NOOR by Nnedi Okorafor – Review

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.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
Published by Daw Books on November 16 2021
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 224
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Another fantastic entry into the Africanfuturism subgenre, Noor blends sci-fi tech with interesting characters and an intriguing African desert setting.

I’ve read enough Nnedi Okorafor books now to recognize her particular writing style, and Noor not only embraces that style, but it’s full of the author’s brilliant, futuristic ideas and social commentary. If you’ve never read Okorafor’s books before, Noor would be a great place to start. As with most of her books, this one is set near Lagos, Nigeria, and the main character is a young, misunderstood African girl with enough grit and determination to survive in a world that doesn’t want anything to do with her.

Anwuli Okwundili, or AO as she prefers to be called, is more machine than human. AO was born with severe birth defects—a shriveled arm and two stumps for legs—but when she turned fourteen, Ultimate Corp offered her cybernetic upgrades to repair her body. Now AO lives a fragile existence: people fear and hate her because of her appearance, and so she’s careful to stick to familiar places where people know her.

But one day in her favorite market, a group of men attack her, and AO fights back, killing all five men before she’s realized what she’s done. AO takes off into the desert, hoping to escape the authorities, but the desert has its own challenges. A perpetual dust storm called the Red Eye threatens anyone who goes near it, but AO is desperate. When she runs into a Fulani herdsman named DNA and finds out that he’s also running away from a terrible event, they team up to keep each other safe. Their journey takes them into the heart of the Red Eye itself, where AO will discover her true nature.

Okorafor’s visions of futuristic Africa are always so interesting, and this time she sets her story on the vast, dusty plains of Northern Nigeria. The world-building in Noor is fantastic. The Red Eye is a constant threat to those who live nearby, and I don’t want to spoil the story by revealing certain things about it, but trust me, it’s pretty cool. The government has developed a machine called an anti-aejej that can protect users from the sand, and people often carry personal anti-aejejs with them when they go outside. Huge Noors—which relate to the book’s title—act as wind turbines to create electrical energy for distant cities. I loved the idea of “wireless energy transfer,” invented by a woman named Zagora, who AO idolizes. Her idea allows all the energy gathered from solar farms to be wirelessly transferred to cities. Okorafor explains that she got many of her ideas for the story from visiting a solar plant in Africa called the Noor Solar Complex. Finally, AO and DNA discover a large anti-aejej deep in the desert called the Hour Glass, a hidden structure that moves every hour and is a sanctuary for people like AO and DNA who are on the run.

AO is such a great character. She’s always felt like an outsider because of her body modifications, but she loves the way she looks and feels, so she tries to ignore the stares and taunts. I love this exploration of body positivity with a science fiction spin, it was so well done. The only thing that seems to set her off is when people say things like “What kind of woman are you?” They see her as more robot than human, and she hates that because she’s still human in the ways that count. AO has also suffered years of living with intense pain while her body adjusted to her cybernetic limbs, and she’s become stronger because of it.

I liked DNA as well. He has a steer and a cow that follow him everywhere, the two remaining members of his herd. I’m a sucker for animals in stories, especially when they are loved by their owners, and you can tell DNA loves his cattle. He and AO made a great team. They are both in desperate straits, driven to survive, and despite their differences, they worked well together.

Okorafor imagines Ultimate Corp—a huge company that can supply you with everything you need and then some—as a stand in for Amazon. I always get a kick out of stories that skewer Amazon, and I especially loved that AO finds a way to get back at Ultimate Corp in the end. 

My only hesitation in rating this higher is that the plot meanders quite a bit. This is more or less a “quest” plot, as AO and DNA journey into the desert to avoid the authorities, and there was even one part that reminded me of the Wizard of Oz, when they are sent to meet a “wizard” named Baba Sola who dispenses wise advise while smoking pot with AO. (lol) I’d be hard pressed to tell you exactly what AO and DNA are trying to accomplish, other than to keep one step ahead of the authorities they are convinced are coming after them. The two go from place to place without a clear plan, although at the end they do accomplish something pretty big, but it sort of comes out of nowhere. I really liked the way the author had AO go through some trials (she starts having extremely painful headaches and visions) so that she could emerge on the other side stronger than she was in the beginning of the story. The two also uncover a big secret that Ultimate Corp is hiding, and that realization plays a big part in how the story ends.

The ending is rather dramatic, and I loved the way things came together. And I have to say, best last line in a book I’ve read in quite some time! Nnedi Okorafor leads the pack when it comes to Africanfuturism, and this is a great example of the subgenre.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.