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mjspice's review against another edition
Plagiarizes Octavia Butler
https://twitter.com/zorafuture/status/1777351491537211659
https://twitter.com/MsWOCReader/status/1777687787224870988
https://twitter.com/zorafuture/status/1777351491537211659
https://twitter.com/MsWOCReader/status/1777687787224870988
nikki_silk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
linburg50's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't find the writing style comfortable - I know, the narrator is only 2 years old, but how many books has she read, and how intelligent is she? To then speak in half-sentences with unnecessary repetitions and explanations ...
There was nothing original or exciting here.
There was nothing original or exciting here.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book - I love the characters and the themes of technology, science, power, identity, belonging, love and rebirth.
jazzlibrariansbookcase's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
lexipowell's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
luna_snowfeather's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
The exploitation of African people is repeated in this futuristic tale, this time for their genetic make-up. The bulk of the SpeciMen in the towers are of African descent and most of the Big Eyes, the scientists working on them, are Caucasian. People outside the towers don’t question them, they just see the positive spin, like the tower which discovered the cure for HIV. No one questions the means.
It’s a tale of slavery in a new form and questions how far should science go. Genetic modifications are for the sake of the country rather than the individual. A person grown in a lab is treated as property, without human rights, and Phoenix soon starts to see the injustice of her life once she is outside the tower’s walls. The cruelty the characters endure is shocking and the glimpse Phoenix sees of the Holocaust is a saddening reminder that this sort of experimentation isn’t entirely fiction.
There is a mix of magical realism and some grounding in African mythology in amongst the science fiction, which makes it a hard book to define, but one I would definitely recommend reading. The message might be a hard one to read, as it puts exploitation and institutional racism right in our faces, but it’s important to acknowledge and it’s also a piece of fantastic storytelling.
I wasn’t aware that this was written as a sequel, but it really doesn’t matter if you haven’t read Who Fears Death. The book is introduced by a man living in a future which I assume is the setting of the previous book. He finds and listens to Phoenix’s story and comes to realise this is how his world came to be how it is. The framing of the story makes more sense in the context of a wider world and it has definitely made me more inclined to read Who Fears Death.
Review copy provided by publisher.
It’s a tale of slavery in a new form and questions how far should science go. Genetic modifications are for the sake of the country rather than the individual. A person grown in a lab is treated as property, without human rights, and Phoenix soon starts to see the injustice of her life once she is outside the tower’s walls. The cruelty the characters endure is shocking and the glimpse Phoenix sees of the Holocaust is a saddening reminder that this sort of experimentation isn’t entirely fiction.
There is a mix of magical realism and some grounding in African mythology in amongst the science fiction, which makes it a hard book to define, but one I would definitely recommend reading. The message might be a hard one to read, as it puts exploitation and institutional racism right in our faces, but it’s important to acknowledge and it’s also a piece of fantastic storytelling.
I wasn’t aware that this was written as a sequel, but it really doesn’t matter if you haven’t read Who Fears Death. The book is introduced by a man living in a future which I assume is the setting of the previous book. He finds and listens to Phoenix’s story and comes to realise this is how his world came to be how it is. The framing of the story makes more sense in the context of a wider world and it has definitely made me more inclined to read Who Fears Death.
Review copy provided by publisher.
juniperbranches's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Listen, I traditionally am not a fan of prequels, however this one is the exception. In a prelude to the world Onyesonwu will come to inhabit in ‘Who fears death’, an African woman is being genetically engineered and tortured in modern New York in the name of science and capitalistic greed. Unfortunately for the scientists monitoring her, Phoenix is a perfect success in their attempts to create a human bomb. When one of her fellow prisoners/spciMen is killed, Phoenix utilizes all of her power to bring the corporation to its knees. I just really love this author. Everything I’ve read by her is filled with beauty and rage.