What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
14 days and 09:19:34
24 copies available
U.S. only
Death of the Author
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jan 25Win a free print copy of this book!
14 days and 09:19:34
24 copies available
U.S. only
The future of storytelling is here.
Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.
In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.
What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.
Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.
Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.
In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.
What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.
Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 14, 2025
About the author
Nnedi Okorafor
72 books16.6k followersNnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com and follow Nnedi on twitter (as @Nnedi), Facebook and Instagram.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
August 4, 2024
Zelu is a 32 year old paraplegic woman with an MFA in creative writing, a novel she wrote six years ago she can't sell, and has just been fired from her adjunct teaching position. At her sister's destination wedding inspiration for a sci-fi novel hits and she writes a breakout hit, but what will change as she rockets to fame?
I would describe this book as literary fiction joined alongside Afro futurism sci-fi, as there are two works alongside each other. You get the unfolding story from Zelu's perspective, chapters of Rusted Robots, and chapters of interview snippets with Zelu's family and friends. I think if you enjoyed Yellowfave by R. F. Kuang, you will likely enjoy this; there are some similar themes even though the protagonists and genres are very different.
Thank you to William Morrow Books for an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 1/14/25.
I would describe this book as literary fiction joined alongside Afro futurism sci-fi, as there are two works alongside each other. You get the unfolding story from Zelu's perspective, chapters of Rusted Robots, and chapters of interview snippets with Zelu's family and friends. I think if you enjoyed Yellowfave by R. F. Kuang, you will likely enjoy this; there are some similar themes even though the protagonists and genres are very different.
Thank you to William Morrow Books for an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 1/14/25.
November 2, 2024
I do not give five star ratings lightly, but my god, Death of the Author is a five-star book to me.
It’s about the beauty in humanity. It’s about the beauty of our world. It looks the ugly in the face and says to it “you’re beautiful.”
I love how messy the characters are. There is something so human about this book. Okorafor discusses the line between humanity and automation, but the story is so dumbfoundingly human.
DotA weaves together several different stories that are all one. You can argue that the stories are separate, but that is a disservice to this book. They all contribute to the same end.
Every book I’ve read by Okorafor has made me feel something that transcends words. THAT is the work of a skilled and gifted author. DotA is no exception.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s about the beauty in humanity. It’s about the beauty of our world. It looks the ugly in the face and says to it “you’re beautiful.”
I love how messy the characters are. There is something so human about this book. Okorafor discusses the line between humanity and automation, but the story is so dumbfoundingly human.
DotA weaves together several different stories that are all one. You can argue that the stories are separate, but that is a disservice to this book. They all contribute to the same end.
Every book I’ve read by Okorafor has made me feel something that transcends words. THAT is the work of a skilled and gifted author. DotA is no exception.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2024
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters and the character development. The pacing and story is just utter fantastic and breathtaking. The story within a story is fantastic. I am telling everybody about this one it is so real, so human, so true. Thank you thank you thank you Nnedi for writing such an amazing and truly beautiful book. I read a NetGalley copy.
December 14, 2024
This masterful novel refuses any genre boundaries or expectations, with an escape velocity powerful enough to shame any natural laws trying to hold it down. Nnedi Okorafor manages to seamlessly blend three distinct narratives in this story, the “main” narrative, a series of interviews about the main character, and the novel-within-the-novel. Each of these have a distinct voice, especially noticeable in the interviews which each builds a world for that interviewee in their speech patterns and what they share to tell, and yet they fall into each other, never competing for space but somehow building into a beautiful meta-narrative about identity, individuality, and family, and somehow so much more. Importantly, as you switch across these three modes it never feels like a gimmick, instead it feels necessary, like it is the only way to see a bigger picture, more zoomed out. The stories and memories and vague foreboding of the interviews make the parallels between the two narratives more apparent, and as those two narratives seek to understand and explain each other the interviews create a web of context.
The world-building is really skillful, giving such a strong sense of time and place. The way deep roots spread across continents, and the lives all of those locations are given through the characters’ relationships with and experiences and memories of them, gives the world-building a tangible feeling. This also goes for the post-human landscape in the novel-within-the-novel, a lush world that feels complete and full. The characters are all great. There are a lot of ancillary characters in the main narrative, as the main character has a big family, and not all of them are really fleshed out in a complete way, and yet each has a distinct role in the family, and they are colorful and exciting and still feel genuine. The family as a whole serves as a character, and all of the siblings and so forth are the unique parts, making the family both spectacular and relatable. The main character and a few of the more important ancillary characters are exquisitely developed, full of impulses and complications and genuine heart. The writing supports the characters, being straightforward and emotional in turn, meeting the needs of the scene. For a novel that definitely has a lot of ideas the writing never felt stuffy or pretentious, it felt very earthy, almost, and grounded. It made everything else in the story more convincing. I will repeat I especially appreciated how distinct each character felt in their interview chapters, showing a finesse with writing dialogue and sentiment in such a way as to build distinct and intentional realities.
On the one hand, none of the ideas of the novel are incredibly groundbreaking. It is asking how to find one’s place in the world, and that includes what it means to be surrounded by people who care for you and yet feel lonelier than ever. But on the other hand, the way it explores these ideas is so deft that they feel original. Disability, cultural identity, family dynamics, social expectations and fame/popularity, technological marvels and limitations, heritage, inheritance—these are all parts of the vocabularies used to adventure through these ideas. None of the characters or stories are defined by any one of those things, but they are used to build something unique and wonderful. It is worth thinking about the title, too. The “Death of the Author” represents a mid-twentieth century revolution in literary criticism, an approach that broke with the orthodoxy that insisted the detailed history of the author and their context and intentions defined any given text’s “ultimate meaning” and instead prioritized the individual experience of the reader, the subjectivity of the relationship created in the act of reading informed by the world and experiences of the reader. It isn’t hard to see parallels with and influences from the author’s own life, including the fact that she was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down after a surgery when she was nineteen and that became the origin of her writing career. So, in that way, the author isn’t dead, the author is very much in this novel. Yet, at the same time, this story is one that is inviting the reader into a relationship an act of co-creation, and it absolutely resists any stifling box such as “ultimate meaning.”
Maybe most important to say? This story is fun. A lot of fun. Once I started it I didn’t want to put it down. I felt invested and included in the lives being spun, and being able to bear witness to the journeys of discovery within these narratives was a genuine delight.
(Rounded up from 4.5)
I want to thank the authors, the publisher William Morrow, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The world-building is really skillful, giving such a strong sense of time and place. The way deep roots spread across continents, and the lives all of those locations are given through the characters’ relationships with and experiences and memories of them, gives the world-building a tangible feeling. This also goes for the post-human landscape in the novel-within-the-novel, a lush world that feels complete and full. The characters are all great. There are a lot of ancillary characters in the main narrative, as the main character has a big family, and not all of them are really fleshed out in a complete way, and yet each has a distinct role in the family, and they are colorful and exciting and still feel genuine. The family as a whole serves as a character, and all of the siblings and so forth are the unique parts, making the family both spectacular and relatable. The main character and a few of the more important ancillary characters are exquisitely developed, full of impulses and complications and genuine heart. The writing supports the characters, being straightforward and emotional in turn, meeting the needs of the scene. For a novel that definitely has a lot of ideas the writing never felt stuffy or pretentious, it felt very earthy, almost, and grounded. It made everything else in the story more convincing. I will repeat I especially appreciated how distinct each character felt in their interview chapters, showing a finesse with writing dialogue and sentiment in such a way as to build distinct and intentional realities.
On the one hand, none of the ideas of the novel are incredibly groundbreaking. It is asking how to find one’s place in the world, and that includes what it means to be surrounded by people who care for you and yet feel lonelier than ever. But on the other hand, the way it explores these ideas is so deft that they feel original. Disability, cultural identity, family dynamics, social expectations and fame/popularity, technological marvels and limitations, heritage, inheritance—these are all parts of the vocabularies used to adventure through these ideas. None of the characters or stories are defined by any one of those things, but they are used to build something unique and wonderful. It is worth thinking about the title, too. The “Death of the Author” represents a mid-twentieth century revolution in literary criticism, an approach that broke with the orthodoxy that insisted the detailed history of the author and their context and intentions defined any given text’s “ultimate meaning” and instead prioritized the individual experience of the reader, the subjectivity of the relationship created in the act of reading informed by the world and experiences of the reader. It isn’t hard to see parallels with and influences from the author’s own life, including the fact that she was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down after a surgery when she was nineteen and that became the origin of her writing career. So, in that way, the author isn’t dead, the author is very much in this novel. Yet, at the same time, this story is one that is inviting the reader into a relationship an act of co-creation, and it absolutely resists any stifling box such as “ultimate meaning.”
Maybe most important to say? This story is fun. A lot of fun. Once I started it I didn’t want to put it down. I felt invested and included in the lives being spun, and being able to bear witness to the journeys of discovery within these narratives was a genuine delight.
(Rounded up from 4.5)
I want to thank the authors, the publisher William Morrow, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 7, 2024
"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.
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.
Read
December 1, 2024Gd to read N O with all the spirit who put it in her novel from spider to zombi to bird and many magic and old tals whith pinful luagh.i ingoy read to her and learn more about her culture in her way.ma i will read more?absultly yes.
December 2, 2024
Death of the Author is a 3-in-1 novel, comprising the narratives of Zelu – a thirtysomething, female, Nigerian-American, paraplegic, adjunct professor turned bestselling writer – sandwiched between interviews about Zelu from her friends and family, and excerpts from Zelu’s bestselling in-universe Afro-futuristic book Rusted Robots. In telling the story this way, Zelu’s story is never completely in her control. Zelu’s existence is fraught with adversity at all sides with a flailing career and an overbearing and not-always-supportive family. This is channeled into her novel – a post-humanity future where humanoid robots in “rusted” bodies are at war with formless AI’s that seek to “fix” them. The runaway mainstream success of Zelu’s work affects her life and relationships in countless ways, wreaking havoc on her mental health and besetting her with a case of writer’s block as the fans clamor for a sequel. However, the attention of her new-found fame also provides her with opportunities to advance the future of technology shown in her book, with participation in a trial for robotic prosthetic legs that blends fiction and reality.
From Rusted Robots’s toxic fandom, to the relationships in first-generation immigrant families in the US, to racism in academia, to body autonomy of disabled people, to AI’s encroachment on humanity, Death of the Author weaves in various thematic elements that are relevant today but also relevant always. Zelu’s life and struggles to navigate everything without having a template prime her to be remembered as a pioneer, but this story details the toll the messiness of the situation can take on a person. That’s why Zelu is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read. She’s bold, impulsive, decisive, but also insecure, angry, and insensitive. She’s a mess but so, so justified in being one. That also makes her triumphs feel so much brighter – professional advancement, technological advancement, adventure, and finally love for herself.
I will say that for me, this book failed to have an ending as compelling as the set-up. The final third rushes through the action so much that Zelu’s mental health situation feels glossed over despite informing her impulsive actions, the side characters blend into background noise, and the above-discussed themes feel more like observations than a meaningful statement. It’s worth the read for those who like to ruminate on those topics and discuss further. I am left thinking more about the ways the book hits a myriad of intersectional issues rather than the story’s plot.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. Death of the Author will be published January 14, 2025.
From Rusted Robots’s toxic fandom, to the relationships in first-generation immigrant families in the US, to racism in academia, to body autonomy of disabled people, to AI’s encroachment on humanity, Death of the Author weaves in various thematic elements that are relevant today but also relevant always. Zelu’s life and struggles to navigate everything without having a template prime her to be remembered as a pioneer, but this story details the toll the messiness of the situation can take on a person. That’s why Zelu is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read. She’s bold, impulsive, decisive, but also insecure, angry, and insensitive. She’s a mess but so, so justified in being one. That also makes her triumphs feel so much brighter – professional advancement, technological advancement, adventure, and finally love for herself.
I will say that for me, this book failed to have an ending as compelling as the set-up. The final third rushes through the action so much that Zelu’s mental health situation feels glossed over despite informing her impulsive actions, the side characters blend into background noise, and the above-discussed themes feel more like observations than a meaningful statement. It’s worth the read for those who like to ruminate on those topics and discuss further. I am left thinking more about the ways the book hits a myriad of intersectional issues rather than the story’s plot.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. Death of the Author will be published January 14, 2025.
November 13, 2024
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC of this book!
Death of the Author tells the story of Zelu, a disabled Nigerian-American author, her sudden rise to popularity, and all the joys and troubles that came with it.
It also tells the story that launched Zelu’s career, Rusted Robots, a tale of robots and AI in a post-apocalyptic Nigeria.
I sometimes have an issue when an author includes metatextual praise of the book you’re reading in that same novel (it basically ruined Addie LaRue for me), but Rusted Robots holds up well enough, especially in the context of Zelu’s character, that it works.
Ultimately, Death of the Author is primarily a character study on Zelu. It’s fascinating how the Rusted Robots is so intrinsically her. The interviews from those close to her provide a lot of context for her life, and how she got where she is. And then the last chapter recontextualises the entirety of the book before in a way that made me stop for a solid minute and reconsider the book I read and decide what it meant to me. At some point I will probably reread it with the last chapter in mind, and I’m sure it’ll be a different experience.
I do have my issues: A lot of the side characters, especially the bulk of Zelu’s family, do suffer a little in their characterisation, not having much identity outside the aggregate, and it gets a little repetitive hearing the same three foods mentioned over and over. Overall, though, it was a great read, and I’m sure I’ll revisit it again in the future.
Death of the Author tells the story of Zelu, a disabled Nigerian-American author, her sudden rise to popularity, and all the joys and troubles that came with it.
It also tells the story that launched Zelu’s career, Rusted Robots, a tale of robots and AI in a post-apocalyptic Nigeria.
I sometimes have an issue when an author includes metatextual praise of the book you’re reading in that same novel (it basically ruined Addie LaRue for me), but Rusted Robots holds up well enough, especially in the context of Zelu’s character, that it works.
