Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tor.com (New York, 2017). 1st edition, 1st printing. 176 pages. $14.99.
Description
It's been a year since Binti and Okwu enrolled at Oomza University. A year since Binti was declared a hero for uniting two warring planets. A year since she found friendship in the unlikeliest of places. And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and face her elders. But Okwu will be the first of his race to set foot on Earth in over a hundred years, and the first ever to come in peace. After generations of conflict can human and Meduse ever learn to truly live in harmony?
Media reviews
Within a small space, Okorafor efficiently depicts several distinct cultures and portrays a strong and unusual heroine.
User reviews
LibraryThing member VioletBramble
Second in the series.
Binti returns to Earth after a year at Oomza University (the best in the galaxy). Her Meduse friend/partner, Okwu, travels with her. The Meduse are the sworn enemies of the Khoush, a people whose lands border that of Binti's tribe. Okwu is promised diplomatic safety while on
On her first night back home Binti looks out the window and sees The Night Masquerade - a sign normally given only to men that signals that great change is coming. Outside the window are also gathered some of the Desert People. (the Enyi Zinariya) They take her into the dessert to reveal her true birthright. While she is out in the dessert the Khoush arrive at her home and attack both her family and Okwu - but she does not know the outcome of this attack. She struggles to come to grips with her new powers and make it home in time.
I love this series. Recommended - esp. to those you enjoy math.
Binti returns to Earth after a year at Oomza University (the best in the galaxy). Her Meduse friend/partner, Okwu, travels with her. The Meduse are the sworn enemies of the Khoush, a people whose lands border that of Binti's tribe. Okwu is promised diplomatic safety while on
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Earth. As Binti is a Harmonizer she believes she may be able to bring peace to these two cultures. Binti's family is angry at her for leaving and forsaking her place as the next Harmonizer in her tribe (replacing her father, who is old and weary). They are shocked to see the physical changes in Binti, whose hair has been changed into blue okuoko (sensitive and reactive tentacle like appendages). On her first night back home Binti looks out the window and sees The Night Masquerade - a sign normally given only to men that signals that great change is coming. Outside the window are also gathered some of the Desert People. (the Enyi Zinariya) They take her into the dessert to reveal her true birthright. While she is out in the dessert the Khoush arrive at her home and attack both her family and Okwu - but she does not know the outcome of this attack. She struggles to come to grips with her new powers and make it home in time.
I love this series. Recommended - esp. to those you enjoy math.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Binti has been at Oozma Uni for a year with her foe-turned-friend Okwu; she's now ready to return home for a visit and her pilgrimage, but what she finds will rock her world even more.
I really enjoyed book 1 which involved alien contact and learning to listen to your enemies. This one continues to
I really enjoyed book 1 which involved alien contact and learning to listen to your enemies. This one continues to
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explore those themes, as well as acknowledge the PTSD issues that Binti would have after her experiences in the first book, and further explores the prejudices she has about people on earth. The blend of inventive science fiction and challenging themes have really impressed me in these short works. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stevil2001
The sequel to Binti is really the first half of a larger story. The first half of Home itself is about Binti's return to her home after a year at space university, her friend who is also a warrior alien jellyfish in tow. It's kind of your normal thing in a story of this sort: she's changed both
It's all right. Like with the first volume, it some times feels contrived. The family stuff is well done, if a bit clichéd. Clichés are often true, of course, but I rarely felt things rose to that level. To be honest, I wish we'd had a book of her actually at space university before we got a book of her coming back home. The second half has a lot of exposition about Binti's hidden heritage; I reserve judgment on this until I see how it plays out in Night Masquerade, but that leaves me without much to say about this volume in itself.
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physically and emotionally, so has her family, and resentment simmers on every side. Then in the second half, she participates in a coming-of-age ritual of her people, and soon discovers she's even more special than the first book made her seem. Then things end on a cliffhanger, so I guess I'll need to pick up Binti: The Night Masquerade.It's all right. Like with the first volume, it some times feels contrived. The family stuff is well done, if a bit clichéd. Clichés are often true, of course, but I rarely felt things rose to that level. To be honest, I wish we'd had a book of her actually at space university before we got a book of her coming back home. The second half has a lot of exposition about Binti's hidden heritage; I reserve judgment on this until I see how it plays out in Night Masquerade, but that leaves me without much to say about this volume in itself.
