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amalas_bookstop's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
- 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
Absolutely Amazing!!
Nigerian and Nigerian American representation: ✅
Paraplegic representation: ✅
Strong female characters: ✅
Robot representation: ✅
Nnedi writing is so eloquent, culturally relevant, and enthralling. These two novels in one spoke very well together. I don’t know if I enjoyed Zelu the but author or Ankarra the most.
I know it is early in the year to say this, but this might be in my personal top 10!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and War
erine's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I blithely tackled this book not knowing much about the premise, just that there was a disabled author at the heart of it. After the first chapter (and taking into account the implications of the title) I quickly assumed that the author dies somewhere along the way. And I wasn't entirely wrong, but I was wrong in a way that surprised me so completely and changed how I looked at the whole story.
To start, Zelu is not quite likeable. She has an independence that means she butts heads with a lot of people around her: family and siblings, her students and administration, the men she hooks up with. Even as she cuts ties and forges new ones, it takes a long time before her prickliness softens even a little. Part of this is how her family (and larger society) treat her disability. After becoming paraplegic at 12 her relationship with the whole world changed, and Zelu grates against the lack of assistance AND against the assumptions made by others.
Early in the story, Zelu loses her job and unsuccessfully tries to sell the novel she has written. This inspires her to write something else, which becomes successful beyond her wildest dreams. The fame brings her face-to-face with questions of celebrity and how much fans should own the work they love, but right alongside the fame are conflicts about the different ways of accommodating disability and what is the "right" way to empower oneself; the whitewashing of her African-centered book as it becomes a popular movie; and what right does a family have to protect one of its own. But above all this, Zelu faces the questions and challenges of creating her own story and deciding what she owes to the people around her who offer her varying levels of support.
Reflecting many elements of Okorafor's own experience, there was just a lot to think about with this one.
The final twist hit me hard. I found myself confused about the inclusion of excerpts of Zelu's novel. Not because they were bad or uninteresting, but they did not seem obviously connected to the reality of Zelu's life in any way. And then to find out that the whole story was the ROBOT's all along. I was stunned. Others may have seen that coming, but I did not. And it changed how I thought of everything. Zelu isn't a real person, she's extinct and existing only in a robot's imagination. Her disability, her adoration of the richest man in the world, the drama of her visit to Nigeria to see her father's resting place, her dreams of being an astronaut, all of this came out of the mind of Ankara the robot. And knowing how humanity tells stories of the world's past, often full of erroneous assumptions, it threw me hard to think of what kind of assumptions might a robot have about how humans used to live; what information filled that intelligence's programming.
Absolutely blew my mind.
To start, Zelu is not quite likeable. She has an independence that means she butts heads with a lot of people around her: family and siblings, her students and administration, the men she hooks up with. Even as she cuts ties and forges new ones, it takes a long time before her prickliness softens even a little. Part of this is how her family (and larger society) treat her disability. After becoming paraplegic at 12 her relationship with the whole world changed, and Zelu grates against the lack of assistance AND against the assumptions made by others.
Early in the story, Zelu loses her job and unsuccessfully tries to sell the novel she has written. This inspires her to write something else, which becomes successful beyond her wildest dreams. The fame brings her face-to-face with questions of celebrity and how much fans should own the work they love, but right alongside the fame are conflicts about the different ways of accommodating disability and what is the "right" way to empower oneself; the whitewashing of her African-centered book as it becomes a popular movie; and what right does a family have to protect one of its own. But above all this, Zelu faces the questions and challenges of creating her own story and deciding what she owes to the people around her who offer her varying levels of support.
Reflecting many elements of Okorafor's own experience, there was just a lot to think about with this one.
Absolutely blew my mind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, and Racism
Some of the characters displayed ableism and misogyny at times. Societies at large offered up all the discriminatory attitudes. And while I could appreciate the inclusion of a transgender character, this decision seemed to verge on tokenism--your mileage may vary.lettuce_read's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
bibliomich's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is a book that I completed a few hours ago, but I know I will be processing and reflecting on it for a long time to come.
This is a book that unfolds slowly. It’s thematically layered and features an expansive cast of characters. There are also two stories that run parallel to each other: one realistic fiction and the second science fiction. I deeply enjoyed both, but I especially appreciated the way the two stories overlapped and highlighted both the scientific advancements of humans, as well as the humanity of science fiction.
Okorafor also skillfully explores the themes of ownership and bodily autonomy, and does this through the lenses of disability and celebrity. Who tells our stories? Who gets to decide what we do with our bodies? If we share our own stories, does that give others the right to take and transform those worlds and words into their own? Where are the boundaries between caretaking and love and possession? While reading this book, I often thought of Alice Wong’s nonfiction collection of essays, Disability Intimacy, and I highly recommend reading these two in conjunction.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
lindsayerin's review
adventurous
challenging
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
archaena's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
This novel follows a young Nigerian-American author named Zelu as she writes a bestselling sci-fi novel that opens her access to futuristic artificial limb technology and other dreams that have seemed impossible given the disability and career failure of her past. She must navigate how these unimaginable opportunities create heavy costs in her interpersonal relationships. Zelu's story is interspersed with chapters from the sci-fi novel, which follows a post-human robot future that is under existential threat.