Ultimately, Death of the Author is primarily a character study on Zelu. It’s fascinating how the Rusted Robots is so intrinsically her. The interviews from those close to her provide a lot of context for her life, and how she got where she is. And then the last chapter recontextualises the entirety of the book before in a way that made me stop for a solid minute and reconsider the book I read and decide what it meant to me. At some point I will probably reread it with the last chapter in mind, and I’m sure it’ll be a different experience.
I do have my issues: A lot of the side characters, especially the bulk of Zelu’s family, do suffer a little in their characterisation, not having much identity outside the aggregate, and it gets a little repetitive hearing the same three foods mentioned over and over. Overall, though, it was a great read, and I’m sure I’ll revisit it again in the future.
October 5, 2024
Be prepared to have your mind blown as you read about this book within a book. Zelu, at her lowest point, writes a sci-fi book that instantly sells. Not only does this make her a literary star, it changes her life in unimaginable ways. And, it's how she navigates this world as well as her family relationships, which is what makes this so interesting. Along with that, the reader gets a glimpse of the novel and how it also is a message for our times. There is so much to talk about with this book and I can't wait when it makes its way out into the world.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
November 26, 2024
Actual Star Rating: 5 stars
Date: 11/20/24 – 11/24/24
As I have stated before, my mom works at our town’s public library and her boss, the library director, recently went to a conference where she was able to acquire arcs of various books. While they can’t put the arcs in the library catalog for check outs due to copyright issues, they could give them to patrons for them to read and then tell them if they should buy the finished copies when they’re released. Well, I looked through them and found two that I wanted to try, and our review today is on one of them, Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (the next review will be on the other one if you are wondering😊). I have heard about Nnedi Okorafor before, and I have always wanted to try one of her books, so I was excited when I saw the arc, as this gives me the opportunity. This book tells the story of Zelu, a young disabled Nigerian American author, who at a low point in her life, writes a science fiction book called Rusted Robots. As you read the book, you not only read Zelu’s story, but you also get excerpts from her book and watch as the two slowly and beautifully start to mirror each other.
This mirroring is wonderful as it allows us to see the different themes that Okorafor is exploring through different lenses and different genres. Okorafor, at least from my research, is primarily a science fiction writer, but this book is, at least the Zelu parts, set in our day and time or not very far into the future. It was interesting to see the crossover that a lot of these thematic conversations can have, whether they be conversations of identity and the different shades it can take, disability and the fine line between ablism and advocacy, and culture and the friction between progress and tradition to name a few. Also, Okorafor was able to explore the craft of storytelling and writing itself and why it’s so important to our society as well as some of the pitfalls by structuring her story the way she did. I loved the interesting structure of this book, and I am excited to read some of Okorafor’s other books as I could see her writing prowess through this book as it takes skill to weave two drastically different narratives together in a way that makes sense and is cohesive.
Personally, however, my favorite thing was Zelu, our main character. Although I don’t share any of the same struggles that Zelu experienced in this book, I do share a lot of her ways of handling them and some of the private thoughts that she has, especially those concerning her family, I have had verbatim. On page 136, Zelu states that “she would just stay silent from now on. What did it matter? Whenever she told them about her life, they just used the opportunity to take control.” When I read that, I had to stop and just take a minute because I have had that thought concerning my family so many times growing up. My parents come from the generations where mental health and neurodivergence really weren’t a thing or were seen as a bad thing, so I learned very early on to develop a persona/mask so that I didn’t appear to be those things or have those issues, even though I did. As I’ve gotten older, I have been dropping that mask and at first, there was a lot of friction between my parents and I, which is when I started saying the things that Zelu was saying, however, again, like Zelu, I learned how to exist within and despite my parent’s expectations of me. Relating to Zelu in this way greatly increased my enjoyment of this book, especially as I don’t read books set in our “real” world very often.
All in all, this book wasn’t what I would normally pick up, but I greatly enjoyed it, and I am excited to start exploring Okorafor’s other books in the future, especially since they are books that I would normally pick up, being primarily science fiction and fantasy. 5 stars and a unique read!!!!!!!!
Date: 11/20/24 – 11/24/24
As I have stated before, my mom works at our town’s public library and her boss, the library director, recently went to a conference where she was able to acquire arcs of various books. While they can’t put the arcs in the library catalog for check outs due to copyright issues, they could give them to patrons for them to read and then tell them if they should buy the finished copies when they’re released. Well, I looked through them and found two that I wanted to try, and our review today is on one of them, Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (the next review will be on the other one if you are wondering😊). I have heard about Nnedi Okorafor before, and I have always wanted to try one of her books, so I was excited when I saw the arc, as this gives me the opportunity. This book tells the story of Zelu, a young disabled Nigerian American author, who at a low point in her life, writes a science fiction book called Rusted Robots. As you read the book, you not only read Zelu’s story, but you also get excerpts from her book and watch as the two slowly and beautifully start to mirror each other.
This mirroring is wonderful as it allows us to see the different themes that Okorafor is exploring through different lenses and different genres. Okorafor, at least from my research, is primarily a science fiction writer, but this book is, at least the Zelu parts, set in our day and time or not very far into the future. It was interesting to see the crossover that a lot of these thematic conversations can have, whether they be conversations of identity and the different shades it can take, disability and the fine line between ablism and advocacy, and culture and the friction between progress and tradition to name a few. Also, Okorafor was able to explore the craft of storytelling and writing itself and why it’s so important to our society as well as some of the pitfalls by structuring her story the way she did. I loved the interesting structure of this book, and I am excited to read some of Okorafor’s other books as I could see her writing prowess through this book as it takes skill to weave two drastically different narratives together in a way that makes sense and is cohesive.
Personally, however, my favorite thing was Zelu, our main character. Although I don’t share any of the same struggles that Zelu experienced in this book, I do share a lot of her ways of handling them and some of the private thoughts that she has, especially those concerning her family, I have had verbatim. On page 136, Zelu states that “she would just stay silent from now on. What did it matter? Whenever she told them about her life, they just used the opportunity to take control.” When I read that, I had to stop and just take a minute because I have had that thought concerning my family so many times growing up. My parents come from the generations where mental health and neurodivergence really weren’t a thing or were seen as a bad thing, so I learned very early on to develop a persona/mask so that I didn’t appear to be those things or have those issues, even though I did. As I’ve gotten older, I have been dropping that mask and at first, there was a lot of friction between my parents and I, which is when I started saying the things that Zelu was saying, however, again, like Zelu, I learned how to exist within and despite my parent’s expectations of me. Relating to Zelu in this way greatly increased my enjoyment of this book, especially as I don’t read books set in our “real” world very often.
All in all, this book wasn’t what I would normally pick up, but I greatly enjoyed it, and I am excited to start exploring Okorafor’s other books in the future, especially since they are books that I would normally pick up, being primarily science fiction and fantasy. 5 stars and a unique read!!!!!!!!
September 22, 2024
Zelu is a 32 year old paraplegic woman with an MFA in creative writing, a novel she wrote six years ago she can't sell, and has just been fired from her adjunct teaching position. At her sister's destination wedding inspiration for a sci-fi novel hits and she writes a breakout hit, but what will change as she rockets to fame?
