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skepticalri's review against another edition
5.0
So much to love about this book: well-drawn, multifaceted characters, scifi with a non-Western twist, a hopeful apocalypse (at least for part of the planet), and some magical realism/history/mythology mixed in. I really enjoyed it, even if I'm sheepish at how lacking my education on African history is.
djwudi's review against another edition
4.0
The first book, Nigerians in Space, was interesting, but was almost more of a spy thriller, barely touching on SF. This is not only more of an SF story, but is also a stronger book. A few of the characters carry over from the first book, but the plots aren’t directly connected, and reading the first isn’t at all necessary to enjoy this one. With both books, I greatly enjoyed the African setting and the blending of SF tropes with African history and culture. A strong start to my PK Dick Award reading this year.
natavi's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Blood
Moderate: Trafficking, Pregnancy, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Slavery
upyurallie's review
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
vylotte's review against another edition
4.0
This novel defies categorization. It could be post apocalyptic, as it takes place in a world after a catastrophic solar flare knocks out all electronics across the world, but for a narrow strip around the equator. It sould be hard scifi, with the last remaining space program rushing to save an astronaut stranded in space over a year later. It could be a story of culture, with all the permutations of Nigerian life and interactions and a glimpse of a world as alien as any dreamed up in a book. (At least to me, in this soggy, gray, disassociated PNW winter.) It could be any of those categories in part, but its whole is more.
This is technically the second in a series, but I hadn't read the first, and treated this as stand alone, I don't think it suffered in the least, it is very much a self contained story. It's smart and inventive and definitely pushes the boundaries of SF I've read, so I will heartily agree if this one wins the PK Dick award this year.
Nominated for the 2018 PK Dick Awards
This is technically the second in a series, but I hadn't read the first, and treated this as stand alone, I don't think it suffered in the least, it is very much a self contained story. It's smart and inventive and definitely pushes the boundaries of SF I've read, so I will heartily agree if this one wins the PK Dick award this year.
Nominated for the 2018 PK Dick Awards
samber's review
77 pages. Not sure why, but it wasn’t holding my attention. Might try again later
peytonf's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sailsgoboom's review against another edition
3.0
pretty good! some interesting themes regarding the melding of: ambitions of the future and heritage of the past, technology and magic, hard tech and biology, culture re: African diaspora and African continent.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at page 227/296. Yes, that's right. I gave up right near the end.
Things I liked -
The premise is great, and truly the reason I bought my copy. I love the idea of something mysterious and ancient being disturbed by advancing and necessary technology. That tension of old and new!
The tech is bonkers; none of it makes sense, but it's FUN. And I love it when authors make guesses about future-tech. It's one of the best parts of the genre.
So why did I quit?
While the tech was fun and joyful, the way it was presented was awkward and info-dumpy. All the seams showed. This was true of the plot as well. I was willing to look past this, even the meandering, frustrating bits like having an astrolabe described in great detail to an engineer. I was trusting it would improve, but instead more mess just kept piling up. Everything was fine until Chapter 18, and then all those loose threads tangled so hard I couldn't see my way past them. Nothing made sense anymore, not the timeline or the protagonist's job or any of it. I found myself stopping every paragraph to vent my frustration, and that meant it was time to let it go.
I felt like that raccoon washing cotton candy.
It's too bad because I think Olukotun had all the parts, but maybe an editor wasn't able to help him pull it into a tangible shape. Maybe he was trying to do too much in too small a space? I *wanted* to read what he was trying to communicate, but I got lost in the weeds - and maybe he did too.
Things I liked -
The premise is great, and truly the reason I bought my copy. I love the idea of something mysterious and ancient being disturbed by advancing and necessary technology. That tension of old and new!
The tech is bonkers; none of it makes sense, but it's FUN. And I love it when authors make guesses about future-tech. It's one of the best parts of the genre.
So why did I quit?
While the tech was fun and joyful, the way it was presented was awkward and info-dumpy. All the seams showed. This was true of the plot as well. I was willing to look past this, even the meandering, frustrating bits like having an astrolabe described in great detail to an engineer. I was trusting it would improve, but instead more mess just kept piling up. Everything was fine until Chapter 18, and then all those loose threads tangled so hard I couldn't see my way past them. Nothing made sense anymore, not the timeline or the protagonist's job or any of it. I found myself stopping every paragraph to vent my frustration, and that meant it was time to let it go.
I felt like that raccoon washing cotton candy.
It's too bad because I think Olukotun had all the parts, but maybe an editor wasn't able to help him pull it into a tangible shape. Maybe he was trying to do too much in too small a space? I *wanted* to read what he was trying to communicate, but I got lost in the weeds - and maybe he did too.
vortacist's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0