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LibraryThing member amanda4242
A year after her dramatic arrival at university, Binti is struggling to find a place among her peers, is living with PTSD from witnessing the massacre aboard her transport ship, and feels guilty over leaving her home and family. She decides to return home to attempt to heal and reconnect with her
I found myself enjoying Binti: Home far more than I did its predecessor, which I thought was a little weak in the world-building; in this volume Okorafor does a better job in showing what it is Binti does and what it means to be a "harmonizer." That being said, it is still Binti and her journey of self-discovery that makes me want to read more.
I would give this novella four stars but I have to ding it a bit out of spite for the cliffhanger ending.
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family, taking her friend Okwu with her as the first Meduse to visit Earth in peace. While initially glad to see Binti home, it's not long before the recriminations start and dangerous tensions rise over her bringing a Meduse with her.I found myself enjoying Binti: Home far more than I did its predecessor, which I thought was a little weak in the world-building; in this volume Okorafor does a better job in showing what it is Binti does and what it means to be a "harmonizer." That being said, it is still Binti and her journey of self-discovery that makes me want to read more.
I would give this novella four stars but I have to ding it a bit out of spite for the cliffhanger ending.
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LibraryThing member jdifelice
This continuation of Binti's story was great. We really got to see more into Binti's character and her struggle with her own identity. We got more insight into her home life and what her home community is like as well. I liked the plot of this novella, but it definitely didn't feel complete like
I yet again struggled with the writing a little. I find it very stilted, with sentences seeming a little awkward and distant.
Overall, quite enjoyable, and a fun journey for Binti.
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the previous book did. I am however, excited to continue with The Night Masquerade.I yet again struggled with the writing a little. I find it very stilted, with sentences seeming a little awkward and distant.
Overall, quite enjoyable, and a fun journey for Binti.
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LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
Nnedi Okorafor's Binti: Home picks up where her original novella, Binti, left off, with main character Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka of Namib working on her mathematics/harmonizing lessons at Oozma Uni and acting as a go-between for humanity and the Meduse, through their representative, Okwu. As
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the title states, Binti returns home to Earth and the family she left behind, only to deal with her feelings of being adrift from the world she knew while simultaneously learning new things about herself and her culture. Okorafor's science fiction remains some of the best modern sci-fi, with plot elements that resemble the best of Clarke or Asimov (it's hard not to compare Binti at Oozma Uni with Hari Seldon at Streeling University on Trantor in Foundation), but she does so with her own unique voice. She does a good job explaining what her readers need to know without bogging down the story in exposition. Additionally, her portrayal of organic technology, such as the living ship Third Fish, makes the reader consider technology beyond the usual mechanical devices and further fires the imagination. While Okorafor finishes with an open ending, she does not disappoint the reader and I sincerely hope she will write a third volume to wrap up the narrative. Even with a conclusion to Binti's story, the world Okorafor created between the first two Binti books is large enough to warrant a series of stories all set in the same universe exploring similar themes while continuing to push the bounds of sci-fi. Show Less
LibraryThing member andreablythe
A year after the events of the first book, Binti returns home with some changes to her physical form and a Meduse friend coming along. Another fantastic story from Okorafor. I especially loved learning Oomza University and how it accommodates a multitude of species within its campus. It's amazing
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to me how Okorafor can pack so many layers of culture and characters into such a slim book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
After a year at university, Binti returns home. It’s a difficult homecoming, because not all of her family approve of her decision to go to university, and Binti’s plans of undertaking the pilgrimage that will mark her transition to becoming a Himba woman are disrupted by revelations about her
Home is an interesting, unusual story about culture, identity, prejudice and technology. It ends with a lot of things unresolved, in a cliff-hanger-y sort of way that strongly suggests the story isn’t over.
How different my life would have been if my parents had just let me dance.
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heritage from her father’s side.Home is an interesting, unusual story about culture, identity, prejudice and technology. It ends with a lot of things unresolved, in a cliff-hanger-y sort of way that strongly suggests the story isn’t over.
How different my life would have been if my parents had just let me dance.