I would describe this book as literary fiction joined alongside Afro futurism sci-fi, as there are two works alongside each other. You get the unfolding story from Zelu's perspective, chapters of Rusted Robots, and chapters of interview snippets with Zelu's family and friends. I think if you enjoyed Yellowfave by R. F. Kuang, you will likely enjoy this; there are some similar themes even though the protagonists and genres are very different.
Thank you to William Morrow Books for an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 1/14/25.
I would describe this book as literary fiction joined alongside Afro futurism sci-fi, as there are two works alongside each other. You get the unfolding story from Zelu's perspective, chapters of Rusted Robots, and chapters of interview snippets with Zelu's family and friends. I think if you enjoyed Yellowfave by R. F. Kuang, you will likely enjoy this; there are some similar themes even though the protagonists and genres are very different.
Thank you to William Morrow Books for an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 1/14/25.
November 24, 2024
I won this book in a giveaway on this app and it so happens to be the first giveaway I’ve won.
I went into this book with low expectations and I seriously thought that I wouldn’t like it as much because it’s not something I would normally pick up by myself. I finished this book within 24 hours. This book has been an amazing journey, I feel as though I have read about two different worlds that are beautifully intwined, and I loved seeing the similarities between the two. I loved the diversity, the messy characters, the drama, the cultures, the overall humanity in this book and the ending had me rethinking everything I had just read, my jaw was on the floor with the last chapters and I can happily say this book is amazing and will stick with me. Definitely give this book a try.
Thank you William Morrow Books for this ARC
I went into this book with low expectations and I seriously thought that I wouldn’t like it as much because it’s not something I would normally pick up by myself. I finished this book within 24 hours. This book has been an amazing journey, I feel as though I have read about two different worlds that are beautifully intwined, and I loved seeing the similarities between the two. I loved the diversity, the messy characters, the drama, the cultures, the overall humanity in this book and the ending had me rethinking everything I had just read, my jaw was on the floor with the last chapters and I can happily say this book is amazing and will stick with me. Definitely give this book a try.
Thank you William Morrow Books for this ARC
October 14, 2024
A compelling read! Literary fiction blended with Sci-Fi/Afro-futurism, with a nice dash of metatextuality.
Death of the Author follows Zelu, a 32 year old paraplegic Nigerian-American woman who is set adrift after she is fired from her adjunct job. When she pens an instant-hit Sci-Fi novel, her life changes rapidly and she is forced to navigate fame, her identity, and her family dynamics.
The chapters switch between Zelu and her novel, "Rusted Robots." Unlike Zelu I AM a big fan of Sci-Fi, so I found the "Rusted Robots" chapters refreshing - often a welcome break from the stress of Zelu navigating a family gathering the chapter before.
I recommend this for both existing fans of Okorafor and new readers.
Death of the Author follows Zelu, a 32 year old paraplegic Nigerian-American woman who is set adrift after she is fired from her adjunct job. When she pens an instant-hit Sci-Fi novel, her life changes rapidly and she is forced to navigate fame, her identity, and her family dynamics.
The chapters switch between Zelu and her novel, "Rusted Robots." Unlike Zelu I AM a big fan of Sci-Fi, so I found the "Rusted Robots" chapters refreshing - often a welcome break from the stress of Zelu navigating a family gathering the chapter before.
I recommend this for both existing fans of Okorafor and new readers.
September 16, 2024
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor hooked me in from the first chapter and continued to reel me in until I finished the book. How creative and ingenious. this book was. I love a book that I cannot tell what is going to happen. The author creates a tale of a boisterous loving family with so many characters that it takes a bit to remember everyone. I love how the book intertwines the sci fi book Rusted Robots that the main character Zelu is trying to write and then follows her life and family.
I also found the interview parts with all that know Zelu (the main character) and how you get their point of view of how they feel about Zelu or what is going on from their side of the events. I was so invested with the authors description of food that I found a recipe for Jollof Rice and made it for my family who loved it. I liked it, but was too spicy for me to enjoy. The book also explores the different African cultures and their different myths or stories. I am so grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read this amazing book. The title had me curious and then I dived in and couldn't wait to find out what happens. I felt sad at the end because I loved having those characters in my life and now the story ended and I cannot enjoy any more moments with Zelu.
I also found the interview parts with all that know Zelu (the main character) and how you get their point of view of how they feel about Zelu or what is going on from their side of the events. I was so invested with the authors description of food that I found a recipe for Jollof Rice and made it for my family who loved it. I liked it, but was too spicy for me to enjoy. The book also explores the different African cultures and their different myths or stories. I am so grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read this amazing book. The title had me curious and then I dived in and couldn't wait to find out what happens. I felt sad at the end because I loved having those characters in my life and now the story ended and I cannot enjoy any more moments with Zelu.
September 15, 2024
an epic and absolutely meta roller coaster ride
October 7, 2024
Wow! I'm still processing the ending of this book. I loved learning about Nigerian culture and the tight family bonds. Zelu was a wild ride of a character, sometimes I loved her and sometimes I wanted to yell at her.
Thank you to Net galley for my copy of this book.
Thank you to Net galley for my copy of this book.
September 30, 2024
I urge anyone that is reading the book and is not quite sure if they like it or not to keep going. The ending is worth it. 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
I received an ARC of this work for my honest review.
But THEN
I received an ARC of this work for my honest review.
November 8, 2024
OKay, I had to sit on this for a while.,. it was a lot of process, but this might be one of my best reads of 2024. I didn't LOVE any of the characters, and I wish I could have liked them better. Most of the family are really controlling and negative in ways that I didn't understand. But I loved the AI story within the story. That was amazing. And I loved how it looks at the power of stories as an element of personhood. I have already recommended this book to several people, including a few teachers, who will use this book in their classrooms. I mean that TWIST! And the characters were interesting. I really, deeply related to the main character's struggle to be Nigerian enough in Nigeria, and American enough in America, to top that off in America she isn't Nigerian, she is black. I don't relate to that specifically, but that flattening and pigeonholing of your identity is very relatable and I think this books does a good job demonstrating that. Plus it is Sci-Fi, speculative post apocalyptic fiction that explores what it means to be human, alive, a person. Fascinating. Than you SO much to the author, publisher and neutrally for this free ARC. All opinions are my own. I am so, so happy I got to read this book, and I will happily tell as many people about it as I can.
-----
Honestly this is a 4.5. And I’m still mulling it over, that ending! Phew, I didn’t see that coming. More later.
Thank you to the author, publishers and netgally for the e-arc! I highly recommend this book and will talk it up!
-----
Honestly this is a 4.5. And I’m still mulling it over, that ending! Phew, I didn’t see that coming. More later.
Thank you to the author, publishers and netgally for the e-arc! I highly recommend this book and will talk it up!
November 5, 2024
‘What good was love if she could only see it through a window?’
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It took me forever to read this book. The summary sounded right up my alley, the cover is gorgeous, I like the author, I loved Yellowface which the book was compared to, annnnd for some reason I hit 44% and could go no further. It wasn’t until today that I forced myself to power through and finish reading.
