Death of the Author

The astonishing latest from Hugo and Nebula award winner Okorafor (Binti) explores what it means to be human through the lens of artistic creation. The narrative toggles between the perspectives of author Zelu Onyenezi-Onyedele in a mostly recognizable present and robot Ankara, navigating a post-human future. Zelu, the paraplegic daughter of Nigerian immigrants to the U.S., struggles to reconcile her Igbo and Yoruba heritage with her upbringing in America while working to please her simultaneously smothering and disapproving parents. Then her sci-fi novel becomes a bestseller, earning her the title Queen of Robots among fans and giving her a greater degree of personal freedom. Meanwhile, Ankara, a Scholar Hume, or humanoid robot devoted to gathering knowledge, unexpectedly bonds with a NoBody AI named Ijele and is pulled into a brewing intra-AI conflict. Okorafor eases the reader between the two plotlines with a sure hand, filling both with beautiful imagery and a close connection to Nigerian culture. A stunningly executed metafictional turn toward the end of the novel will leave readers questioning which narrator’s story to believe. This is an impressive feat of Africanfuturism. Agent: Angeline Rodriguez, WME. (Jan.)