The Shadow Speaker - Softcover

Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1423100360 ISBN 13: 9781423100362

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH, 2009

Synopsis

Niger, West Africa, 2070: After a nuclear fallout in the early twenty-first century, the earth's civilization has been completely transformed. Magic, mysticism, and mind-blowing technology now rule the world. In West Africa, fourteen-year old Ejii struggles to master her own magical powers. When her world is completely upended after she witnesses her father's death, Ejii faces a unique opportunity to explore her power and realize her destiny. But is she ready for the responsibility that comes along with that? Embarking on a journey across the  Sahara, Ejii befriends new allies and battles dangerous foes. It soon becomes clear that her people need to be protected from a terrible force seeking to annihilate them. And Ejii may just be their last hope for survival. Fast-paced and full of tender friendships and thrilling action, this futuristic adventure heralds a bright new talent in young adult science fiction. 

About this title

About the Author:

Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu is also the author of Zahrah the Windseeker,as well as several award-winning short stories. She earned her PhD in English at the University of Illinois, and currently lives in Chicago, where she is a professor.

From Booklist:

Okorafor-Mbachu’s second novel opens in Saharan Africa in the year 2070, then takes its 14-year-old heroine on a quest to the world first introduced in Zahrah the Windseeker (2006). Years after an act of bioterrorism on earth, its most dramatic effect, the opening of a border with the planet Ginen, has just materialized. An untrained “shadow speaker,“ Muslim teen Ejii is compelled by otherworldly voices to help avert a war between the newly joined worlds. There are too many distracting way stations on Ejii’s journey, but readers who appreciate invention for its own sake will delight in Okorafor-Mbachu’s world building, especially the plant-based technology that allows mansions to spring from “abode seeds” and phone calls to be transmitted via gourds. Many will also embrace the novel’s complicated characters, especially its women, and the unusual appearance of African, Muslim traditions in a science fiction context. Fans of Nancy Farmer’s The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (1994) will want to give this a try; later, introduce the same readers to Nalo Hopkinson’s groundbreaking, Caribbean-influenced science fiction for adults. Grades 5-8. --Jennifer Mattson

About this edition

• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1423100360
• ISBN 13: 9781423100362
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352