Death of the Author isn’t a bad book for what it is, but I went in expecting a heavier critique on the publishing industry and systemic racism and ableism. What I got was a bit of a melodrama about Zelu’s somewhat insufferable family, a super cool but somewhat detached story-within-a-story about robots, and…Elon……Musk? (Mostly, I just got hungry lol. Fried plantains sound amazing right now.)
It felt at times like this book didn’t know what it wanted to be. I think that’s why I ultimately had such a hard time powering through to the finish line. The pacing was a little off in a few places, and it felt like Zelu was so heavily detached from reality at times that it fell into patterns of “she comes up with something new and amazing, her family hates on her for it, she cries alone in her old bedroom, she does the thing anyway and comes to regret it because her family was right, then boom she comes up with something new and yet again for the third time this chapter she mentions that her agent is nagging her for updates on the sequel to Rusted Robots…”
Rinse and repeat. Ultimately the book just felt repetitive, and though the writing itself was excellent on a craft level, I haven’t come away feeling very good about the time I spent on this novel.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go buy some plantains. I have a real hankering for them all of a sudden.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It took me forever to read this book. The summary sounded right up my alley, the cover is gorgeous, I like the author, I loved Yellowface which the book was compared to, annnnd for some reason I hit 44% and could go no further. It wasn’t until today that I forced myself to power through and finish reading.
Death of the Author isn’t a bad book for what it is, but I went in expecting a heavier critique on the publishing industry and systemic racism and ableism. What I got was a bit of a melodrama about Zelu’s somewhat insufferable family, a super cool but somewhat detached story-within-a-story about robots, and…Elon……Musk? (Mostly, I just got hungry lol. Fried plantains sound amazing right now.)
It felt at times like this book didn’t know what it wanted to be. I think that’s why I ultimately had such a hard time powering through to the finish line. The pacing was a little off in a few places, and it felt like Zelu was so heavily detached from reality at times that it fell into patterns of “she comes up with something new and amazing, her family hates on her for it, she cries alone in her old bedroom, she does the thing anyway and comes to regret it because her family was right, then boom she comes up with something new and yet again for the third time this chapter she mentions that her agent is nagging her for updates on the sequel to Rusted Robots…”
Rinse and repeat. Ultimately the book just felt repetitive, and though the writing itself was excellent on a craft level, I haven’t come away feeling very good about the time I spent on this novel.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go buy some plantains. I have a real hankering for them all of a sudden.
December 15, 2024
Nnedi Okorafor is on a very short list of mine where I'll read any book they write. Her sci-fi worlds, of a genre she calls "Africanfuturism", are a breathe of fresh air among sometimes stale Western fiction tropes. Her syntax is also refreshing, as there's a deceptively simple, almost folkloric structure to her sentences that makes her books very accessible, yet still rich and alive. It sometimes feels like you're sitting around a fire listening to her tell you a story.
In Death of the Author, you are really reading two books in one. The first story is about Zelu, a headstrong parapalegic writer, her rise to fame, and her relationships with her Nigerian-American family. This takes place perhaps 30-50 years in the future, in a world very similar to modern day, so it would be a stretch to call it science fiction beyond a few minor elements, which is a big departure from what Okorafor is known for. Autonomous vehicles, for some reason, are only starting to hit the market, despite today already being a reality. One key plot element revolves around Zelu gaining access to a piece of life-changing technology that probably will exist 30-50 years out, but other than that the speculative fiction elements are sparse. In truth, the most fantastical element I found in Zelu's story was that an MIT professor and grad students had enough free time to travel the world with their writer friend all the time.
Even in the darkest parts of Nnedi's stories, there's a core of strength and hope that her MC's often posses that rarely leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. That said, I unfortunately found Zelu somewhat unlikable, although not unrealistic as a person. Maybe that was the point though? I found it difficult to read scenario after scenario of Zelu's family relentlessly putting her down and never acknowledging her successes. On the other hand, career-wise and romantically, Zelu seems to have every single thing she ever wanted just fall into her lap with seemingly little friction. She doesn't handle this dichotomy with poise or gratitude, or even a sense of agency, only an attitude that she always knew she deserved this life and the world was just catching up. There is no mention of her immense privilege, despite her disability, and no sense of urgency or insecurity in maintaining her new lifestyle once she achieves it. I think many other people in her situation might have a bit more internal conflict or hint of imposter syndrome. Some chapters are interviews of the people close to her, with a vague sense of past tense, as if something bad was going to happen, but which ultimately felt discontiguous with the rest of Zelu's chapters. By the end, I couldn't help but feel I had missed something about understanding her as a person, and that there was a lack of character development from who she started as and who she ended up as.
The other story being told alongside Zelu's is that of Rusted Robots , the science fiction novel that skyrockets Zelu to fame. I didn't really connect much to it, and while being set in a far future Nigeria, didn't see much of how it connected to it's environment, or even Zelu's story. It followed a story with a pretty standard plot element, one we've seen in Baldur's Gate 3, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, and Animorphs. I won't spoil it, but you can probably see the throughline there if you know any of these other works. It contrasts with Zelu's story in being almost too fantastical and folktale-like that leave some of the worldbuilding feeling underdeveloped and vague. To me, robots as a subject matter also feel well-worn at this point, so I just didn't really connect with much of it.
Overall, Death of the Author feels like it takes all of the components that Okorafor so seamlessly integrates into her typical sci-fi work - Africanness, hope, survival, transhumanism, self-actualization, etc. - and deconstructs them into disparate elements and tales. Much like eating two slices of bread with a cold slice of cheddar does not provide the same experience as a hot, toasty grilled cheese sandwich, Zelu's story and Rusted Robots didn't quite add up to the sum of their parts for me.
All this said though, I believe in an artist's right to evolve and I'm glad that Nnedi wrote such a personal and somewhat risk-taking novel to share with the world. Perhaps elements of this book were too real for me, and I have to accept that I hide away in reading hard sci-fi and avoid literary fiction because I want escapism, not reminders of life's messy ambiguities and harsh realities. I do hope she continues to write more like this though, and I will still eagerly read whatever she publishes. There will be an audience for this book, but I don't think I was it.
Much thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
In Death of the Author, you are really reading two books in one. The first story is about Zelu, a headstrong parapalegic writer, her rise to fame, and her relationships with her Nigerian-American family. This takes place perhaps 30-50 years in the future, in a world very similar to modern day, so it would be a stretch to call it science fiction beyond a few minor elements, which is a big departure from what Okorafor is known for. Autonomous vehicles, for some reason, are only starting to hit the market, despite today already being a reality. One key plot element revolves around Zelu gaining access to a piece of life-changing technology that probably will exist 30-50 years out, but other than that the speculative fiction elements are sparse. In truth, the most fantastical element I found in Zelu's story was that an MIT professor and grad students had enough free time to travel the world with their writer friend all the time.
Even in the darkest parts of Nnedi's stories, there's a core of strength and hope that her MC's often posses that rarely leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. That said, I unfortunately found Zelu somewhat unlikable, although not unrealistic as a person. Maybe that was the point though? I found it difficult to read scenario after scenario of Zelu's family relentlessly putting her down and never acknowledging her successes. On the other hand, career-wise and romantically, Zelu seems to have every single thing she ever wanted just fall into her lap with seemingly little friction. She doesn't handle this dichotomy with poise or gratitude, or even a sense of agency, only an attitude that she always knew she deserved this life and the world was just catching up. There is no mention of her immense privilege, despite her disability, and no sense of urgency or insecurity in maintaining her new lifestyle once she achieves it. I think many other people in her situation might have a bit more internal conflict or hint of imposter syndrome. Some chapters are interviews of the people close to her, with a vague sense of past tense, as if something bad was going to happen, but which ultimately felt discontiguous with the rest of Zelu's chapters. By the end, I couldn't help but feel I had missed something about understanding her as a person, and that there was a lack of character development from who she started as and who she ended up as.
The other story being told alongside Zelu's is that of Rusted Robots , the science fiction novel that skyrockets Zelu to fame. I didn't really connect much to it, and while being set in a far future Nigeria, didn't see much of how it connected to it's environment, or even Zelu's story. It followed a story with a pretty standard plot element, one we've seen in Baldur's Gate 3, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, and Animorphs. I won't spoil it, but you can probably see the throughline there if you know any of these other works. It contrasts with Zelu's story in being almost too fantastical and folktale-like that leave some of the worldbuilding feeling underdeveloped and vague. To me, robots as a subject matter also feel well-worn at this point, so I just didn't really connect with much of it.
Overall, Death of the Author feels like it takes all of the components that Okorafor so seamlessly integrates into her typical sci-fi work - Africanness, hope, survival, transhumanism, self-actualization, etc. - and deconstructs them into disparate elements and tales. Much like eating two slices of bread with a cold slice of cheddar does not provide the same experience as a hot, toasty grilled cheese sandwich, Zelu's story and Rusted Robots didn't quite add up to the sum of their parts for me.
All this said though, I believe in an artist's right to evolve and I'm glad that Nnedi wrote such a personal and somewhat risk-taking novel to share with the world. Perhaps elements of this book were too real for me, and I have to accept that I hide away in reading hard sci-fi and avoid literary fiction because I want escapism, not reminders of life's messy ambiguities and harsh realities. I do hope she continues to write more like this though, and I will still eagerly read whatever she publishes. There will be an audience for this book, but I don't think I was it.
Much thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2024
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on January 14th, 2025.
A captivating book about Zelu — a disabled Nigerian American author (unpublished) and teacher who gets cancelled (and fired) due to her insensitivity (really deeply provoked impatience!) with her more irritating students. It’s also about the new book she writes — Rusted Robots — which becomes an overnight sensation. A post-apocalyptic story where robots and AI are at war over the tattered remains of human civilization, Rusted Robots brings her fame, fortune, some wild, tech-based opportunities, and a whole lot of people who suddenly feel entitled to tell her exactly what to do.
There are so many intellectually interesting and intersecting threads in this story — AI and automation, family, gender roles, African culture, authorial creativity and control, fame, freedom vs safety, disabilities, and the balance between individual and society — but the overarching theme is one of my favorites: the place of narrative and story in human culture. After all, I read fiction because I seek understanding, not just information.
Okorafor manages to blend multiple genres brilliantly, and since I am a fan of both literary and speculative fiction, I was riveted from start to finish. The characters were drawn so deeply — like all of my favorite people, they seemed to be compelling, annoying, loud, supportive, controlling, and caring all at once. I appreciated the fact that while most of the characters were Black (with the exception of the “wealthy white dudes” who keep finding her), there was no antipathy towards white people, just more of a lack of interest.
The big twist at the end absolutely blew me away. And a last little make-me-happy tidbit? She included a call out to one of my favorite (and fairly obscure for the U.S.) books — So Long A Letter by Mariamba Ba.
In my Top Reads of the Year list.
Quotes:
“The rusted robots in the story were a metaphor for wisdom, patina, acceptance, embracing that which was you, scars, pain, malfunctions, needed replacements, mistakes. What you were given. The finite. Rusted robots did not die in the way that humans did, but they celebrated mortality. Oh, she loved this story and how true it felt.”
“The capitalism machine had used her book, her attempt at shouting into the void, to make visual comfort food for drowsy minds.”
“She thought about Rusted Robots and the main character, who understood deep in her circuits that true power was in the harnessing of it, not the possessing of it. And when you were aware of the moment you harnessed power, that was when it was most difficult to navigate.“
“Narrative is one of the key ways automation defines the world. We Humes have always been clear about this fact. Stories are what holds all things together. They make things matter, they make all things be, exist. Our codes are written in a linear fashion. Our protocols are meant to be carried out with beginnings, middles, ends. Look at how I have been built. My operating system is Ankara themed, my body etched with geometric Ankara designs. I’m the embodiment of a human story. But true storytelling has always been one of the few great things humanity could produce that no automation could. Stories were prizes to be collected, shared, protected, and experienced”
A captivating book about Zelu — a disabled Nigerian American author (unpublished) and teacher who gets cancelled (and fired) due to her insensitivity (really deeply provoked impatience!) with her more irritating students. It’s also about the new book she writes — Rusted Robots — which becomes an overnight sensation. A post-apocalyptic story where robots and AI are at war over the tattered remains of human civilization, Rusted Robots brings her fame, fortune, some wild, tech-based opportunities, and a whole lot of people who suddenly feel entitled to tell her exactly what to do.
There are so many intellectually interesting and intersecting threads in this story — AI and automation, family, gender roles, African culture, authorial creativity and control, fame, freedom vs safety, disabilities, and the balance between individual and society — but the overarching theme is one of my favorites: the place of narrative and story in human culture. After all, I read fiction because I seek understanding, not just information.
Okorafor manages to blend multiple genres brilliantly, and since I am a fan of both literary and speculative fiction, I was riveted from start to finish. The characters were drawn so deeply — like all of my favorite people, they seemed to be compelling, annoying, loud, supportive, controlling, and caring all at once. I appreciated the fact that while most of the characters were Black (with the exception of the “wealthy white dudes” who keep finding her), there was no antipathy towards white people, just more of a lack of interest.
The big twist at the end absolutely blew me away. And a last little make-me-happy tidbit? She included a call out to one of my favorite (and fairly obscure for the U.S.) books — So Long A Letter by Mariamba Ba.
In my Top Reads of the Year list.
Quotes:
“The rusted robots in the story were a metaphor for wisdom, patina, acceptance, embracing that which was you, scars, pain, malfunctions, needed replacements, mistakes. What you were given. The finite. Rusted robots did not die in the way that humans did, but they celebrated mortality. Oh, she loved this story and how true it felt.”
“The capitalism machine had used her book, her attempt at shouting into the void, to make visual comfort food for drowsy minds.”
