Status
Available
Collection
Publication
New York : A Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2021.
Description
"The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From here on in she would be known as Sankofa--a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past. Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks-alone, except for her fox companion-searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers. But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member nbmars
Okorafor has won a number of awards in the field of speculative fiction, including the Hugo and Nebula, for her work that she has labeled “Africanfuturism.”
This novella is set in Ghana and centers around a young girl whose life was changed when she was only five by an apparent meteor shower. As
She learned to control the light so that she didn’t kill indiscriminately, and also learned to harness her reputation to get the food, clothes, shelter, and shea butter she occasionally needed. (The green light made Sankofa’s skin dry out. Shea butter, used in lotions, was the only thing that helped, perhaps because of the circumstances under which she first encountered the object from space.)
This all plays out as we follow Sankofa on her quest to find out what happened to her and if there were a way to change it, so that she actually could belong somewhere and live “normally.” Although seemingly old beyond her years, she was only 14 by the end of this story, and she could not help but long for human companionship, friendship, and family. She also wanted to find out what the involvement was of an international corporation named LifeGen - the name that keeps coming up in her travels. Is it somehow connected and if so, what did that mean she could do?
Discussion: This story is set in the near future - the author references the pandemic of 2020 as a background issue. Society is more advanced now - there is new technology, including artificial intelligence drones and robots that perform some societal functions. In fact, because of Sankofa’s effect on them, one of the epithets she was called was “Evil Remote Control.” Traditional culture in Ghana is mixed in with advanced technology, allowing for superstition, tradition, and storytelling to affect Sankofa’s reception in the villages through which she passed in the startling but common juxtaposition of old and new in today's global economy.
Evaluation: I was captivated throughout this short book, and wanted to continue the story. Okorafor is quite the storyteller, and her visions are creative and interesting. This is an author I definitely want to read again.
This novella is set in Ghana and centers around a young girl whose life was changed when she was only five by an apparent meteor shower. As
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she watched from her perch in one of her family’s shea trees, one of the objects from space came down and hit the dirt at the base of the tree. She grabbed it and held it, and she was never the same. By the age of seven, she had turned into someone else entirely. Having forgotten her given name, she was now known as Sankofa and “Death’s adopted daughter.” Sankofa emitted a green glow and all living things around her - except for her companion fox - fell dead. Technological devices - even cars - could also die in her presence. She learned to control the light so that she didn’t kill indiscriminately, and also learned to harness her reputation to get the food, clothes, shelter, and shea butter she occasionally needed. (The green light made Sankofa’s skin dry out. Shea butter, used in lotions, was the only thing that helped, perhaps because of the circumstances under which she first encountered the object from space.)
This all plays out as we follow Sankofa on her quest to find out what happened to her and if there were a way to change it, so that she actually could belong somewhere and live “normally.” Although seemingly old beyond her years, she was only 14 by the end of this story, and she could not help but long for human companionship, friendship, and family. She also wanted to find out what the involvement was of an international corporation named LifeGen - the name that keeps coming up in her travels. Is it somehow connected and if so, what did that mean she could do?
Discussion: This story is set in the near future - the author references the pandemic of 2020 as a background issue. Society is more advanced now - there is new technology, including artificial intelligence drones and robots that perform some societal functions. In fact, because of Sankofa’s effect on them, one of the epithets she was called was “Evil Remote Control.” Traditional culture in Ghana is mixed in with advanced technology, allowing for superstition, tradition, and storytelling to affect Sankofa’s reception in the villages through which she passed in the startling but common juxtaposition of old and new in today's global economy.
Evaluation: I was captivated throughout this short book, and wanted to continue the story. Okorafor is quite the storyteller, and her visions are creative and interesting. This is an author I definitely want to read again.
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LibraryThing member Tsana
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor is a stand-alone science fantasy novella, set in near future Ghana. It tells the story of a girl who is alone and feared and, for a large part of the story, nomadic.
I requested this novella for review because I've enjoyed Okorafor's other work, especially the Binti
Sankofa's story is not told entirely chronologically, which works very well for this context. I liked the way in which aspects of her life were revealed piece by piece. I also liked the worldbuilding that went into the story. From the shea tree Sankofa climbed as a child to the towns, cities and homes she encounters during her travels, Okorafor paints very clear pictures of the settings. The contrasts between rural and urban settings is especially stark. While Sankofa is in the forest, it is easy to forget that this story is actually set in the future. The advanced technology present in the city is a stark contrast, and reminds us that there is more going on in the background of the story than what we most frequently see from the tight focus on Sankofa.
I really enjoyed this story. I highly recommend it to fans of science fantasy and speculative fiction generally. I'm not usually a fan of science fantasy but this one really worked for me. If you enjoyed Okorafor's other works, especially the Binti series (since I have not yet read any of her longer works, I can't compare those), I highly recommend Remote Control.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
I requested this novella for review because I've enjoyed Okorafor's other work, especially the Binti
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series of novellas. However, I wasn't sure what to expect, since the blurb makes it sound very different from Binti. After reading, I can say that, it is and it isn't. Fatima/Sankofa undergoes an intensely traumatic event at a young age, leaving her alone. Magic helps keep her safe, physically at least. Sankofa's story is not told entirely chronologically, which works very well for this context. I liked the way in which aspects of her life were revealed piece by piece. I also liked the worldbuilding that went into the story. From the shea tree Sankofa climbed as a child to the towns, cities and homes she encounters during her travels, Okorafor paints very clear pictures of the settings. The contrasts between rural and urban settings is especially stark. While Sankofa is in the forest, it is easy to forget that this story is actually set in the future. The advanced technology present in the city is a stark contrast, and reminds us that there is more going on in the background of the story than what we most frequently see from the tight focus on Sankofa.
I really enjoyed this story. I highly recommend it to fans of science fantasy and speculative fiction generally. I'm not usually a fan of science fantasy but this one really worked for me. If you enjoyed Okorafor's other works, especially the Binti series (since I have not yet read any of her longer works, I can't compare those), I highly recommend Remote Control.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
Fatima is a young girl in a future Ghana, who finds a strange object on the night of a meteor shower. It seems to have strange powers, making her life better in small but significant ways. For instance, she is no longer the target of the mosquitoes, who had pursued her and given her multiple bouts
The little object, though, attracts attention, and her parents sell it to a politician who plans to sell it to a medical research company called LifeGen. It gets stolen from him, though, and that's the start of a disastrous series of events.
It precipitates the events that lead to Fatima accidentally, through her connection to the object, killing her entire small town, including her own family. In the process, she forgets her name, and unable to remember it, starts to call herself Sankofa, a name tied to the wood carving her brother used to do.
She starts walking, away from her home, with no real goal but to find her stolen treasure, and maybe be able to set right the harm she did.
But that's not the last time she kills.
At first she has no idea how she's doing it or how to control it. Life is further complicated by the fact that complex electronics are fried by her touch. It takes years before she can choose when to kill and when not to, but as she gains control, she tries to use it only when someone is suffering and truly wants release, or when she is directly threatened.
And she keeps walking through Ghana, accompanied by a fox who used to shelter in the same tree where she used to read or watch the stars.
Sankofa is growing up alone and isolated, and struggling to understand and control her difference and her power. Can she accept what she is? Should she? Is her power anything other than pure evil?
I found this story captivating. Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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of malaria in her young life.The little object, though, attracts attention, and her parents sell it to a politician who plans to sell it to a medical research company called LifeGen. It gets stolen from him, though, and that's the start of a disastrous series of events.
It precipitates the events that lead to Fatima accidentally, through her connection to the object, killing her entire small town, including her own family. In the process, she forgets her name, and unable to remember it, starts to call herself Sankofa, a name tied to the wood carving her brother used to do.
She starts walking, away from her home, with no real goal but to find her stolen treasure, and maybe be able to set right the harm she did.
But that's not the last time she kills.
At first she has no idea how she's doing it or how to control it. Life is further complicated by the fact that complex electronics are fried by her touch. It takes years before she can choose when to kill and when not to, but as she gains control, she tries to use it only when someone is suffering and truly wants release, or when she is directly threatened.
And she keeps walking through Ghana, accompanied by a fox who used to shelter in the same tree where she used to read or watch the stars.
Sankofa is growing up alone and isolated, and struggling to understand and control her difference and her power. Can she accept what she is? Should she? Is her power anything other than pure evil?
I found this story captivating. Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Don't make Sankofa angry. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry: she turns green, shit goes down, and before long she’s walking down the road on her own with no set destination except a desire to get control over her situation.
Wait, why does that sound familiar?
If there was a point to this
Wait, why does that sound familiar?
If there was a point to this
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beyond the obvious homage, it was lost on me. Otherwise it is just a slow and meandering walk around Ghana. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
Fatima has forgotten her name. She's Sankofa, a child walking alone with the ability to kill, taking from villagers and chasing after what's been stolen from her.
I hesitate to give too much of the story away, as it's a slight novella and the discovery of what happened to Fatima, and how the people
I hesitate to give too much of the story away, as it's a slight novella and the discovery of what happened to Fatima, and how the people
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of Ghana turn her into a legend, should probably happen knowing as little as possible. It is a slight story, and I somehow wanted just a little more from it as it gives tantalizing glimpses of near-future tech and communities. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
The adopted daughter of death is a young girl changed by alien seed and wanders with a fox, the only creature immune to the death she deals - initially uncontrolled but later deliberately. The land she wanders is a rural future Ghana, with farmers and robots, forests and villages like little else
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in modern tales. Show Less
LibraryThing member NadineC.Keels
Not a review, really, but the personal echo I'm walking away with after reading this book:
Bring forth your light. And this time, do it on purpose.
Bring forth your light. And this time, do it on purpose.
LibraryThing member capewood
Sankofa is 7 when an alien object falls into her yard in a farm in a slightly in the future Ghana. The gov't steals it from her a few years later but the object gave her the power to kill when she's threatened. She becomes 'The Angel of Death'. Good story.
LibraryThing member renbedell
A science fiction novella set in futuristic Ghana where a young girl gets to be known as the "Angel of Death". It is a great story that is well written. The story is small in scope and focuses on community, identity, and connections. It is a great read.
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
Beautiful and full of melancholy. Adjoa Andoh's reading of the audio made it sparkle.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This is a book that had so much potential... its an interesting plot, with an interesting character. Problem is the story need a bit more plot. Ideas are thrown out, and than never come back to.
The writing of this book is very well done. However, I found myself incredibly frustrated by the story,
The writing of this book is very well done. However, I found myself incredibly frustrated by the story,
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it needed more. Show Less
LibraryThing member PardaMustang
I fell in love with Okorafor's writing after reading the Akata series, and this novella did not let me down! We follow Fatima, a young girl in Ghana. One day, a 'seed' fell from the sky during a meteor shower. Fatima took it, and began bonding with it. She would talk to it, and take it places. That
I adored this story. Okorafor's writing is gorgeous, painting vivid pictures with ease, though I'll be honest- the title confused me. It referred to Sankofa's unique gift, but 'remote control' makes me think of mind control or similar. To somehow take control of another's mind or body. It made me more interested in the cultural roots it's buried in, the cultural roots Okorafor grew up in. Such a myriad milieu of influence shapes the writer, their stories, the reader, and their interpretations. Highly recommended!!
*******Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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is, til one day when fancy people came looking for it, and took it away. That would be a mistake, for many. Tragedy strikes soon after, leaving Fatima nameless, in a village of the dead. From the metaphoric ashes rises Sankofa, (adopted) Daughter of Death. I adored this story. Okorafor's writing is gorgeous, painting vivid pictures with ease, though I'll be honest- the title confused me. It referred to Sankofa's unique gift, but 'remote control' makes me think of mind control or similar. To somehow take control of another's mind or body. It made me more interested in the cultural roots it's buried in, the cultural roots Okorafor grew up in. Such a myriad milieu of influence shapes the writer, their stories, the reader, and their interpretations. Highly recommended!!
*******Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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LibraryThing member streamsong
Five year old Fatima loved to climb the shea tree outside her family’s home and look at the stars. She could see words written in the stars, although she could not read them. She would copy them into the dirt surrounding the tree.
Then one day while she was in her tree, a meteor shower of glowing
When a tragic accident by her hands left her entire family and village dead, Fatima began walking. She became known as “Death’sAdopted Daughter” and her true name was lost, even to herself. People who tried to harm her died; others left small offerings of food and clothing for her.
Can she control this power? Can she rid herself of it? Is there way to become normal for so abnormal a person? What will happen to so abnormal a child who longs for companionship?
Award winning author [[Nnedi Okorafor]] has called her style of stories Afrofuturism with mixes of traditional Ghanaian culture, elements of science fiction (robocops with drones), fantasy and magical realism.
I enjoyed this novella, but wish there had been more answers. What is the corporation LifeGen that twines through the story? I can’t help but wonder if this is the first of a series.
Then one day while she was in her tree, a meteor shower of glowing
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green crystals left one of its fragments at the foot of her tree. She picked it up and was forever changed. Whenever she was hurt or afraid she glowed green and death sprang from her.When a tragic accident by her hands left her entire family and village dead, Fatima began walking. She became known as “Death’sAdopted Daughter” and her true name was lost, even to herself. People who tried to harm her died; others left small offerings of food and clothing for her.
Can she control this power? Can she rid herself of it? Is there way to become normal for so abnormal a person? What will happen to so abnormal a child who longs for companionship?
Award winning author [[Nnedi Okorafor]] has called her style of stories Afrofuturism with mixes of traditional Ghanaian culture, elements of science fiction (robocops with drones), fantasy and magical realism.
I enjoyed this novella, but wish there had been more answers. What is the corporation LifeGen that twines through the story? I can’t help but wonder if this is the first of a series.
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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
Nearly from the first page on, I couldn't put down Okorafor's Remote Control. The poetry of Okorafor's prose, paired with the brilliant vision of character and plot, makes for a book which rings with all of the heart and breadth of a classic fairy tale, but through the offering of a fresh and
I'd absolutely recommend this to any reader of speculative fiction or science fiction.
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ecologically aware tale built for today's world and reader. As short as the book is, there's a depth of thought that makes it feel far wider than it is in terms of the world it creates, and the main character is as otherworldly as she is important to be read.I'd absolutely recommend this to any reader of speculative fiction or science fiction.
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LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
Set in a slightly future Ghana we follow a young girl who develops a deadly ability and then has to learn to deal with the consequences. Very dark at times but still with hope. Storytelling at its finest!
LibraryThing member Verkruissen
I absolutely love the way Nnedi Okorafor combines the culture and traditions of the African culture with futuristic technology. The juxtaposition of these two backdrops makes her writing unique and captivating.
Fatima starts her life as a normal little girl in a small village until a meteorite
Fatima starts her life as a normal little girl in a small village until a meteorite
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shower changes everything about her life. I feel like there is definitely room for this story to continue and I certainly hope that it does. I loved this story. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member books-n-pickles
Listened to the audiobook in the car. The reader was fantastic, and I really don't think the experience would have been as enjoyable just reading by myself. Much more like fantasy than science fiction, with just a few hints of the near future and the suggestion--though I couldn't tell if it was
Sankofa is a wonderful character who experiences all the ups and downs of childhood and adolescence right along with her extraordinary circumstances. I highly recommend that fans of speculative fiction meet her--just don't expect hard sci fi.
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serious or not--of alien life. I did feel like there was a loose connection along the way, something tying GenCorp to the seed, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Not sure if that's on me, for hearing the audiobook in two sittings, or something to do with the narrative. Sankofa is a wonderful character who experiences all the ups and downs of childhood and adolescence right along with her extraordinary circumstances. I highly recommend that fans of speculative fiction meet her--just don't expect hard sci fi.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
Dark and haunting and strange and sad. Sankofa is so compelling and damaged. Difficult to understand, and yet both powerful and pragmatic.
Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
LibraryThing member jscape2000
Dark and brooding, Remote Control lacked the joyful surprises I hope for from futurism and magic realism (and that were present in Binti). Compelling as a fable, but not a story I need to revisit.
LibraryThing member AngelaJMaher
This kept me engaged in a time when I feel very distracted, unable to focus, and basically burnt out. Nnedi is a true storyteller.
LibraryThing member Castlelass
“They tell a story about Sankofa in many of the villages, towns, and cities. They say there once was a living child who was born to dead parents. Because her dead parents could not care for her, they took her to Death’s doorstep and left her there. Her parents knew where this was because they
Set in Ghana in the near future, this book is a fable about the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. It is a cross between science fiction and fantasy. A young girl (Fatima, later renamed Sankofa) wanders the land, searching for the source of her strange power, leaving death and destruction in her wake.