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LibraryThing member BefuddledPanda
I liked it better than the first one. some powerful feelings in such a small package
LibraryThing member quondame
Binti comes home and finds out how different she really is, oh and by the way, her alien friend may be the cause of her (oppressive as required) family is wiped out, but we don’t know because the book is SO SHORT! So someone has to shell out $15 for the next chapter.
LibraryThing member greeniezona
The intriguing sequel to Binti, Home is the second in a trilogy and tells the story of Binti's journey back home after a year at University to participate in a pilgrimage and find again her identity as a Himba. Of course, not everyone in her village has gotten over the fact that she disappeared in
Again, I often wished this story were being told in a longer format. Binti's PTSD as a result of witnessing the Meduse-led slaughter on her way to University in the first book was interesting, and I wanted to learn more about it, as well as more context of Khoush/Himba relations and how the Khoush/Meduse war affected other civilizations on Earth.
I am still definitely in for book three, though. There are so many interesting ideas here, and I really need to get around to reading some of Okorafor's longer books.
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the dark of the night, and the neighboring Khoush have definitely not gotten over the war with the Meduse, and are less than thrilled that Binti has brought her Meduse friend Okwu with her. Again, I often wished this story were being told in a longer format. Binti's PTSD as a result of witnessing the Meduse-led slaughter on her way to University in the first book was interesting, and I wanted to learn more about it, as well as more context of Khoush/Himba relations and how the Khoush/Meduse war affected other civilizations on Earth.
I am still definitely in for book three, though. There are so many interesting ideas here, and I really need to get around to reading some of Okorafor's longer books.
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LibraryThing member m_mozeleski
(Of course I finish this in my way HOME, rather than on my way to the library so I can drop it off. Oh well.)
In this volume of Binti's escapades, she returns home ostensibly to go on her Pilgrimage, her coming of age rights.
Of course she has to bring Okwu, her Meduse friend with her, ostensibly as
In this story we get to see Binti evolve and grow stronger in her desire to live her own life, and see her make choices instead of the choices making her.
I can't wait for the next in the series.
In this volume of Binti's escapades, she returns home ostensibly to go on her Pilgrimage, her coming of age rights.
Of course she has to bring Okwu, her Meduse friend with her, ostensibly as
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a diplomat for the Meduse...but Okwu is still Meduse. And nobody really likes the Meduse on Earth.In this story we get to see Binti evolve and grow stronger in her desire to live her own life, and see her make choices instead of the choices making her.
I can't wait for the next in the series.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
This is the second novella in Okorafor's Binti trilogy; I previously reviewed the first, [book:Binti|25667918].
Binti has been at Oomza Uni for a year, studying mathematics while her Meduse friend, Okwu, studies weapons technology. Binti, of course, is now partly Meduse herself, with her hair
She's also intermittently experiencing rages that she barely contains, and that, as a master harmonizer, are simply wrong. She fears she's broken something within her by leaving her home in defiance of the customs and wishes of her people.
So she decides that, at the end of the term, she needs to go home, and go on pilgrimage with other Himba women. She also decides to bring Okwu with her.
The first novella, Binti, is basically a Heinlein coming of age story, and I really enjoyed her. However, it was, barring a young African girl who is really African and not just someone we're told has that background, not a lot more than a Heinlein coming of age story. Binti: Home is a significantly richer, fuller story, giving us more background on her family, her culture, and the world they live in. This is includes more about the technology that isn't as visible in their culture as ours is in our culture, but every much a part of their lives--and secrets Binti never knew about her own family.
Her welcome home isn't as warm as she had hoped, and perhaps not helped by her decision to bring Okwu with her, given the history of conflict between the Meduse and the Himbas' neighbors, the Koush.
I found it a really enjoyable and absorbing story. Fair warning, though: It ends on a cliffhanger, and you'll want to have Binti: The Night Masquerade ready to hand when you finish reading Binti: Home.
Rcommended.
I bought this book.
Binti has been at Oomza Uni for a year, studying mathematics while her Meduse friend, Okwu, studies weapons technology. Binti, of course, is now partly Meduse herself, with her hair
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replaced by tentacles that leave her permanently connected to the Meduse. On the one hand, she's truly enjoying her education and her life there. On the hand, she's still suffering from PTSD and experiencing panic attacks, after the traumatic events on the ship The Third Fish that brought her to Oomza.She's also intermittently experiencing rages that she barely contains, and that, as a master harmonizer, are simply wrong. She fears she's broken something within her by leaving her home in defiance of the customs and wishes of her people.