“She thought about Rusted Robots and the main character, who understood deep in her circuits that true power was in the harnessing of it, not the possessing of it. And when you were aware of the moment you harnessed power, that was when it was most difficult to navigate.“
“Narrative is one of the key ways automation defines the world. We Humes have always been clear about this fact. Stories are what holds all things together. They make things matter, they make all things be, exist. Our codes are written in a linear fashion. Our protocols are meant to be carried out with beginnings, middles, ends. Look at how I have been built. My operating system is Ankara themed, my body etched with geometric Ankara designs. I’m the embodiment of a human story. But true storytelling has always been one of the few great things humanity could produce that no automation could. Stories were prizes to be collected, shared, protected, and experienced”
September 14, 2024
Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author is a compelling blend of literary fiction and Afro-futuristic sci-fi that explores the life of Zelu, a 32-year-old paraplegic writer grappling with creative frustration, personal hardships, and sudden fame. The novel is structured uniquely, with three intertwined narratives: Zelu’s life, chapters from her breakout sci-fi novel Rusted Robots, and interview snippets with Zelu’s family and friends. This layered storytelling adds depth and perspective, giving readers a full view of Zelu’s struggles and triumphs.
Zelu’s journey is both relatable and emotionally complex. As a disabled Nigerian-American woman navigating ableism, sexism, and racism, her character is raw, multidimensional, and captivating. Okorafor masterfully intertwines Zelu’s personal experiences with her sci-fi narrative, using the novel-within-a-novel format to explore larger societal issues like discrimination and bodily autonomy. The inclusion of Rusted Robots—a thought-provoking story about androids and AI taking over a post-human world—mirrors Zelu’s own struggles with identity, empowerment, and belonging.
Okorafor’s writing shines in its ability to balance serious themes with moments of humor and lightness. Zelu’s relationships with her family, particularly the complicated dynamics with her overprotective parents, add a layer of emotional depth to the story. The interviews with her loved ones offer poignant insights into how they see her, often contrasting with how Zelu sees herself.
Fans of metafiction and Afro-futurism will appreciate the intricate world-building and thematic richness. Although Death of the Author tackles heavy topics, it remains an engaging read, with sci-fi elements seamlessly blending into the more grounded, personal narrative. The book also raises fascinating questions about art, authorship, and the power of storytelling. Okorafor’s references to cultural touchstones like Doctor Who and Douglas Adams add a playful intellectualism that enhances the overall experience.
In short, Death of the Author is a brilliant, thought-provoking novel that will resonate with readers who enjoy speculative fiction, stories about personal growth, and reflections on societal issues. It’s a layered, rich narrative that makes you think about where the lines between fiction and reality blur—and what happens when an author confronts her own story.
Thank you Netgalley and team for the free arc copy.
Zelu’s journey is both relatable and emotionally complex. As a disabled Nigerian-American woman navigating ableism, sexism, and racism, her character is raw, multidimensional, and captivating. Okorafor masterfully intertwines Zelu’s personal experiences with her sci-fi narrative, using the novel-within-a-novel format to explore larger societal issues like discrimination and bodily autonomy. The inclusion of Rusted Robots—a thought-provoking story about androids and AI taking over a post-human world—mirrors Zelu’s own struggles with identity, empowerment, and belonging.
Okorafor’s writing shines in its ability to balance serious themes with moments of humor and lightness. Zelu’s relationships with her family, particularly the complicated dynamics with her overprotective parents, add a layer of emotional depth to the story. The interviews with her loved ones offer poignant insights into how they see her, often contrasting with how Zelu sees herself.
Fans of metafiction and Afro-futurism will appreciate the intricate world-building and thematic richness. Although Death of the Author tackles heavy topics, it remains an engaging read, with sci-fi elements seamlessly blending into the more grounded, personal narrative. The book also raises fascinating questions about art, authorship, and the power of storytelling. Okorafor’s references to cultural touchstones like Doctor Who and Douglas Adams add a playful intellectualism that enhances the overall experience.
In short, Death of the Author is a brilliant, thought-provoking novel that will resonate with readers who enjoy speculative fiction, stories about personal growth, and reflections on societal issues. It’s a layered, rich narrative that makes you think about where the lines between fiction and reality blur—and what happens when an author confronts her own story.
Thank you Netgalley and team for the free arc copy.
December 17, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Gollancz for this ARC!
I feel like this will be a marmite book- people will either love or hate it. I'm a little more conflicted.
First of all, I'll start with what I really liked. The protagonist Zelu was brilliant. I loved how flawed and human she was, it was such an honest, personal portrayal (particularly concerning cultural identity) and all of her decisions made complete sense with her character. Most of the other characters also shared this: they felt real and human and complex and, because of this, often not particularly likeable.
I also really enjoyed the 'slightly futuristic' world. The story was clearly set in a time where technology has developed, but in a very believable way. I wouldn't be at all surprised if our world looks like it in 10 or 20 years time. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into it and it really worked.
The Rusted Robots storyline was the highlight of the book for me- I almost just wanted to read a whole book of just Ankara and Ijele! It's definitely told me I need to read more Africanfuturism stories because the atmosphere and story was really beautiful. The links between this world and the 'reality' (or was it reality?) were also really clever.
I will say I was a bit confused by the direction of the book for some time. There's excellent critique of the publishing industry and how it treats its authors, but some of it didn't really go anywhere. I think the more literary aspects of the story just didn't suit my typical reading and didn't fit with what I expected from the story going in, which is a me problem rather than a book problem! I also feel like I'm missing a little something from the ending. It was really well done and well crafted, but I wanted just a little bit more and I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied with Zelu's story- what happens next?
So, a really clever and intricately crafted read. It's compelling and human, though a little bit messy and I wasn't satisfied enough by the ending to really enjoy it. However, anyone wanting an original, unique and diverse mixture of literary and science fiction with compelling characters should look out for this one when it's released! I can definitely see it becoming some people's new favourite book.
I feel like this will be a marmite book- people will either love or hate it. I'm a little more conflicted.
First of all, I'll start with what I really liked. The protagonist Zelu was brilliant. I loved how flawed and human she was, it was such an honest, personal portrayal (particularly concerning cultural identity) and all of her decisions made complete sense with her character. Most of the other characters also shared this: they felt real and human and complex and, because of this, often not particularly likeable.
I also really enjoyed the 'slightly futuristic' world. The story was clearly set in a time where technology has developed, but in a very believable way. I wouldn't be at all surprised if our world looks like it in 10 or 20 years time. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into it and it really worked.
The Rusted Robots storyline was the highlight of the book for me- I almost just wanted to read a whole book of just Ankara and Ijele! It's definitely told me I need to read more Africanfuturism stories because the atmosphere and story was really beautiful. The links between this world and the 'reality' (or was it reality?) were also really clever.
I will say I was a bit confused by the direction of the book for some time. There's excellent critique of the publishing industry and how it treats its authors, but some of it didn't really go anywhere. I think the more literary aspects of the story just didn't suit my typical reading and didn't fit with what I expected from the story going in, which is a me problem rather than a book problem! I also feel like I'm missing a little something from the ending. It was really well done and well crafted, but I wanted just a little bit more and I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied with Zelu's story- what happens next?
So, a really clever and intricately crafted read. It's compelling and human, though a little bit messy and I wasn't satisfied enough by the ending to really enjoy it. However, anyone wanting an original, unique and diverse mixture of literary and science fiction with compelling characters should look out for this one when it's released! I can definitely see it becoming some people's new favourite book.
