This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. I wish that I could give it 10 stars.

The writing was beautiful, haunting, and full of passion.

I loved how Zelu wanted her independence, yet depended upon her family. She was NOT meek and mild. She had a full life, while still trying to gain her freedom from her family.

I loved that Zelu was brave, adventurist, hurt when others criticized her and still tried to live her life on her own terms.

The Rusted Robots story was beautiful but I didn't fully understand it till the very end.

AND THE END! What a shock! WHat?! I loved it!

This book was so complex, and so beautifully written, many points in the book I wanted to scream at Zelu's family...JUST LEAVE HER BE! SUPPORT HER!

This book is for anyone who wants a different story told from a few viewpoints.

"I have come to understand that author, art, and audience all adore one another."*

Death of the Author is meta, literary, and science fiction all at the same time. We follow our protagonist Zelu, a disabled Nigerian American author, who is down on her luck after being fired from a teaching gig. When her new novel Rusted Robots suddenly becomes a bestseller, she's forced to reckon with fame and online criticism while dealing with personal and family issues. There's a story-within-a-story as we read chapters from Rusted Robots as well as interviews with family members about their relationship with Zelu.

This was an interesting ride: a mixture of Yellowface and an episode of the Netflix show Love, Death, + Robots, maybe with a bit of Becky Chambers mixed in. This explored art/writing, the audience, and author, and their relationship with one another. The story-within-a-story style book can be hit or miss as one story usually outweighs another, but this one was an overall hit.

I would recommend this for fans of meta fiction, literary fiction, and for those who want to dabble into a little bit of sci-fi or afro-futurism. I've read the Binti Trilogy and She Who Knows by this author, but this was much different than what I'm used to from her. 3.75

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

*Quote taken from advance copy, subject to change in final release.

I have read quite a few Nnedi Okorafor books. Some I have liked more than others. This one falls firmly into the "self indulgent" category for me, to use Okorafor's own phrase. This isn't an entir bad thing or with good reason. The boon is dedicated to jer sister who recently passed and is wholly a reflection on family and identity. It seems to be reflecting more on her own self-centered view though. Interesting premise that didn't follow through for me.

I do not know what it is with Okorafor's writing but I either love it and can't put the book down or cannot for the life of me get into it and cannot force myself to continue reading... I really don't understand it. Her stories have a distinctive feel to them, and yet still some of them resonate with me powerfully and some just don't do a thing for me at all. Unfortunately, this was one of the latter.

Despite a blurb, cover, and theme that I was certain I would connect with, I struggled with this one from the opening pages. I cannot put my finger on why. The characters had promise. The plot was intriguing. I generally love a story-within-the-story. I often enjoy the way she blends sci-fi with futurism and realism. Yet something about this one bugged me from the start. I just couldn't find my way into the story or the characters' lives...

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

love love love - anytime a book can surprise me immediately jumps it to being a gem - run, don't walk, to get this title. Highly recommend

Excellent storytelling, engaging and believable characters. I came away from the story wishing I could read more of Zelu's work, which is a testament to how well the story-within-a-story was executed.

First, thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book. I loved Zelu and her boisterous, noisy, loving, and confusing family. I loved her partner and all of the characters we meet along the way. I LOVE that we get not just one book, but BONUS--a SF novel too! The one our main character writes at the lowest point of her life. I did often feel frustrated by her family whose love threatened to smother Zelu. It seemed unrealistic to me that everyone of them would be so negative about her achievements, dreams, and desires. But I was so caught up in her story, that I forgave them and just enjoyed the ride.

I read the eBook, but I would love to listen to an audiobook version of this. I'm sure I mangled most of the names (in my head). Like Zelu's fans in the book, I am already longing for a sequel, but I'll satisfy myself with seeking out another of Okorafor's books. I was delighted to learn that she is a resident of Phoenix, AZ as am I. Maybe she'll turn up at a Changing Hands Bookstore doing a reading one of these days.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style--very clear, visual, with many passages I found so compelling I had to highlight them to ponder later. There's so much in this book, it's hard to discuss it all. It's a book that deserves another reading. Maybe I'll listen to the audiobook--please make one!

As for the sequel, I think I want two books--one to carry on the Rusted Robot story and one to see what Zelu does next!

I was not crazy about the book until the very end. It may be novel for some readers but I am a little tired of the story within a story device. But then the two stories got tangled together in an infinity loop and you arent quite sure which story came first. That was magnificent.

Nnedi Okorafor always centers humanity within her science fiction and I love that so much! I am not a science fiction reader but I adore everything she writes and this was no exception. My only sadness is that it is too short.

This was my first time reading a book by Nnedi Okorafor so I really didn't know what to expect. Obviously, I've heard of Nnedi Okorafor and I've heard of how wonderful of a writer Okorafor is. Somehow, I just never got around to reading one her books before, which is an oversight on my part that I am happy I was able to correct with this arc.

