Kabu Kabu

Starred review from October 21, 2013
In this vibrant collection of speculative fiction, Okorafor (Who Fears Death) proves yet again that she is among the 21st century's most significant and noteworthy Science Fiction authors. The American-born author features her parents' Nigerian homeland in many of her stories, casting a sympathetic but informed eye on that nation. With such oil-rich land, Nigeria's mineral wealth continues to attract exploiters. Within these 20 stories we visit various takes on the future of Africa, many of which are equally as bleak as the past. Each story is as carefully crafted as the last; robots serving shadowy foreign interests find common cause with artists, women fall victim to their society's brutally patriarchal order while others find less bitter fates, and assassins ponder the effects of their efforts to provoke reform. With a knack for dialogue and an ambitious imagination, Okorafor effortlessly blends original characters with fantastical elements into the vivid scenery of Africa to create stories worth reading again and again.

Yetide Badaki delivers a heartfelt, mystical narration of adventurous short stories by the award-winning Nigerian-American author, Nnedi Okorafor. The listeners are transported into each story. They are on bustling Chicago streets magically taxiing their way to another continent or playing music for a large zombie spider. The listeners are constantly on a ride, playing between African and American spaces. These stories are filled with love, loss, disbelief and uncertainty, and Badaki's voice culturally takes us on this trip. Her tongue easily becomes the impatient American-accented lawyer, Igbo cab driver, anxious wandering youth or the Juju man. At the right moment her voice whispers soothingly and creates a bit of whimsy. This enjoyable narration visits various places, cultures and passed down stories of the ages. T.E.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine