Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Binti: Trilogia Completa

I have mixed feelings about this- I really wanted to like it but some things just really didn’t do it for me. I’ve read and enjoyed both Nnedi Okorafor’s short fiction and her full novels, but I don’t think this story really lent itself to the short format. The pacing felt way off for almost the entire series. The first book moves almost overwhelmingly fast, I feel like I barely get to know what's going on, who the characters are, or how anything in the world really works before we’ve moved on to sometime else. Nothing is really explained, even things which have an important effect on the plot (like what does it mean to be a harmonizer? What does it mean to “send out a current”? Is that something that Binti can do because she’s a harmonizer, or can anyone do it? Also, after reading the entire series I’m still very confused about how the living ships work. They’re organic, living creatures, but they’re born with walkways, doors, and windows inside them? How are they piloted? What do they even look like on the inside?) But by the last book, it felt like the opposite was happening. I really struggled to get through the last 30 pages of Night Masquerade because it felt like the story was over, but we had to keep going just to explain some things that hadn’t been explained before. It made those pages drag quite badly. Basically, I think the worldbuilding was not done very organically, which was a real shame because what parts of the world were incorporated were unique and memorable.

I loved the idea of math and spirituality mixing, and math being a part of Binti’s connection to the natural and spiritual worlds. I loved the blending of spirituality and traditional African mythology with “hard” science fiction elements like space travel. I loved the university populated primarily with non-humanoid aliens. In fact, a big part of the reason I wished these books were longer was so that we could spend more time at the university because it seemed such a rich vein to explore.

The TL/DR is that this series has some amazing imagery and utilizes sci/fi elements in a new and interesting way, but it really didn’t suit the format of short fiction. It’s difficult for me to think about this story as 3 separate novellas, and I think that would have been a frustrating way to read it (I honestly don’t think I would have read the third book after that second book cliffhanger). I really wish this had just been one epic 500-page sci/fi novel that was more evenly paced.

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rebekahg876's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

3.25

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toriffic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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estelagois's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.5

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khargaotte's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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teapoweredrobot's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars

I have a weird mix of enjoyment and annoyance at this series. I can't tell if I just wasn't in the right headspace for a YA novel, if I wanted more hard sci fi, or some other niggling thing I can't put my finger on.

I really enjoyed the universe it was set in, the diversity of the populace, and the core characters. The people were well described and it was really easy to visualize them and why they would take certain actions. The inner turmoil experienced by Binti when she leaves home and later returns to find everyone cold and angry at her is something I've heard repeated many times by the Native American tribal members in the upper midwest. That part really rang true to me, despite this being set in Namibia (or what I assume is future Namibia). I would like to do a bit of research to find out how accurately the Himba were portrayed in this book and if there are any reviews by a Himba.

Things that annoyed me were the vague handwaving of treeing, how Binti used math to do it or used it to calm herself, and Binti's status as a master harmonizer sometimes just felt like a "ez auto resolve" mechanic - though that also trivializes Binti's pain and heartbreak during those climatic points and that's not fair either. Again, this could just be wanting more of a hard sci fi novel and a math nerd who is feeling grumpy about things.

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ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

“Lightning flashed above and something in me decided to do something I’d never done: grab it.”

TITLE—Binti Trilogy

AUTHOR—Nnedi Okorafor

PUBLISHED—2015-2019

GENRE—SciFi / Fantasy—Africanfuturism / Africanjujuism

SETTING—various settings in a futuristic Africa and outer space

MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—coming of age, identity and belonging, community, friends & family, spirituality, Math & Technology

WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BONUS ELEMENT/S—The philosophy in this book blewwww my mind. It was even too perfect for me to even fully comprehend. Like, I needed *this* book to help me get *there*. “All that she’d said was so contrary to all that I had been taught that I’d begun to feel a little dizzy.”

PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“The type of harmonizer one was depended on one’s teacher’s worldview.”

“The spirits and ghosts of the dead don’t stay where they’re freed.” I felt my right eye twitch slightly.”

I’m not big on sci-fi, and more and more I find myself not enjoying YA as much, but I was drawn in by this book’s cover when I spotted it at my local bookstore and when I opened it and read the dedication page, “Dedicated to the little blue jellyfish I saw swimming the Khalid Lagoon that sunny day in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates”, I just felt like it was saying, “ok but this one you actually do need to read.” (Also literally everyone recommends it 😂) so I did!

And yes, I loved it. 😂 Okorafor’s sci fi has none of the heavily contrived feeling of other sci fi lit that I’ve read and her work is also not anthropocentric at all but clearly incorporates and understands that the natural world doesn’t end where “space” begins. Okorafor emphasizes that Space is not a sterile emptiness for humans to invade and control, it is an extension of a world in which humans play only a very, very small role. I especially loved how the “space ships” were actually living organisms with a purpose and philosophy all their own. ❤️

The worldbuilding in this book was probably the best worldbuilding I’ve ever encountered in fiction. Okorafor’s imagination for vast planets and a diversity of species defies organization. The worlds she has created in these stories are tremendous and I found myself wishing I was reading a trilogy of dense 400-page novels instead of three smaller novellas--though these stories were did not feel incomplete by any means.

And finally the philosophy of the Binti stories was tremendous. Such a thoughtful exploration of the nature of identity, fear, family, purpose, and magic. I’ll definitely be reading more of Okorafor’s books in the future! And am VERY excited for the TV adaptation of this series coming soonnn!!!

“What will you be?” she asked. “Maybe it is not up to you.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW // panic attacks, PTSD, violence (Feel free to DM me for more specifics!)

Further Reading—

more by Nnedi Okorafor!—TBR
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
The Broken Earth Trilogy, by N. K. Jemisin—TBR
How Long Til Black Future Month, by N. K. Jemisin
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N. K. Jemisin

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