Death of the Author was a beautiful blend of literary and contemporary through a book within a book frame. Sometimes, I do not like stories that do this because it can be difficult to tell which story you are reading. However, Okorafor has visual clues (including cute little robot emojis in the chapter headings) when the story has shifted and the writing is distinct enough. I'd classify this as a piece of metafiction that doesn't necessarily read as metafiction at first. You're thrown into the world of the main characters Zelu/Ankara and the story moves rather quickly while also taking its time, if that makes sense.

From reviews I had seen before reading my own copy of the arc, I already knew that the book had some aspects of social commentary, but I wasn't sure what it would be like. I was worried it would be didactic, but that didn't necessarily happen until the very end. I found the characters enjoyable, even when they got on my last nerves (although Chinyere and Amarachi were pushing it). I felt for Zelu and I felt for Ankara. Zelu, in particular, is a well-written character. I obviously feel more for her because of how she is framed as the main character of one of the storylines in the book, she is not without flaw and she is not always likeable. That makes her real in a way that made me care more about her and her desires, even when they were asinine to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and an excellent introduction to Nnedi Okorafor for me.

I absolutely loved this book! From start to finish, it had me hooked. The story was captivating, the characters were well-developed, and the pacing was perfect. I couldn’t put it down! The author’s writing style is fresh, engaging, and truly immersive. This is now one of my favorite reads, and I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next. They’ve easily become one of my top favorite authors. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great read. Five stars, without a doubt!

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is a fascinating blend of literary fiction and Afro-futuristic sci-fi. The story follows Zelu, a 32-year-old writer who faces creative challenges and personal hardships. After being fired from her university job and having her novel rejected, she pens a far-future epic called Rusted Robots. This book projects her into literary stardom, but also brings unexpected challenges.
Okorafor masterfully combines razor-sharp commentary with heartfelt humanity, creating a meta-drama that explores the relationship between writer and reader. The book is both funny and deeply poignant. If you enjoy stories that challenge conventional narratives and delve into the complexities of identity and creativity, this book is a must-read.

This is the first book that I've read from Nnedi Okorafor, I was surprised to learn how many books she has written already. After reading 'Death of the Author' I will be checking out her earlier books. This latest book is a fascinating story of a paraplegic Nigerian-American woman and her relationship with her extended family.

I continue being a fan of Nnedi Okorafor and am adding "Death of the Author" to my favorites list.

I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and the opportunity to get to know the other characters from their chapter with Zelu being the primary human voice, grounding the story. Okorafor gave me all of the emotions and I was forced to read slower as I processed them. I didn't realize until the end that I was holding my breath, hoping that nothing bad was going to happen to my favorites. And, speaking of the ending, I love it.

This book was a great read! It is well-written and it draws the reader into the story. You feel that you are actually there. I enjoyed reading this so much that I plan to check out more of Okorafor's writing.

Death of the Author started too slow for me to get even halfway through it. What I did read was ok, but I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. It seemed to me to be such an interesting premise. It just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Like Zelu, I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi... Or, at least, not hard SF. I do love grounded, relationship-based SF like Ishiguru's Never Let Me Go. This book is primarily literary fiction, about a Nigerian American author who is paralyzed and on a journey to find herself (within her career, within the world, and within her family), with SF chapters interwoven-- although in the end, which one is the framing story is cleverly called into question.
The entirety of Zelu's world, from her family to the food they enjoy with each other, her budding romance, and her relationship with her body, is all rendered in vivid language so that it has a visual and emotional resonance. My only gripe with the literary part of the story is that I struggle to believe the level of fame Zelu is purported to experience. Perhaps she'd be recognizable in Nigeria, or in certain niche circles, but it's exceedingly rare that any artist experiences constant recognition the way Zelu does.
While I do see the importance of the SF chapters, and the parallels between Zelu's journey and the Rusted Robots story. However, I definitely would've preferred far less of the SF chapters. Had they been pared back significantly, I'd have enjoyed the book more. But overall, the book is very unique and unpredictable, and I really loved the meta approach to writing-- an author who is writing a version of herself and then seemingly begins to start altering herself to become more like the robot character. Fans of literary intersectionality and AfroFuturism will surely enjoy this book.

Nnedi Okorafor may be one of my new favorite writers, I loved her novel Lagoon and now Death of the Author is also a must tell everyone to read this book as well. Death of the Author is a book within a book, centered around Zelu, a misfit Nigerian American woman who is an adjunct professor/author/paraplegic. However, when she loses her job, she writes a book, Rusted Robots, that quickly becomes a massive phenomenon. The book switches between Zelu and the book Zelu authored, but the switches are seamless, which is not easy to do well. This book is an amazing ouroboros of a work and I loved it.

This was my first by this author and it won't be the last! The storytelling was exquisite and Zelu was an incredibly well crafted character. I loved the fresh take on the sci-fi genre.