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A review by kimco_reads
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Binti is a short afrofuturistic story about a young woman traveling the galaxies to reach a prestigious university. When she and her traveling partners are intercepted by an alien race with a grudge against the very university she is headed toward, she must summon her courage and all the knowledge she has to save herself and the university.
For me, it was refreshing to read a story built around a culture outside of the western European or American lens. While this was a quick read, Okorafor packed it with strong character building. The novella seemed to be a short study on the main character and how her previous schooling and culture blend together and fed into the decisions she makes. The reader is easily immersed into the universe and it’s tensions without needing a dissertation on it’s history.
Personally though there was something about the novella as a whole that was lacking, and it may just be my own preference toward deep-dives into world building. This piece is absolutely not needed with the way Okorafor set up the character though. To me, the novella read almost like the pilot episode of a sci-fi tv series where the heroine’s backstory is introduced, showed their strength, then set the stage for the rest of the season. Not a bad thing, just made me wonder if the rest of the series will read like a sci-fi series too. If it does, I’m still on board.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novella and what Nnedi Okorafor did by expanding the sci-fi genre to include a more culturally diverse setting. I loved Binti’s character growth and look forward to continuing this series.
For me, it was refreshing to read a story built around a culture outside of the western European or American lens. While this was a quick read, Okorafor packed it with strong character building. The novella seemed to be a short study on the main character and how her previous schooling and culture blend together and fed into the decisions she makes. The reader is easily immersed into the universe and it’s tensions without needing a dissertation on it’s history.
Personally though there was something about the novella as a whole that was lacking, and it may just be my own preference toward deep-dives into world building. This piece is absolutely not needed with the way Okorafor set up the character though. To me, the novella read almost like the pilot episode of a sci-fi tv series where the heroine’s backstory is introduced, showed their strength, then set the stage for the rest of the season. Not a bad thing, just made me wonder if the rest of the series will read like a sci-fi series too. If it does, I’m still on board.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novella and what Nnedi Okorafor did by expanding the sci-fi genre to include a more culturally diverse setting. I loved Binti’s character growth and look forward to continuing this series.