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79th out of 783 books
—
613 voters
The Shadow Speaker
by
Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author),
Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
In West Africa in 2070, after fifteen-year-old "shadow speaker" Ejii witnesses her father's beheading, she embarks on a dangerous journey across the Sahara to find Jaa, her father's killer, and upon finding her, she also discovers a greater purpose to her life and to the mystical powers she possesses.
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
October 2nd 2007
by Disney Book Group/Hyperion
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Nov 27, 2009
Mike
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Abigail, Brad, Ceridwen, jo, Mme T
Some strange synchronicity.... Plotting out a survey of World Literature I was to teach I began seeking some end-of-semester new addition, a vaguely-formed notion that it'd be fun/useful to move away from the national frame, to think about literature in the era of globalization using science fictions. I'd had great success with Amitav Ghosh's sneakily-satirical counter-colonization sci-fi/conspiracy-thriller mash-up The Calcutta Chromosome, so what else might be out there? I came upon this sharp...more
I am so torn over this book. It's a post-apocalyptic dystopian future fantasy set in West Africa, starring a teen girl with magic powers who goes on a quest with a really kickass warrior queen, the queen's two husbands, another teen with magic powers, and some talking animals. It should have been super awesome! It really set out to be, too. The protagonist, Ejii, is very likable, and though her magic is possibly too immediately powerful to be satisfying, she does struggle with it and with her ne...more
This book was not good. I got to the end and remembered that Ursula Le Guin had given it a glowing blurb, and wondered what the hell she had been thinking. Then I flipped the book over and found that the glowing blurb was this possible back-handed compliment:
"There's more vivid imagination in a page of THE SHADOW SPEAKER than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics. -- Ursula K. Le Guin"
So true, and so entirely the problem with this book.
The Shadow Speaker takes place in a future Africa afte...more
"There's more vivid imagination in a page of THE SHADOW SPEAKER than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics. -- Ursula K. Le Guin"
So true, and so entirely the problem with this book.
The Shadow Speaker takes place in a future Africa afte...more
6 likes
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like
· see review
This book is AWESOME!!! When I first read the back of the book I kinda thought it was going to be like another book I read called Obernewtyn because both of them are set in worlds that have "magical powers" because of an old war. This book is reeeeally different from Obernewtyn but is still reeeeeally good! It actually reminded me of another book called The Blue Sword. I think thats because I loved that book and the character went on a life changing journey that helped her develope and save the...more
Aug 16, 2008
Nnedi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
· (Review from the author)
Recommends it for:
people young and old who enjoy a good story
Recommended to Nnedi by:
me
Absolutely wonderful. :-D
5 likes
·
like
· see review
The Shadow Speaker is a richly imagined coming of age story with a theme of empowerment. The book's biggest strength is the characters: author Okorafor-Mbachu breathes life into a fascinating cast of characters. The portrayal of future Niger is interesting, combining highly imaginative world-building with elements of modern Niger projected into the future. However, the imaginative elements were occasionally a little too bizarre for my tastes, and the reasons for the changes weren't always well-e...more
I found the fantastical world(s) portrayed in this book to be absolutely beautiful. The creative details such as plants that create dwellings are described in such a profuse and lovely way that they come across as poetry. While I read a lot of fantasy, this one had so many ideas in it that it was hard to see what tradition(s) they came from let alone how they could all work together. Nonetheless, the book somehow does manage to hold together, likely through the strength of the main character. Th...more
The world this book creates is fantastic. It brims over with creativity and ideas. Ultimately, however, I felt that the plot and characters fell a bit short, and the dialogue was rather stilted, which is why it only gets three stars; but it's worth a read for the sheer brilliance and wonder of the setting.
The characters start off in a future Earth that's been transformed by a mixture of scientific and magical catastrophe and then travel to another world called Ginen; the former is much more inte...more
The characters start off in a future Earth that's been transformed by a mixture of scientific and magical catastrophe and then travel to another world called Ginen; the former is much more inte...more
Young adult fiction author Nnedi Okorafor has more imagination in her little finger than most possess in a lifetime. Okorafor's work is rooted in the science fiction tradition with a liberal sprinkling of magical realism, leaving readers of both fantasy and science fiction equally pleased. She creates lush, futuristic worlds and then places a strong, independent young woman in the leading role. Reading a book by Nnedi Okorafor is a refreshing cup of palm wine on a sparkling African night.
"The Sh...more
"The Sh...more
In The Shadow Speaker, Nnedi Okorafor spins a wildly imaginative, entertaining and nicely balanced coming of age tale unabashedly set in a fantastical Africa of the near-future where alternate worlds have collided and the threat of war looms on the horizon.
