Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor - Book Report #249

Right from the start, I was put off by the aliens. I can’t help it; I am instantly bored when I’m confronted with space-jellyfish that breath clouds of gas out their transparent domes.  Then there all the strange words to learn, that take me out of the story, before the plot can move on.

But, since I enjoyed the first book, I forced my way through all that exposition. 

Throughout the book I found myself pushing through it.  I was never taken by the story because, well, there wasn't one.  Binti is lovely and ultimately misunderstood, resented and mistrusted. 

Honestly, I don’t actually know why the author chose SF to tell this story.  It’s a story of a person wanting more from her life than tradition allows. 

Although I prefer stories about people being people, I have no patience for bigotry and unending self-doubt.  I like it when they are trying to accomplish something.  This navel-gazing and emotional hand-wringing that comes from keeping people in their “place” really makes me weary and angry. 

I want to see us overcome but, for 162 pages, nothing actually happened

On and on and on and on, Binti struggled with her self-identity and prejudice, her own and from others.  Obviously, Okorafor has something to say, I just wish she could have said it in the context of a story, with a plot.

I am so disappointed in this book since I was taken by the first one.

Nnedi Okorafor's website - http://nnedi.com/

Nnedi Okorafor

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor - Book Report #248

Lovely.  Different. Scary. Inspiring.

Binti is a young woman who decides to leave everything behind; her family, her home, her life and her planet, to attend Oomza University in a far off solar system.

Along the way she makes friends and discovers the hatred and violence of the Meduse, an alien race in conflict with her very university.

This is the kind of SF I generally don't go for, with aliens and magical super-powers.  I like to read Mundane, Hard SF.

But there is something special about the fish out of water story; I always find myself hoping the best for our character.

Binti is a terrific character too.  She is so strong and determined and yet she suffers the self-doubt we all do.

It is through this character that I was willing to put my biases aside and read on.  I am glad that I did.  It was a rewarding story and I have ordered the next installment in the series.  I am looking forward to spending more time in Nnedi Okorafor's capable hands.

Recommended.

Nnedi Olorafor's website - http://nnedi.com/

Nnedi Okorafor

Loss of Signal by S.B. Divya

Oh, such a good story.

I loved how it took the idea of transferring consciousness to a computer and wedged it into our current lack of ability to fly beyond earth orbit. 

But it’s not about that.  No.  It’s about a boy.  A nineteen year old boy, who was once dying then reborn into the space program, on his way to the far side of the moon. 

Sure there are countdowns and rocket burns and delta V’s but, more importantly, there is a human experiencing all the emotions you’d imagin being so far from anybody else.

Terrific stuff. 

The story is here - https://www.tor.com/2018/08/01/loss-of-signal-sb-divya/

S B Divya’s website - http://www.eff-words.com/

S B Divya

All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - Book Review #244

Remember Peter Weller in Robocop?  Part man, part machine?

Murderbot is a bit like that; the central core of the "product" is biological, a cloned human being, but with only rudimentary free will - he can make decisions within a task but cannot decide between tasks.  Unless he has managed to hack into and subvert his governor module.

This is the big secret, he may be a security unit, known as a SecUnit, assigned to a small team of planetary explorers but he is not under their complete control.

The drama gets rolling when it is discovered that another nearby base has lost communications.  The team goes to investigate.

The story is narrated by Murderbot himself.  I’ve got to admit “Murderbot” is a pretty compelling name and I wanted to know why he called himself that. Only glimpses of his past are revealed.

Martha Wells has done a nice job of delivering a tense thriller and gave the protagonist unexpected depth.  The story is layered and I was happy to be introduced to the larger universe this one story occupies.  This is a perfect way to dive into a Space Opera; start with a small group of characters in a small place, in this case a far off planet, and then return them to their homes and you get a natural way to introduce the reader to a larger world.

I am certainly looking forward to reading the second instalment. 

Martha Wells' website - http://www.marthawells.com/

Martha Wells