The author writes convincingly from the point of view of a child, though this is no child’s bedtime story. It is dark, violent, and chilling. It is not something I would normally read but I was intrigued by the description. Though I am not the target audience, I am glad to have found this new-to-me author.
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were dead. They pinned a note to the child’s blanket that explained they had given birth to a live child, and that only Death would know what to do with her. They said she was beautiful – dark brown-skinned, and perfect in every way. And that when she cried, spiders, crickets, and grasshoppers would sing to soothe her. They wrote that they wished they’d had her when they were alive, and that fate was cruel.”Set in Ghana in the near future, this book is a fable about the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. It is a cross between science fiction and fantasy. A young girl (Fatima, later renamed Sankofa) wanders the land, searching for the source of her strange power, leaving death and destruction in her wake.
The author writes convincingly from the point of view of a child, though this is no child’s bedtime story. It is dark, violent, and chilling. It is not something I would normally read but I was intrigued by the description. Though I am not the target audience, I am glad to have found this new-to-me author.
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LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
Not usually the biggest fan of short fiction, but I did really like this. Not quite five stars, because it lacked that something special, but definitely a worthy read. And I really enjoyed the ending.
LibraryThing member beserene
A science fiction novella carrying both a futuristic and a mythic vibe, that deals with death and despair in its own way, engaging and unsettling, and very interesting to discuss, though at least half of my book group did not catch the fact that much of the story works as a flashback -- that made
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the ending intensely confusing for those who did not follow the non-linear narrative structure. Those who did, though, found much to love. Not a comfortable book, by any means, but a fascinating one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
Fatima is a young girl who lives on her family’s shea tree farm and is touched by a seed that causes her to accidently kill her family, village, and forget her name. She takes the name Sankofa and goes on a journey to locate the seed that gave her this power since it was taken from her family
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
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soon after she discovered it. As she learns control and slowly makes her way through the countryside she is called Death’s adopted daughter because of the death she can bring. This is more of a journey of discovery for Sankofa to learn more about herself and this power in her and how it affects those around her. The ending is such that there can easily be more to this story if desired. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
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LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this strange read about a young girl who gets turned into a sort of bringer of death by advanced technology. It was well done. I didn't like this quite as much as the Binti
Fatima acquired an object from the sky and after that she could emit a deadly strange light when she was harmed. The story starts in the present and then goes back to show us how Fatima, now known as Sankofa, acquired this strange power. We follow her story until we end up back in the present where we watch Fatima try to find some peace.
This was well done and has a lot of food for thought in it. I enjoyed listening to it on audiobook. The narration is well done, the narrator does speak with a heavy African accent which was a bit tough to understand when there was a lot of background noise around. However, it was pleasant to listen to and fit the tone of the book well.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. I liked Fatima and her story and the undercurrents about society, the environment and those they treat as outcasts. I didn't like this quite as much as the Binti series. I have also read the first book in the Nsibidi Scripts and didn't really enjoy that series. I would like to checkout some of Okorafor's other stories in the future.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this strange read about a young girl who gets turned into a sort of bringer of death by advanced technology. It was well done. I didn't like this quite as much as the Binti
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series but it was still a fun listen (I listened to this on audiobook).Fatima acquired an object from the sky and after that she could emit a deadly strange light when she was harmed. The story starts in the present and then goes back to show us how Fatima, now known as Sankofa, acquired this strange power. We follow her story until we end up back in the present where we watch Fatima try to find some peace.
This was well done and has a lot of food for thought in it. I enjoyed listening to it on audiobook. The narration is well done, the narrator does speak with a heavy African accent which was a bit tough to understand when there was a lot of background noise around. However, it was pleasant to listen to and fit the tone of the book well.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. I liked Fatima and her story and the undercurrents about society, the environment and those they treat as outcasts. I didn't like this quite as much as the Binti series. I have also read the first book in the Nsibidi Scripts and didn't really enjoy that series. I would like to checkout some of Okorafor's other stories in the future.
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Subjects
Awards
Nommo Award (Winner — Novella — 2022)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — January 2021)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Adults (Science Fiction — 2021)
RUSA CODES Listen List (Selection — 2022)