Okorafor's impressive world-building alone is noteworthy enough, but her nuanced characters are what really makes the story work, and its star, 14-year-old Ejimafor (Ejii) Ugabe, is an excellent and much-needed addition to the lily white ranks...more
Okorafor's impressive world-building alone is noteworthy enough, but her nuanced characters are what really makes the story work, and its star, 14-year-old Ejimafor (Ejii) Ugabe, is an excellent and much-needed addition to the lily white ranks...more
1 like
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I loved this book set in the future. The future involves a cataclysmic event that has changed the earth. There is now more visible magic in the world and the creatures that have evolved since the change are amazing. This author has the most astonishing imagination! The main character is a shadow speaker... that is she can speak to spirits that are around her and read living things minds (can a plant have a mind?). She is just coming into her powers and her mother and teachers do not really belie...more
This book is pretty good. It's not the best and I can see kind of were they compared it Harry Potter, but I don't think it really can be compared to Harry Potter.
Here's the summary:
In the book "The Shadow Speaker" by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu, Ejii, a young girl, is a shadow speaker. A shadow speaker is a person who can get information about people from the shadows who surround her. Many people in that time think shadow speakers were bad-omens, so Ejii was treated horribly by many, and was usually w...more
Here's the summary:
In the book "The Shadow Speaker" by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu, Ejii, a young girl, is a shadow speaker. A shadow speaker is a person who can get information about people from the shadows who surround her. Many people in that time think shadow speakers were bad-omens, so Ejii was treated horribly by many, and was usually w...more
Interesting coming of age story. I think one of her other books, Zahrah the Windseeker, is set in the same universe and may delve deeper into the story. I liked the altered Earth more than I liked Ooni, it came across as just a little to foreigne and magical, I think.
This is ultimately a coming of age story. Okarafor creates a very intricate and imaginative world that makes you want to explore it.
Two criticisms of this book, 1. I never felt scared for Ejii. Or any of the characters really. At...more
This is ultimately a coming of age story. Okarafor creates a very intricate and imaginative world that makes you want to explore it.
Two criticisms of this book, 1. I never felt scared for Ejii. Or any of the characters really. At...more
I'm absolutely hooked by Nnedi Okorafor's writing. The only the stopping me from reading another of her books is that I wanted to write this review first.
The worlds and characters she creates are on the scale of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. What at first strikes the reader as wild and unexpected soon becomes cherished and familiarities.
As with almost all young adult fiction, a bit of coming-of-age angst and such should be expected. That being said, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a very visually...more
The worlds and characters she creates are on the scale of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. What at first strikes the reader as wild and unexpected soon becomes cherished and familiarities.
As with almost all young adult fiction, a bit of coming-of-age angst and such should be expected. That being said, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a very visually...more
Much stronger than the first book! In near-future Nigeria, after a half-cataclysmic, half-utopian change that's merging Earth with fairy worlds (including Gimen, the setting of Zahrah the Windseeker, Ejii goes on a journey to prevent an outbreak of war. Ejii is a shadow speaker: shadows tell her secrets and give her power. She is the child of multiple forces and feuds: her father was a patriarchical tyrant who was beheaded by a female hero; some people distrust her because of her shadowy eyes, s...more
Three stars here because I can't give it 3.5.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, in particular the setting and the imagination behind it--I loved the fantastical post-apocalyptic world and how it wasn't complete disaster, though the hardships of the people who lived there were not underestimated. I loved the concept of the main character's ability as a shadow speaker, and I also enjoyed many of the supporting characters.
What made me give the book only three stars was, unfortunate...more
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, in particular the setting and the imagination behind it--I loved the fantastical post-apocalyptic world and how it wasn't complete disaster, though the hardships of the people who lived there were not underestimated. I loved the concept of the main character's ability as a shadow speaker, and I also enjoyed many of the supporting characters.
What made me give the book only three stars was, unfortunate...more
Nnedi Okorafor is, in a word, brilliant. It is surprising to find this book was published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion books, in other words, aimed at children. But then, I found Octavia Butler as a child and devoured her, too. I picked up The Shadow Speaker to prepare myself for the March 28 Octavia Butler Symposium. And what a joy! To read speculative fiction that actually engages my own imagination, as well as my political mind, examines social struggles without ever becoming di...more
I really enjoyed this book when I was reading it. Nnedi has a talent for making characters that feel human even if they are not human in the sense we are used to... and, yes, they are human. Her world was visually unique and her conflicts held enough "newness" to stand out in their backdrop of the standard maturity quest.
BUT... the biggest drawback ended up being the book's complete "dropability". I could easily set the book down (and did frequently) for months without feeling a sense of loss....more
BUT... the biggest drawback ended up being the book's complete "dropability". I could easily set the book down (and did frequently) for months without feeling a sense of loss....more
I found the fantastical world(s) portrayed in this book to be absolutely beautiful. The creative details such as plants that create dwellings are described in such a profuse and lovely way that they come across as poetry. While I read a lot of fantasy, this one had so many ideas in it that it was hard to see what tradition(s) they came from let alone how they could all work together. Nonetheless, the book somehow does manage to hold together, likely through the strength of the main character. Th...more
It is 2070, and life on Earth has been completely changed after a disastrous nuclear fallout earlier in the century: now in addition to technology, there is magic, and there are magical gateways to another world, Ginen (the world of Zahrah the Windseeker). Certain people have become metahuman, with strange abilities like rainmaking, or speaking to shadows, as Ejii Ugabe is able to do. When Ejii was eight, she witnessed the execution (or perhaps murder) of her power-seeking father by Jaa the Red...more
2 likes
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like
· see review
GREAT book. Super-distinctive voice. Outrageously creative details. African post-apocalyptic sf.
The world hasn't been the same since The Great Change, decades ago, when nuclear weapons were met with biomagical Peace Bombs that altered the fundamental nature of our earth and the abilities of many humans as well. Ejii lives in postmodern Saharan Nigeria and she was born as a shadow speaker, able (once trained) to pick up information from the minds of some animals, humans, and other forces, and to...more
The world hasn't been the same since The Great Change, decades ago, when nuclear weapons were met with biomagical Peace Bombs that altered the fundamental nature of our earth and the abilities of many humans as well. Ejii lives in postmodern Saharan Nigeria and she was born as a shadow speaker, able (once trained) to pick up information from the minds of some animals, humans, and other forces, and to...more
The words from the review over at The Hathor Legacy that got me interested are copied here to inspire you as well:
"What’s also really fun is that she writes FROM theory (like Frantz Fanon!) ABOUT theory (like when she uses Eiji’s experiences as a meta-human girl to talk about sexism, colonialism, and caste-systems) without making it so inaccessible that YA readers would struggle with it."
Now that I've read it, I think other people should read it, too, but I was torn about how to rate and review...more
"What’s also really fun is that she writes FROM theory (like Frantz Fanon!) ABOUT theory (like when she uses Eiji’s experiences as a meta-human girl to talk about sexism, colonialism, and caste-systems) without making it so inaccessible that YA readers would struggle with it."
Now that I've read it, I think other people should read it, too, but I was torn about how to rate and review...more
I am not crazy in love with the style of this book; it's a little simplistic for my taste. Which isn't a criticism as such - it's good, solid writing, just not the kind of thing I swoon for. (More critically: I think also that the pacing's off, and while I like the characters, I found it difficult to reach empathy with many of them).
However, I am head over heels for the ideas. There's so much excellent world-building and flat-out awesome GOSH in this book.
However, I am head over heels for the ideas. There's so much excellent world-building and flat-out awesome GOSH in this book.
I read this book because I enjoyed the author's adult book, Who Fears Death, so much. This was a YA book, so there was not the same thematic depth as WFD, but the author's soaring imagination was in top form and the story was great. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to future books by Okorafor.
I loved many things about this book - its interesting concept, its setting in a post-apocalyptic Saharan desert, its Afrocentric cultural perspective. It was definitely a different story than most YA fantasy. Unfortunately, its writing was noticeably sloppy in a number of places, so I can't quite bring myself to give it five stars - but I would highly recommend it.
Ms. Okorafor does an amazing job of bringing Africa to life with gorgeous descriptions of food, scenery and customs; all without seeming to be a tour guide. She also does a stunning job creating a possible future and inhabiting it with vibrant, believable creatures. This is a book I'd highly recommend to fans of many genres: action, sci-fi/fantasy, and African literature.
After reading a glowing review of Okorafor's latest book, Akata Witch, but finding that it was not yet available in my library, I sought another of her books and found The Shadow Speaker. It was nothing short of wonderful. A stellar fantasy read for children, The Shadow Speaker is about the eponymous character Ejii's journey of self-discovery. Along the way, she meets friends and foes, all well-drawn. The message of peace and empowerment in this book makes it a solid recommendation for children,...more
Obviously written by a professor! It's an interesting blend of African culture and fantasy. Thematically, it deals with coming of age, tolerance, environmentalism, and war. It was strangely addicting, but the characterization wasn't nearly as in depth as I tend to prefer. The Shadow Speaker is very much a plot novel.
I wanted to love this and I didn't. I liked it very much and thought it was a big win at world building and at having the trimmings of a fantasy, futuristic world that was totes different from the status quo of YA (and really all) SFF. I did think it was a little too similar in setup and plot arc to Okorafor's Who Fears Death, what with the daddy issues and the similar supernatural powers and the quest and all. All in all, it's really rather good; it's just that I wish the starting point had bee...more
This book was recommended to me because I liked Nancy Farmer's The Eye, the Ear, and the Arm--dystopian, African setting, YA. But I just don't do battles and heroic journeys that well. I liked the characters, but not the blood that kept dripping out of the main character's ears and eyes and...
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Nnedi Okorafor (full name: Nnedimma Nkemdili Okorafor. Also previously known as Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu) is a novelist known for her complex characters and weaving Nigerian cultures and settings into speculative narratives.
In a profile of Nnedi’s work titled “Weapons of Mass Creation”, The New York Times called Nnedi’s imagination “stunning”.
Her YA novels include AKATA WITCH (an Amazon.com Best Bo...more
More about Nnedi Okorafor...
In a profile of Nnedi’s work titled “Weapons of Mass Creation”, The New York Times called Nnedi’s imagination “stunning”.
Her YA novels include AKATA WITCH (an Amazon.com Best Bo...more
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Nov 27, 2009 08:43am
Nov 27, 2009 08:46am