So she decides that, at the end of the term, she needs to go home, and go on pilgrimage with other Himba women. She also decides to bring Okwu with her.
The first novella, Binti, is basically a Heinlein coming of age story, and I really enjoyed her. However, it was, barring a young African girl who is really African and not just someone we're told has that background, not a lot more than a Heinlein coming of age story. Binti: Home is a significantly richer, fuller story, giving us more background on her family, her culture, and the world they live in. This is includes more about the technology that isn't as visible in their culture as ours is in our culture, but every much a part of their lives--and secrets Binti never knew about her own family.
Her welcome home isn't as warm as she had hoped, and perhaps not helped by her decision to bring Okwu with her, given the history of conflict between the Meduse and the Himbas' neighbors, the Koush.
I found it a really enjoyable and absorbing story. Fair warning, though: It ends on a cliffhanger, and you'll want to have Binti: The Night Masquerade ready to hand when you finish reading Binti: Home.
Rcommended.
I bought this book.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This was a powerful read, Binti is an interesting character and her problems feel like things that come from her upbringing and what has happened to her, she's starting to be a bit less passive about what's going on with her and it will be interesting to see where this is going to take her.and how
I want to write half as well as Nnedi does.
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she is going to deal with what has happened to her family. Her father's reaction is heartbreaking and understandable.I want to write half as well as Nnedi does.
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LibraryThing member lavaturtle
It's been a couple years since I read Binti, so it took me a bit to find my footing as this book jumps right in with the protagonist's current situation and a bunch of non-English words. But once I remembered what's going on, this is an interesting story. I loved learning about the Desert People
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and their history with aliens and advanced technology. The end of the book is rather abrupt and doesn't really feel like an ending. Hopefully the next book in the series will pick up the loose threads this one left dangling. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
A fascinating look to a future time, to a Earth changed dramatically from the one we know, and intergalactic travel and society. The Desert People fascinate me. I read this back to back with Binti, so it's hard to parse out the details from each. I look forward to The Night Masquerade to complete
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the trilogy. Show Less
LibraryThing member nmele
After surviving a perilous journey and enrolling in the best university in the galaxy, Binti spends a year studying and realizes she needs to return home, which she does. This book tells the story of her welcome by her family and her continual discovery of new facets of her being.
LibraryThing member streamsong
After a year offworld at Oomza Unu, Binti longs to return home to see her family and complete her womanhood ritual. She returns home along with Okwu, her Meduse friend. The Meduse are sworn enemies of Earth, but Binti hopes to bring about reconciliation between the two species, especially as she,
While on Earth, she learns there is a great deal more to her father than she knew. She meets his remote and mysterious tribe and learns that they are not the backward people others on Earth believe them to be.
Horrifyingly, war between the Meduse and the tribes break out while Binti is far away from her family. With her newfound communication powers, she realizes that her family and her Meduse friend Okwu, are in mortal peril. In a cliffhanging ending she rushes toward home with her new friend Mwinyi.
Once again, I loved the investigation of identity and coming of age in an interesting SF setting.
And with the cliffhanger ending, I raced to get the next one from the library.
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herself, has become part Meduse.While on Earth, she learns there is a great deal more to her father than she knew. She meets his remote and mysterious tribe and learns that they are not the backward people others on Earth believe them to be.
Horrifyingly, war between the Meduse and the tribes break out while Binti is far away from her family. With her newfound communication powers, she realizes that her family and her Meduse friend Okwu, are in mortal peril. In a cliffhanging ending she rushes toward home with her new friend Mwinyi.
Once again, I loved the investigation of identity and coming of age in an interesting SF setting.
And with the cliffhanger ending, I raced to get the next one from the library.
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LibraryThing member chavala
This very interesting tale continues with Binti's return to her home and people. Things, of course, don't go as planned.
I liked the glimpse of life at Uni, exploring Binti's emotions, the new cultures she comes across. Ends on quite a cliff-hanger - I'm glad book 3 is already out!
