I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor Published by Tor.com on January 19 2021
Genres: Adult, Science fiction, Africanfuturism
Pages: 160
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A unique combination of sci-fi, folklore and coming-of-age, Remote Control is another atmospheric and thoughtful book by Nnedi Okorafor.
This is a strange little Africanfuturism story that I enjoyed a lot, and if you’re a fan of Nnedi Okorafor you will enjoy it too. Remote Control has science fiction elements, but as other reviewers have noted—and I agree with them—this story has a strong folkloric feel to it, while the sci-fi elements are not as front and center. This mash-up worked really well for me and reminded me of how much I love Okorafor’s stories.
Fatima is four years old when she witnesses a meteor shower from high in a shea tree in her backyard. A glowing green meteor “seed” falls to ground right in front of her, and when she touches it, she feels its energy burrow into her skin. Several years later, Fatima and her brother are crossing a busy street in town when she is struck by a car. It’s this event that changes Fatima forever. The pain from her injury causes her to project a fiery green glow that kills everyone it comes into contact with. Distraught by the death of her friends and family, Fatima changes her name to Sankofa and leaves her beloved home to search for the seed, stolen from her by an agent from an organization called LifeGen.
Word of Sankofa’s ability spreads throughout Ghana and soon she is known as the adopted child of the Angel of Death. Not only does she kill whenever her strange, green energy is released, but anything mechanical or electrical dies at her touch as well. Sankofa follows the seed’s energy—which she can sense—from town to town, accepting food and shelter from strangers along the way who are terrified of her, yet go out of their way to help her. Sankofa wants nothing more than to be free of her dangerous power and go home, but she knows she can never rest until she finds the seed.
Remote Control is a meandering story, sort of like Sankofa’s journey to find the stolen seed. So if you’re looking for a tale with a clear, driving plot, you might be disappointed. Sankofa travels from town to town, stopping at times when she finds a good place to settle for a while. At one point, she comes to a town called Robotown where a large robot called a Robocop acts as a protector, scanning the busy streets and monitoring traffic so pedestrians can cross safely. This is one of the science fiction touches I really enjoyed, which to be honest are few and far between. Throughout the story we get tidbits about the LifeGen Corporation, which seems to be shrouded in mystery and connected to the meteor shower and Sankofa’s powers, but rather than give us all the answers, Okorafor let’s the reader draw their own conclusions about what’s going on.
Sankofa has a red fox companion named Movenpick who follows her wherever she goes. Movenpick is one of the few creatures who isn’t affected by her deadly green glow, so there’s a magical, mysterious quality to him that I loved. Movenpick’s presence adds a folkloric element as well, and even though he’s mostly in the shadows, he adds quite a bit of mystique to Sankofa’s reputation as a creature of death.
I loved Okorafor’s ability to evoke a sense of place, and she does it so well in this story. From the lush, green shea trees that Sankofu spends her childhood climbing, to the dusty, hot roads she travels and the cool forests she rests in at night, I felt I was practically walking alongside her on her journey. The author describes Sankofu’s colorful African outfits and scarves and the rich food she’s given to eat when she stops at strangers’ houses along the way. Every detail made this story come to life!
The ending comes full circle and Sankofu eventually comes to terms with everything that happened on her adventure. Remote Control was a satisfying story with an intriguing protagonist, and I look forward to Nnedi Okorafor’s next tale.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Since I read only “Binti” I have few elements of comparison regarding Okorafor’s work, but this sounds truly fascinating and also seems to echo – just a little – Binti’s own journey of discovery, so I believe I will enjoy reading this. Very much.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…EOS 10 – SF podcast – Season 1
There are similarities to Binti for sure. I do love that each Okorafor book I’ve read has a certain feel to it that I love.
I’m looking forward to reading this!
Hope you enjoy it!
I’m starting Remote Control tonight, it will be my very first Nnedi Okorafor and I’m STOKED! happy to see you enjoyed it & YES for writing that makes us feel as if were walking alongside our MC’s! can’t wait 🙂
Happy reading!
Ooh I’m curious to hear your thoughts, Lilly!
I knew I wanted to read this just because it’s Nnedi Okorafor, but I actually didn’t know anything about the plot until reading your review. It sounds amazing!
It was pretty cool!
Wonderful review, Tammy. I passed up reading this one but now I’m changing my mind:)
Laura Thomas recently posted…Books From The Back Log #58 ~ Carpe Bead ‘Em
Ha ha well you can always change your mind;-) Thanks Laura.
I see so many reviewers raving about this one. I’m really looking forward to reading it.
I hope you enjoy it!
I haven’t tried her work before, but hopefully some day. I like that this one has such a strong folklore feel to it. I will definitely have to give it a try!
I love her world view, it’s worth checking out:-)
A+ review as always! I can always rely on you to give me the nitty gritty in scifi.
Thanks Heather!
I like the sound of this and am looking forward to trying it too. I wouldn’t have expected it to have a folkloric feel to it since it’s sci-fi. I’d like to experience that.
It’s really an interesting mix of the two, well worth reading:-)
What a wonderful review, Tammy! This sounds like a lovely book – one that I would like to read when Life gets a little kinder. I spent a chunk of my childhood in Africa, so it would probably be a solid pleasure to read the descriptions – but right now that would be a rather emotional experience…
Oh I didn’t know that, how cool!
Awesome, I’d really like to try this. I’ve only read one book by Okorafor so far, but I really enjoyed it and one thing that drew me to it was the folklore aspects and how they were weaved into the tale. I really enjoyed this review, Tammy, and I look forward to reading the book.
She really knows how to blend different genres and styles together well:-)
Oh, this sounds good. I’m definitely a fan of her work and want to read more, so I’ll probably be adding this one to my TBR. Great review, Tammy!
Thanks Lisa:-)
This one kind of slipped off my radar. I haven’t really meshed with her other works, but I’m glad you enjoyed this one!
Here books are odd but I like them:-)
You did a great job with this review. I tend to shy away from meandering plots, but I still need to check out Remote Control. I’ll just need to remember to be patient with it. 🙂
It’s more of an experience than anything, I would say:-)
I haven’t read this author yet for some reason. One day – and perhaps this will be the one – I do like the inclusion of folklore with scifi.
Lynn 😀
Lynn Williams recently posted…Friday Face Off : Spaceships and Explosions #VintageSciFi
Her books are on the odd side, but maybe that’s why I enjoy them.
Great review! I can’t wait to read this one!
Lauren @ Always Me
I hope you enjoy it:-)
While this one sounds interesting, I think your description makes me think I’d enjoy it as a movie or tv show maybe, but it might not be a good read for me. It does sound like a very interesting story and that it is done well, but the meandering bit you talk about may be something that would lead me to get bored and move on. Great review!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: Dateable by Natalie Decker
It definitely won’t work for everyone:-)