‘There’s more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics’ Ursula K. LeGuin
Prequel to the highly acclaimed, World Fantasy Award-winning novel, Who Fears Death.
*** ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FINALIST***
They call her many things – a research project, a test-subject, a specimen. An abomination.
But she calls herself Phoenix, an ‘accelerated woman’ – a genetic experiment grown and raised in Manhattan’s famous Tower 7, the only home she has ever known. Although she’s only two years old, Phoenix has the body and mind of an adult – and powers beyond imagining. Phoenix is an innocent, happy to live quietly in Tower 7, reading voraciously and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human.
Until the night that Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated, Phoenix begins to search for answers – only to discover that everything that she has ever known is a lie.
Tower 7 isn’t a haven. It’s a prison.
And it’s time for Phoenix to spread her wings and rise.
Spanning continents and centuries, The Book of Phoenix is an epic, incendiary work of magical realism featuring Nnedi Okorafor’s most incredible, unforgettable heroine yet.
Prequel to the highly acclaimed, World Fantasy Award-winning novel, Who Fears Death.
*** ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FINALIST***
They call her many things – a research project, a test-subject, a specimen. An abomination.
But she calls herself Phoenix, an ‘accelerated woman’ – a genetic experiment grown and raised in Manhattan’s famous Tower 7, the only home she has ever known. Although she’s only two years old, Phoenix has the body and mind of an adult – and powers beyond imagining. Phoenix is an innocent, happy to live quietly in Tower 7, reading voraciously and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human.
Until the night that Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated, Phoenix begins to search for answers – only to discover that everything that she has ever known is a lie.
Tower 7 isn’t a haven. It’s a prison.
And it’s time for Phoenix to spread her wings and rise.
Spanning continents and centuries, The Book of Phoenix is an epic, incendiary work of magical realism featuring Nnedi Okorafor’s most incredible, unforgettable heroine yet.
Reviews
Striking...all human life is here... in its endless variety and strangeness.
A beautifully poetic novel that comes to life, especially during the second half, and tackles a favourite science fiction theme in an original and rather magical way.
PRAISE FOR NNEDI OKORAFOR:
This is a story of vengeance, a fantastic epic battle between good and evil; written as a fable for the future
The Book of Phoenix isn't just well written, and it isn't just smart as hell; it's also a damn good story . . . Original, sharp, thoughtful and evocative
The Nigerian city of Lagos is named after the Portuguese word for 'lagoon', and this absorbing novel takes its aquatic title and its strong heart from this turbulent city. Full of incident, emotion and action, 'Lagoon' is one of the more unique and inventive science-fiction books I've read for some time and I look forward to reading more from Chicago resident Nnedi Okorafor.
a celebration of the ferocious life force of a city, a country or the wider human (and non-human) experience.
It's pretty rare to find sci-fi and fantasy that isn't Western-centric, and even rarer to find genre fiction built around African culture, both past and present. That alone is a great reason to read this book, but what really makes LAGOON special is the way Okorafor writes Lagos, making the city itself one of the main characters. She doesn't try to glorify Nigeria, or denigrate it, but writes about a real place full of real people that, in many ways, could be any city in the world.
Blending poetic passages with sharp observation and the occasional cadence of a story told by firelight, The Book of Phoenix is an assured introduction not just to her world's myths, but to the process of mythmaking
Okorafor's books are fresh, original and smart. We need more writers like her
Nnedi Okorafor is a master storyteller
A gripping examination of the power of myth and of who is allowed to write and preserve history . . . a superlative adventure that addresses all-too-harsh realities
Phoenix and her story exist in that shimmering space that marks where science fiction and magical realism overlap.... The Book of Phoenix hit all of my emotional checkboxes
The book is grounded by its unflinching exposure of the brutalities of colonialism, racism, and greed, and exalted by the beauty of Okorafor's prose
Nnedi Okorafor writes glorious futures and fabulous fantasies. Her worlds open your mind to new things, always rooted in the red clay of reality
There's more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics
Haunting and absolutely brilliant. My heart and guts are all turned inside out
Nnedi Okorafor is one of the most powerful voices in Science Fiction & Fantasy
Okorafor's inventiveness is as stunning as ever, and the ending is nothing short of spectacular
While the grim logic of the plot makes it very clear early on how the plot must play out, the process is as entrancing as watching an avalanche sweep toward you, and Okorafor's prose is as ever, enthralling
Okorafor's writing is wonderful, and the details of her world-building ... are complex and fascinating
PRAISE FOR LAGOON:
Lagoon is a great novel. A must-read. Highly recommended.
Lagoon is a triumph of a novel, it is an evocative thought provoking read, full of beautiful writing that will lift your spirits one minute only to dash them like a piece of flotsam against a coral reef the next.
LAGOON is a thing of magic and beauty. It grips you, right from the opening lines, and sucks you into the deep waters of its mystery. The different currents of Okorafor's creation cross, clash and splash curiosity: What next, you breathe with expectation, thirsting for more. Nnedi Okorafor is a master storyteller.
Okorafor is far from the only author about this business, but she is among the most visible and vibrant proponents of a future in which fantastic fiction has so much more to say than it does today-an imperative point of view she doubles down on in her new book, Lagoon. What we have here is a nightmarish first contact fable that just so happens to take place in Lagos. And why in the world wouldn't it?
Using the exotic location to its fullest extent (Okorafor evokes Lagos in her writing in much the same way that James Lee Burke evokes that other unique melting pot, New Orleans), the author spins a tale that captures the reader on the first page and keeps them interested until the last page. You won't have read anything quite like this, and I can say with some confidence that you won't be disappointed.