I liked the glimpse of life at Uni, exploring Binti's emotions, the new cultures she comes across. Ends on quite a cliff-hanger - I'm glad book 3 is already out!
LibraryThing member cavernism
I love this series. African tribalism plus awesome technology and finding identity with an alien species = ALL KINDS OF AWESOME
LibraryThing member BrilliantGlow
Nnedi is a fantastic author. Binti was so much better than I expected it to be and Home is no different. Superb writing and such fantastic, fascinating characters and world building.
LibraryThing member jellyfishjones
Okorafor weaves a tight and fast-paced plot in this sequel to Binti. Despite the high drama of the first novella, the stakes seem higher in the sequel thanks to that pacing. The main character's interaction with her family and home village also give her character a depth that I felt was lacking
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from the first. A quick, enjoyable read. Highly recommended if you enjoyed the first. Show Less
LibraryThing member over.the.edge
Binti
Binti:Home
Binti:The Night Masquerade
by Nnedi Okorafor
Tor
5.0 / 5.0
This Science Fiction novella trilogy is steeped in culture, traditions and family; and a strong female, Binti, who questions them. Binti Hope's to become a Bridge between two tribes to prevent a war that could wipe out her
In 'Binti', the first novella in this trilogy, she proves herself a mathematician, and is the first member of the Himbi people to be accepted into the prestigious Oozuma Uni. The Himbi tradition is to stay close to family, close to home. To attend Uni, she must leave home and board a transport ship to go to a new world. When Binto arrives, her dark skin and hair covered with a red clay called Otjize, a Himbi tradition, sets her apart and begins her questioning of Himbi tradition and history. To follow the tradition of this world, she must break the traditions she has grown up with.
In the second book of the trilogy, 'Home', Binto returns home to her family and elders of the Himbi, much changed woman. She worries she will not be accepted by her family.....
In the third and final book, 'The Night Masquerade ', conflict breaks between the Khoush and Meduse people. Binti and a friend try to intervene to avoid a conflict between them, but many of the Elders now see Binti as an outsider and are not willing to trust her intentions.
The use of math as magic was brilliant and works well for this plot. This series is full of emotion and beautifully written.
I highly recommend this series. All 3 books are short and fast to read. Binti is unforgettable.
Binti:Home
Binti:The Night Masquerade
by Nnedi Okorafor
Tor
5.0 / 5.0
This Science Fiction novella trilogy is steeped in culture, traditions and family; and a strong female, Binti, who questions them. Binti Hope's to become a Bridge between two tribes to prevent a war that could wipe out her
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entire race.In 'Binti', the first novella in this trilogy, she proves herself a mathematician, and is the first member of the Himbi people to be accepted into the prestigious Oozuma Uni. The Himbi tradition is to stay close to family, close to home. To attend Uni, she must leave home and board a transport ship to go to a new world. When Binto arrives, her dark skin and hair covered with a red clay called Otjize, a Himbi tradition, sets her apart and begins her questioning of Himbi tradition and history. To follow the tradition of this world, she must break the traditions she has grown up with.
In the second book of the trilogy, 'Home', Binto returns home to her family and elders of the Himbi, much changed woman. She worries she will not be accepted by her family.....
In the third and final book, 'The Night Masquerade ', conflict breaks between the Khoush and Meduse people. Binti and a friend try to intervene to avoid a conflict between them, but many of the Elders now see Binti as an outsider and are not willing to trust her intentions.
The use of math as magic was brilliant and works well for this plot. This series is full of emotion and beautifully written.
I highly recommend this series. All 3 books are short and fast to read. Binti is unforgettable.
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LibraryThing member roniweb
WOW...What a second chapter to Binti's story. It was a delicious mystery as to how a headstrong young woman would return home from her first year of university with her alien friend. She returns home a changed person (as we all are after being on our own for some time!) and faces the ramifications
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of her tight knit family and community. I said "Binti" would be great for someone heading off to college. Now I say get "Home" and place it on your child's bed to greet them when they come home for the summer. Show Less
LibraryThing member morgan.goose
A good sequel, too short in some respects. Loving the world that's being built up. Feel like we are not seeing enough of it though
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novella — 2018)
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2018)
Chesley Award (Nominee — 2018)
Nommo Award (Long list — Novella — 2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-01-31
Physical description
176 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
9780765393111