September 26, 2024
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. (Releases January 14, 2025)
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.
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.
November 8, 2024
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is the story of Zelu, her Nigerian family, and the bestselling book that she writes. And so much more.
Since Zulu is a paraplegic, her family has always both protected her and made her feel an outsider. She wants to be completely individual and independent, but she also needs help sometimes and is a product of her family, cultures, circumstances, history and dreams. When she writes a best-selling novel about the lives and motivations of robots—which we also get to read within the larger story—she has the opportunity to make a difference in her roles as child, sister, partner, author, woman, writer, celebrity but struggles with what she wants those roles to be and to mean.
I really loved this book! I empathized with Zelu trying to find her space and grow. She is not always a loveable character, but she is very real in all of her contradictions and combativeness. The family dynamics are depicted so clearly, and I enjoyed the insight into various tribal cultures and Nigerian diaspora. Even though this is largely a character-driven novel, the plot is well paced, exciting, with several unexpected situations. I even fell in love with a robot story, which I never thought that I could do. The social reflection from an individual and family level to more broadly involving communities and the world was very clever and well-integrated. There is something about this that makes me think of N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy despite the very different approaches.
Highly recommended. Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for the digital ARC.
Since Zulu is a paraplegic, her family has always both protected her and made her feel an outsider. She wants to be completely individual and independent, but she also needs help sometimes and is a product of her family, cultures, circumstances, history and dreams. When she writes a best-selling novel about the lives and motivations of robots—which we also get to read within the larger story—she has the opportunity to make a difference in her roles as child, sister, partner, author, woman, writer, celebrity but struggles with what she wants those roles to be and to mean.
I really loved this book! I empathized with Zelu trying to find her space and grow. She is not always a loveable character, but she is very real in all of her contradictions and combativeness. The family dynamics are depicted so clearly, and I enjoyed the insight into various tribal cultures and Nigerian diaspora. Even though this is largely a character-driven novel, the plot is well paced, exciting, with several unexpected situations. I even fell in love with a robot story, which I never thought that I could do. The social reflection from an individual and family level to more broadly involving communities and the world was very clever and well-integrated. There is something about this that makes me think of N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy despite the very different approaches.
Highly recommended. Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for the digital ARC.
September 20, 2024
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.
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.
October 1, 2024
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 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!
November 23, 2024
Death of the Author was my first novel by Okorafor so I cannot speak to how it compares to the author's previous work. However, I found myself struggling with this book. I felt like it had a hard time deciding what it wanted to be. It felt more literary fiction as opposed to sci-fi, which is what I was expecting. Though Death of the Author didn't fall within my preferred genre, I wanted to give it a fair go. I loved Yellowface and the comparison to it ultimately is what made me want to continue with this novel.
I enjoyed the Rusted Robot exerts that were sprinkled throughout the story. I would have loved more of those chapters. I enjoyed the last chapter and how it tied the entire story together. I also found the cultural aspects of this novel fascinating. I have never read an AfroFuturism book before, and this made me want to pick up more.
For what I didn't like - this book just felt so repetitive. It felt like I was reading the same family arguments and the same "everyone is out to get me" drama every couple of chapters. I didn't feel like Zelu's family really liked her, and I didn't feel like Zelu did much to improve her relationships with them either. I also felt like the interview chapters added nothing to the story. They felt so out of place for me and I wasn't invested in them at all.
I feel like those who enjoy literary intersectionality and AfroFuturism will love this book.
Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I enjoyed the Rusted Robot exerts that were sprinkled throughout the story. I would have loved more of those chapters. I enjoyed the last chapter and how it tied the entire story together. I also found the cultural aspects of this novel fascinating. I have never read an AfroFuturism book before, and this made me want to pick up more.
For what I didn't like - this book just felt so repetitive. It felt like I was reading the same family arguments and the same "everyone is out to get me" drama every couple of chapters. I didn't feel like Zelu's family really liked her, and I didn't feel like Zelu did much to improve her relationships with them either. I also felt like the interview chapters added nothing to the story. They felt so out of place for me and I wasn't invested in them at all.
I feel like those who enjoy literary intersectionality and AfroFuturism will love this book.
Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
December 15, 2024
“The end of the world is a good place for stories to reside.”
I read Death of the Author on a cruise vacation, and I spent a lot of non-reading time wishing I could get back to this book. I feel like that says a lot about it.
Having two intertwined stories where both kept my attention is really impressive, and this book managed to do it. I will say that the Rusted Robots chapters were a bit more intriguing to me, but that’s simply because I’m a post-apocalyptic / sci-fi fan at heart.
Zelu is a complex and relatable character; I loved her, flaws and all. Her discussions regarding her disability were thoughtful and real, and they made me think long and hard about my own understanding of what living with a mobility disability would be like.
The family dynamics in this mystified me, but I think that’s simply because that’s not how my family dynamics work. I kept wishing Zelu would simply not tell them things, especially when the response was always the same.
I did find some situations unrealistic - for example, when Zelu VERY REASONABLY stands up for her decisions regarding her exos and her own disability in response to the journalist and the entire internet jumps to call her ableist with no dissenting voices - I simply cannot believe that in this day and age that is the reaction we would see. But maybe I’m naïve and want to hope for the best in people?
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I read Death of the Author on a cruise vacation, and I spent a lot of non-reading time wishing I could get back to this book. I feel like that says a lot about it.
Having two intertwined stories where both kept my attention is really impressive, and this book managed to do it. I will say that the Rusted Robots chapters were a bit more intriguing to me, but that’s simply because I’m a post-apocalyptic / sci-fi fan at heart.
Zelu is a complex and relatable character; I loved her, flaws and all. Her discussions regarding her disability were thoughtful and real, and they made me think long and hard about my own understanding of what living with a mobility disability would be like.
The family dynamics in this mystified me, but I think that’s simply because that’s not how my family dynamics work. I kept wishing Zelu would simply not tell them things, especially when the response was always the same.
I did find some situations unrealistic - for example, when Zelu VERY REASONABLY stands up for her decisions regarding her exos and her own disability in response to the journalist and the entire internet jumps to call her ableist with no dissenting voices - I simply cannot believe that in this day and age that is the reaction we would see. But maybe I’m naïve and want to hope for the best in people?
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2024
Nnedi Okorafor's writing is a work of genius. Death of the Author reads like two novels in one, where Zelu navigates her troubled relationships with family, love, and herself, and indulges in her passion to enhance storytelling. Zelu's Rusted Robots is a moving epic answering society's burning questions of what the world would look like if humans went extinct and were run by androids and AI. In a way, Zelu's novel integrates her real-life discrimination and internalized ableism, serving as a medium for Zelu to feel more empowered and find solutions to apply to her own life. I didn't know what to expect with the title and description of the book, but Okarafor kept me on the edge of my seat. I particularly enjoyed each interview, adding a new narrative to my understanding of Zelu's family dynamics and how her parents admire her, even if they don't understand her passions. This Afro-futuristic sci-fi novel is an unexpectedly fresh take on Nigerian storytelling and disability narratives, perfect for readers who love world literature, heartwarming family stories, or those interested in learning about different cultures. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for letting me read and review this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews