Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

In the end, what makes this novel a winner is the power of its ending: the culmination of Zahrah's quest, and how she comes to terms with her new almost-grown-up self. It has the best anything-could-happen feeling of good fairy tales, while the African mythology it draws on gives it an unfamiliar and heady air in a middle grade market saturated with dragons, unicorns, and other European fantasy creatures. Okorafor weaves quirky and believable lore for her characters to explore, from terrifying jungle creatures to a tribe of sentient gorillas to a giant fortune-telling frog. The world of Ooni, which I had already gotten to know in The Shadow Speaker, is just as offbeat and lovely, from the village marketplace to the Forbidden Greeny Jungle. It's the kind of almost-romance that makes this reviewer's cold heart melt around the edges. Zahrah's friendship with Dari, which becomes the catalyst for the entire plot, is also sweet and true-to-life. Middle grade and YA novels are particularly susceptible to 'issue' characters-characters that preach morality tales instead of telling real, meaty stories-and Zahrah is the perfect example of the character I'd like to see instead: imperfect, afraid, and lovable anyway. The novel's charm resides, as usual for Okorafor, in its plucky heroine: young, vain, clever, anxious, and ultimately courageous Zahrah. But truly, even if I hadn't already been in love with Okorafor's work, this book would have been just as much of a delight, and I can't recommend it more highly for those new to Okorafor. So you may forgive me if this review is a little biased. Learn more about Nnedi at and follow Nnedi on twitter (as Facebook and Instagram.įull disclosure: Nnedi Okorafor is one of my favorite science fiction authors of all time.

She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ.

Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control.

Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Nnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults.

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu