An immersive new work of African Futurism

I hadn’t read anything by Nnedi Okorafor before when I picked up Death of the authorbut after only a few pages, I found myself making a mental note to add everything else she’s ever written to my pile. Okorafor coined the term “African Futurism” to describe a subcategory of science fiction that is “more directly rooted in African culture, history, mythology, and perspective” than the more “Afrofuturism” of America.

Death of the author is something of two books in one, following Nigerian-American protagonist Zelu through her meteoric rise to fame as the author of an unexpected hit novel, Rusty robotsand introduces us to said novel set in a non-human future society inhabited by robots and AI.

Zelu, a mid-30s writer with a huge extended family, is going through a rough patch when the book begins and must fight to be taken seriously by those around her when she becomes an overnight success. She faces constant setbacks as she tries new things, like self-driving cars and exoskeleton mobility aids. The family dynamics and the world they live in – on the cusp of major changes driven by technological advances – felt very real and I became much more invested in their drama than what was playing out Rusty robots. But everything is there for a reason, and the two narratives weave together nicely to create an immersive and thought-provoking story.