is during the first trip at the age of 13 that Nejeeba begins to become the sorceress she is in Who Fears Death. (Disclaimer I have not read that book yet, but it is on my TBR.)

Nnedi’s poetic writing and the growth of her characters, especially Najeeba, truly shine in this novella. Sci-fi and fantasy can be demanding genres since you’re creating a new world. This can tank or this can shine. And Nnedi shines in her world building. She gives so much in a just enough way that works, brilliantly. I cannot wait for the rest of the trilogy.

Thank you netgalley, DAW and Nnedi for the opportunity to read this gem.

Najeeba is a young teen in a small African village. Her father and brothers are part of the annual pilgrimage to the salt flats, hoping to find the purest samples to take to market. The traditions around the event are strong, with each family knowing it’s their turn when they sense a ‘call’. Only this year, Najeeba feels it first. Fighting hard to challenge the idea that girls do not travel the salt road, over the next few years Najeeba will change her family, her village, and more than any of it: herself.

I didn’t know that this book is a sort of prequel to the author’s previous work, Who Fears Death, which also features Najeeba but with her daughter as the main character. But, it works just fine on its own, with perhaps only one mention towards the end of how it ties to the earlier work, and also a handy author’s note at the start for those coming in cold, like me.

There is such a lot packed into this short novella. Word building, characters it’s easy to care for, plot to enthral and take you to the edge of your seat. In a word: wow.

The genre is, I’m told, ‘africanfuturism’. It reads more like a fantasy but with the odd mention of computers placing it as a far-flung, probably post-apocalyptic future. The glimpses of history are hugely tantalising, and I hope to read more about the world. But despite the fantastical, what grabbed me was the theme of a young girl challenging the gender norms. Some of it is cultural – and there is a wider theme of Najeeba’s people having a certain low status amongst the local cultures – but there was something so heartrending in how her family and friends push back, for so many different reasons, on this young girl struggling to be true to herself. And oh, how that all turns out…!

Again, I’m hugely impressed by how much detail and how many layers are in such a concise work. I could waffle about it all day, frankly, but suffice to say: go pick up a copy and give it a go!

This is marketed as the start of a trilogy of novellas, and I’m excited to see where it goes next. And, of course, I absolutely have to find a copy of Who Fears Death now, too :)

Packed with mystery, self discovery, healthy dose of resisting the norms, and supernatural powers. I love to get more background into this literary world, and this prequel certainly gives more insight but in a mysterious and almost ominous way.

I really enjoy the way Okonafor writes. Even though this story is short, it gives so much. All the relationships between the characters, the world, the environment. All of the elements feel so full and give life to this world.

Great story!

Najeeba a is a young lady like no other. She has heard The Call. The Call to travel the salt roads to the dead lake and collect salt to sell for her family. The only issue is, Najeeba is a girl and, historically, only boys and men feel the call. Although it is a strange situation, Najeeba’s family doesn’t protest as she packs her things to travel with her father and two brothers to the dead lake. Soon, Najeeba learns that it’s not all open skies, fresh air, and freedom, but a dangerous, magical journey that will forever change her life.

She Who Knows is a companion novel to Who Fears Death. Although the author has mentioned there isn’t a need to read Who Fears Death first, I would highly encourage it. There are nods to the book and also the ending of She Who Knows is heavily relying on the reader to have done so. With that said, I really enjoyed this book! (Who’s surprised? Not me!) I really enjoy the character growth and development throughout the story. It’s a fast read and easy to pick up. My only qualm with the book is that it’s a first in a series and if you’ve not read any other works by Okorafor then you will be a bit lost. There’s certain things that were created in her world building in other books that are lacking in this novella that could cause confusion for the reader. As I am a seasoned reader of hers, this did not affect me in the slightest. I greatly enjoy learning about African mythology and beliefs in this book. To learn while also having a sci-fi/fantasy element is my favorite way to learn! Overall I am giving this book 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’m still fairly new to Nnedi Okorafor’s work, but I love her immersive world building, which is once again present here. While this is related to a previously published novel, it works perfectly without having read the prior work. I enjoyed the African influences in the Okeke people, in particular.
Najeeba is a compelling protagonist to center this particular narrative, a teenage girl gifted with powers usually only given to men. Her journey of coming of age with this reality is an empowering one, as she reckoning with ostracism and isolation, and ultimately, channeling her power and rage.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing tomorrow, August 20th!

I'm a HUGE fan of Okorafor's Binti series, but didn't vibe as much with Who Fears Death-this new series of novellas is a side-story to that novel (although you don't have to read the former to understand or enjoy the latter). I really enjoyed this, though! I think Okorafor's plotting and prose really shine in a shorter format, and her worldbuilding is a great mixture of engrossing but easily understandable in a short time frame, which I think is why the length works well here. Loved Najeeba and her family, and while the pacing of the ending felt a bit rushed, I'm excited to see where the story goes from here in the next volume!

I wasn't sure what to expect when diving into Nnedi Okorafor's work, and I'm beyond pleased with what I've found: a lyrical, vivid world-builder with strong, multifaceted female characters. Through narrative themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the balance between progress and preservation, this is a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh, new take in a saturated genre.

I highly recommend it if you're growing bored of the stale, cookie-cutter carbon copy fantasies and sci-fi novels. This story is unique, exciting, and kept me on the edge of my seat. We must highlight more talented authors like Okorafor and give them as much hype and support as current favorites.

Thank you to DAW and NetGalley for the eArC copy.

"I can do this thing," I said. It's a thing, but it has forms...Sometimes I am this glowing beast. Other times I am just the wind. And at the market, I can project a deep part of myself until it is loud and clear, and forceful...but it's all part of the same thing, I believe."

As an Igbo girl/woman in the diaspora (my mum is Nigerian, my dad is Kenyan and I live in Kenya) reading Nnedi's books always feels like coming home. Who fears Death showed me my Nigerian name in book for the first time (Ifunanya) and She Who Knows has now shown me my mother's middle name in a book for the first time as well (Unoma).

This book has powerful female characters and is set within the africanjujuism and africanfuturism worlds we've come to know and love. This is a great read for those who want to dip their toes once more in the mystical world of Who fears Death as it tells the story of Onyesonwu's mother and how she discovered she was a sorceress. I actually don't think it'll be thrilling enough for those who haven't read that yet.

Short, clean writing, almost slice-of-life. It was clearly a set up for a greater tale. I look forward to the rest of the story.

Thank you, Daw Books and Netgalley, for the review copy.

Genre: speculative fiction, Afrofuturism

Far in the future, Najeeba longs to cross the Salt Road every year. This entails a dangerous trek across the desert to harvest and sell salt; for what is life without salt. It isn't that girls aren't allowed to make the journey, but it's certainly never been encouraged. Najeeba feels the Calling though, and it turns out she has a knack for selling the salt, bringing in more money than her village knows what to do with.

She Who Knows has moderate success as a standalone. It's a prequel novella to Who Fears Death, which is about Najeeba's daughter Onyesonwu. I felt glimpses of that broader world, and itched to know more while reading this. However, the worldbuilding in She Who Knows is strong: you get the beating desert, the villages with some measure of tech, and a futuristic culture surviving post apocalypse. This is a story of gender and power, and of a woman finding her own path forward. It's also an origin story for a major plot point in Who Fears Death, and I think Nnedi Okorafor does a good job at making it stand alone.

The story begins, as so many of this author’s stories do, with a young African woman on the cusp of change in a world that has already changed and been changed from the one we know now.

In the case of this particular story and this particular young woman and this particular version of the future, Najeeba is thirteen when the story begins, and is about to go on a journey. A journey that members of her family take every year – but a journey that females are not supposed to undertake at all.

Not that there are laws against it, but there are rules – rules enforced by a social contract that have ossified into restrictions that no one challenges. Not until Najeeba comes in and tells her parents that she feels the call of the ancestral salt road every bit as much – if not a bit more and a bit sooner – than her father and her brothers.

In the desert, salt is life. Finding the best salt, the purest AND prettiest blocks of it, and selling them for the best price in distant markets, keeps her family and her village alive and prosperous. Most of the time.

Because her people have historically been considered unclean, untouchable outcasts. A judgment that Najeeba’s inclusion in the annual salt harvest is guaranteed to make worse AND more violent – even as it confers upon Najeeba the kind of power that is guaranteed to bring down retribution – both human and divine.

And gives birth, literally and figuratively, to a woman who will change the world.

Escape Rating B+: She Who Knows is the first book in a prequel trilogy of novellas to the author’s award-winning novel Who Fears Death. In a way that story literally gives birth to this one as this one gives birth to that, as Najeeba, “she who knows”, is the mother of Onyesonwu, “who fears death”.

I haven’t read Who Fears Death, although I have a copy in both text and audio and plan to listen to it. While it has certainly climbed up the virtually towering TBR pile after finishing She Who Knows, I don’t feel like I missed anything by reading this book first. After all, it IS a prequel and not a sequel. It sets the stage for Who Fears Death without giving anything away or providing spoilers.

What it does remind me of, a lot, is the author’s Desert Magician’s Duology, particularly Shadow Speaker. Not only do Najeeba’s and Eiji’s stories start from a similar place, as both begin their stories as girls on the cusp of womanhood, gifted or cursed (depending on one’s perspective) with magical powers, but both choose difficult paths that their birth cultures reserve for men and they also find themselves telling – and being told – their stories by and to strange desert sorcerers.

They are not products of the same Afrocentric future world, but their worlds are similar nonetheless. Meaning that if you like one, or if you have enjoyed ANY of the author’s previous and/or successive works such as the Binti Trilogy, there’s a very good chance you’ll fall right into She Who Knows as well.

In the end – and also as a beginning – this is a great introduction to Who Fears Death AND The Book of Phoenix, which is a much earlier prequel chronologically to Onye’s story. Not only is this a great story in its own right, but it’s also short which means that it provides an introduction in an easily consumed little package. And if that consumption leaves you with a taste for more – as it very much did this reader – this is, oh-so-thankfully, the first novella in the projected trilogy of equally short and undoubtedly equally salty and delicious stories.

I am definitely looking forward to the rest of Najeeba’s story, which will be continued in next year’s One Way Witch. In the meantime I can’t wait to see how the mother’s experiences in this book and the rest of the trilogy are reflected in the child in Who Fears Death.

I hadn’t read Who Fears Death before diving into She Who Knows, but I still found this novella super easy to follow and thoroughly enjoyed it as a standalone.

She Who Knows centers on Najeeba, a young girl discovering her power and trying to navigate a world with strict gender norms. The world-building is vivid, and the futuristic, desert-like setting feels both harsh and fascinating. The mix of mysticism and cultural elements kept me hooked throughout, and even though I wasn’t familiar with all the mythology, the storytelling pulled me right in.

Overall, She Who Knows is a beautifully written novella with strong world-building and emotions. I will definitely be checking out more of Nnedi Okorafor’s work. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking, atmospheric read, this one is definitely worth checking out.

adventurous emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25 stars

This tells the story of Najeeba, a teenager discovering her power. Like her father, she hears the call to travel the Salt Roads, an occupation usually reserved for men. But this is just the beginning of Najeeba’s growing abilities.

This was my first Nnedi Okorafor, but it won’t be my last! I was a little concerned about not having read Who Fears Death, which this is a prequel for, but that is not a problem as far as I can tell. I am not really familiar with the mythology/folklore this story is drawing from, but the author pulled me into Najeeba’s world and gave me enough information to follow along. I believe this is the first of a planned trilogy and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and Daw in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I generally don't know what to expect from Okorafor, sometimes her stories and characters drag me in and give me a good read and other times I struggle with her style of storytelling.

I enjoyed this story for the most part. I do feel like there was a lot of telling and leading as a reader and that took me out of the story whenever it happened. Again her world-building could have been more developed. I wanted more backstory regarding the MCs background and the powers she inherited. I hope more will be revealed in the follow-up.

This novella was just okay for me. This story is beautifully written and steeped with West African culture and spirituality. However, I never really cared about our main character except to be annoyed/outraged at how every man treated her. Honestly I think it was too quiet of a story for me. It's the story of the beginning of the Kponyungo Sorceress, so maybe I was just expecting more than a girl growing up.

Thank you NetGalley and DAW for the ARC.

Before writing a review, I should mention that I read the books wrong. I started with 'The Book of Phoenix' and then 'She Who Knows'. While I was in the middle of reading I realised that there is another book called 'Who Fears Death' and I'm slightly annoyed at myself that I didn't read it, even though I had downloaded it months ago!!!

Regardless! Nnedi Okorafor's 'She Who Knows' was a great read. Even after reading both of the novellas, I got an idea of what the storyworld/worldbuilding is about. It's a very intriguing novella about a young girl discovering her powers and Okorafor thoroughly immerses the writer into the culture and tension of the story.

I look forward to reading more of Okorafor's books, and will most certainly read 'Who Fears Death' very soon!