I was initially hesitant about this book. The first few chapters quickly presented a lot of characters with only Zelu, a deeply discouraged and almost-too-relatably flawed character, recieving close attention. It soon became apparent, however, that this was intentional. The ways in which Zelu feels disconnected from her family and her Nigerian-American family disconnected from mainstream American culture are both themes that are deeply explored throughout the book and provide the base on which the more fantastic elements that are introduced later are grounded. All of the secondary characters also receive ample development in their perspectives and relationships with Zelu.
I don't want to reveal too many spoilers for this eventful book. Overall, I deeply enjoyed both the Zelu and Rusted Robots plots. I found the characters, especially in the Zelu storyline, well-developed, realistic, and painfully relatable. There is a good mix of serious, emotional, humorous, and action elements. Both the futuristic and Nigerian-American cultural elements provide a flavorful depth to the setting, characters, and tone. The themes it explores are complex and interesting. This is my first time reading a book from Nnedi Okorafor. I am now looking forward to visiting her other works. I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and Netgalley for providing a free Advanced Readers Copy of this book for review.
I was initially hesitant about this book. The first few chapters quickly presented a lot of characters with only Zelu, a deeply discouraged and almost-too-relatably flawed character, recieving close attention. It soon became apparent, however, that this was intentional. The ways in which Zelu feels disconnected from her family and her Nigerian-American family disconnected from mainstream American culture are both themes that are deeply explored throughout the book and provide the base on which the more fantastic elements that are introduced later are grounded. All of the secondary characters also receive ample development in their perspectives and relationships with Zelu.
I don't want to reveal too many spoilers for this eventful book. Overall, I deeply enjoyed both the Zelu and Rusted Robots plots. I found the characters, especially in the Zelu storyline, well-developed, realistic, and painfully relatable. There is a good mix of serious, emotional, humorous, and action elements. Both the futuristic and Nigerian-American cultural elements provide a flavorful depth to the setting, characters, and tone. The themes it explores are complex and interesting. This is my first time reading a book from Nnedi Okorafor. I am now looking forward to visiting her other works. I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and Netgalley for providing a free Advanced Readers Copy of this book for review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
The book follows a black Nigerian-American disabled woman who becomes a famous author. Realistic levels of racism, sexism, and ableism are displayed by her family, friends, and online public. Her medical history related to the disability and accident that caused it are also described. There are several deaths, including thetianas_littalk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Death of the Author alternates between Zelu's life of newfound success, her robot novel, and family interviews. Upon losing her job and facing rejection of her latest manuscript, Zelu initiates the writing of a science fiction novel centered on robots. Surprisingly, the book attains remarkable success.
Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of multiple POV shifts, but in this case, the narrative benefited from this approach. The interviews with Zelu's family members offered a nuanced understanding of her character, which was necessary given the dysfunctional nature of their relationships. I found their behavior towards her disturbing, but her growth and increasing assertiveness were admirable. The Rusted Robots chapters were enjoyable, although the shifts between storylines occasionally caused frustration. Nevertheless, I was fully invested in both narratives, which explored complex, yet intersecting conflicts and character arcs.
This novel is outstanding, weaving together a rich tapestry of themes and topics. It would be an excellent choice for a book club. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of multiple POV shifts, but in this case, the narrative benefited from this approach. The interviews with Zelu's family members offered a nuanced understanding of her character, which was necessary given the dysfunctional nature of their relationships. I found their behavior towards her disturbing, but her growth and increasing assertiveness were admirable. The Rusted Robots chapters were enjoyable, although the shifts between storylines occasionally caused frustration. Nevertheless, I was fully invested in both narratives, which explored complex, yet intersecting conflicts and character arcs.
This novel is outstanding, weaving together a rich tapestry of themes and topics. It would be an excellent choice for a book club. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
laios's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
paracosim's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What good was love if she could only see it through a window?
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It took me forever to read this book. The summary sounded right up my alley, the cover is gorgeous, I like the author, I loved Yellowface which the book was compared to, annnnd for some reason I hit 44% and could go no further. It wasn’t until today that I forced myself to power through and finish reading.
Death of the Author isn’t a bad book for what it is, but I went in expecting a heavier critique on the publishing industry and systemic racism and ableism. What I got was a bit of a melodrama about Zelu’s somewhat insufferable family, a super cool but somewhat detached story-within-a-story about robots, and…Elon……Musk? (Mostly, I just got hungry lol. Fried plantains sound amazing right now.)
It felt at times like this book didn’t know what it wanted to be. I think that’s why I ultimately had such a hard time powering through to the finish line. The pacing was a little off in a few places, and it felt like Zelu was so heavily detached from reality at times that it fell into patterns of “she comes up with something new and amazing, her family hates on her for it, she cries alone in her old bedroom, she does the thing anyway and comes to regret it because her family was right, then boom she comes up with something new and yet again for the third time this chapter she mentions that her agent is nagging her for updates on the sequel to Rusted Robots…”
Rinse and repeat. Ultimately the book just felt repetitive, and though the writing itself was excellent on a craft level, I haven’t come away feeling very good about the time I spent on this novel.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go buy some plantains. I have a real hankering for them all of a sudden.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence