She Who Knows (She Who Knows #1)
Nnedi Okorafor
Part science fiction, part fantasy, and entirely infused with West African culture and spirituality, this novella offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a teenager whose coming of age will herald a new age for her world. Set in the universe Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor first introduced in the World Fantasy Award-winning Who Fears Death, this is the first in the She Who Knows trilogy When there is a call, there is often a response. Najeeba knows. She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s not a terrible thing, just strange. So when she leaves with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake, there’s neither fanfare nor protest. For Najeeba, it’s a dream come travel by camel, open skies, and a chance to see a spectacular place she’s only heard about. However, there must have been something to the rule, because Najeeba’s presence on the road changes everything and her family will never be the same. Small, intimate, up close, and deceptively quiet, this is the beginning of the Kponyungo Sorceress.
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0Set in a future Africa with some magic, some science fiction, and a need for salt, this is the story of a girl who defied convention. It is a prequel for "Who Fears Death," which I haven't read but immediately checked out from the library after reading this novella. This novella stands on it own.
Najeeba feels a call to go on a journey which only men go on - to the Dead Lake to harvest salt. On this journey with her father she jumps into a dust devil (as I interpret it) and feels something change in her. She develops a sort of magic - leaving her body, calling on powers, and the ability to sell the salt at market for the best prices (something forbidden, at least tacitly, to women). This is the story of how she comes to be who she is.
I enjoyed getting swept away into this world, which has complex power structures and mysterious magics. It's also filled with tragedy, loss, and revenge.
I can't wait to read the rest of this series, as well as more books from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
0So, I went into this not reading "Who Fears Death" first, even though this one is *technically* a prequel and I have read a couple of her other books that take place in a similar universe (I saw that nod to Noor!). I don't think anything is lost reading this first, either, with some very minor potential spoilers about the MC of Who Fears Death (MC here is her mother).
As for the book itself, I really enjoyed it! African juju/sorcery plots, vengeance, the making and breaking of a family - it has so much. Okorafor's writing always engrosses me and I can't wait for the next installment to find out what happens next. I'm such a sucker for a revenge story lol. In the meantime this one has definitely piqued my interest enough that I'll pick up "Who Fears Death".
Thank you NetGalley and DAW books for my copy!
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