Call number
Genres
Publication
New York, NY : Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2009.
Description
In West Africa in 2070, after fifteen-year-old "shadow speaker" Ejii witnesses her father's beheading, she embarks on a dangerous journey across the Sahara to find Jaa, her father's killer, and upon finding her, she also discovers a greater purpose to her life and to the mystical powers she possesses.
Awards
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Finalist — 2007)
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2008)
Carl Brandon Parallax Award (Winner — 2007)
CCBC Choices (2008)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007-10-02
ISBN
9781423100362
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User reviews
LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
A solid YA, in the science fantasy vein, i.e., mixing a tiny bit of SF in the form of some of Peace Bombing that occurred when nuclear war broke out, leading to an interdimensional breakdown, but most of the story is magic-based. The setting is a radically changed Nigeria. It's clear the rest of
I had hoped for more of a breakout book, but still recommended,
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the world has changed too, but the meat of the story and the future of Earth occurs here. Half a star just for that. The primary character is a female shadow speaker, who can hear voices from somewhere, though exactly what the shadows are (the dead? aliens) is never clear. It's claimed that they never lie, but they certainly are not consistent in their advice. That ambiguity occurs everywhere in the book, and is the strongest element, IMO. The main character is engaging and learning to be strong. The storyline is in part a quest -- called a walkabout but there's too much of a destination for that. Those elements struck me as average for YA. The plot resolution was well done, as was the anticlimax.I had hoped for more of a breakout book, but still recommended,
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LibraryThing member vpfluke
I was immediately captivated by the language of NNedi Okorafor-Mbachu's novel when I started reading it. It's a coming of age novel for a young girl who is to try to bring some sort of peace to the ragin forces around her world in West Africa. It is set in the future after a nuclear war, but is not
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a grim dystopia, but one full of hope and energy. Ejii has special powers that may have come about because of the distant nuclear disaster, that is also bringing together people from parallel worlds who have mountains of distrust. There is some peak at tribal conflicts. and then there was a scene that reminded me of Star Wars. This is perhaps more of a young adult book, but it was a good read for me as an adult. Show Less
LibraryThing member aleahmarie
Young adult fiction author Nnedi Okorafor has more imagination in her little finger than most possess in a lifetime. Okorafor's work is rooted in the science fiction tradition with a liberal sprinkling of magical realism, leaving readers of both fantasy and science fiction equally pleased. She
"The Shadow Speaker" is the story of young Ejii, a 14-year-old girl living with her mother in Niger, year 2070. The world is still recovering from a nuclear fallout during the beginning of the 21st century and much has changed. There are now "metahumans," a class to which Ejii belongs. She can speak to the spirits of the world - the shadows. Ejii departs on a "walkabout" to stop an interplanetary war and to discover herself. The story is original and the storytelling is fantastic.
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creates lush, futuristic worlds and then places a strong, independent young woman in the leading role. Reading a book by Nnedi Okorafor is a refreshing cup of palm wine on a sparkling African night. "The Shadow Speaker" is the story of young Ejii, a 14-year-old girl living with her mother in Niger, year 2070. The world is still recovering from a nuclear fallout during the beginning of the 21st century and much has changed. There are now "metahumans," a class to which Ejii belongs. She can speak to the spirits of the world - the shadows. Ejii departs on a "walkabout" to stop an interplanetary war and to discover herself. The story is original and the storytelling is fantastic.
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LibraryThing member Maggie_Rum
So fun and amazing! At first, you would think this reaches only to the young adult group, but the main character is very mature, and the storyline is well-written and captivating
LibraryThing member callmecayce
I can honestly say that I love Okorafor's writing. I completely devoured this book and was pleased to discover that it takes place int he same universe as Zahrah the Windseeker. Where Zahrah's world is not Earth (though similar), Ejii's world is. She lives in a universe where magic has begun to
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seep into society and into the people themselves. Ejii is a shadow speaker and she, along with her two best friends, are trying to find their place in this new work. Unfortunately, things are about to change and Ejii finally understands that there's a war brewing and she must be the one to stop it. Thus beings Ejii's trek to figure out who she is and save the world. I completely loved this story, the characters, and everything about it. I want to read more from this universe and I hope that Okorafor doesn't disappoint. Show Less
LibraryThing member Honeysucklepie
Holy Cow, this is great so far--never thought I'd read this genre of sci-fi (not sure it is yet, but)...
LibraryThing member devafagan
A fascinating (and refreshingly unique) setting and gorgeous images. I found the first half a bit slow to get into, but the last half wrapped me up and pulled me along to the end quite well.
LibraryThing member Rascalstar
I read a few pages of this book and then some paragraphs here and there and decided it's just not for me. It's a YA book. Some of those are excellent. This one didn't interest me, so I won't spend time with it and I wouldn't be fair to rate it.
LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Desert Magician's Duology, a reprint of a series that was originally released in 2008. I got this as an ebook from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: This is the first book in the Desert Magician's duology. This is a re-release of this series which was
This book follows Ejii a young girl who is a shadow speaker. She lives in a future post-apocalyptic earth where some humans have gained special powers because of the merging of the Earth with other worlds. Ejii decides to leave her village after the shadows tell her she must accompany a warrior woman to some special peace talks in order to stop a war. She gains some friends along her adventure and faces many dangers.
I enjoyed this but didn't love it. I really liked the idea of humans gaining these strange powers but didn't think they were explained very well. I also enjoyed Ejii's journey across the desert, but it seemed a bit anti-climatic...there was supposed to be all of this danger and Ejii seemed to overcome her trials fairly easily because in my opinion her powers are just way too crazy powerful but only at really convenient times.
In general, this just felt more choppy and immature compared to Okorafor's other books. It's an interesting story. However, the premise here is fairly sophisticated and the writing style didn't match well for me. I struggled with the flow of the story some. I really loved the beginning but the ending felt a bit jumbled.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I liked this but found it a lot less impressive than Okorafor's "Binti" series. It just feels a bit clunky and the main characters seem very overpowered (at convenient times). Right now I don't plan on reading the second book in the series.
Thoughts: This is the first book in the Desert Magician's duology. This is a re-release of this series which was
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originally released in 2008. The second book in the series will be titled "Like Thunder" and release in Nov 2023. I liked this but thought it definitely had some flaws as well.This book follows Ejii a young girl who is a shadow speaker. She lives in a future post-apocalyptic earth where some humans have gained special powers because of the merging of the Earth with other worlds. Ejii decides to leave her village after the shadows tell her she must accompany a warrior woman to some special peace talks in order to stop a war. She gains some friends along her adventure and faces many dangers.
I enjoyed this but didn't love it. I really liked the idea of humans gaining these strange powers but didn't think they were explained very well. I also enjoyed Ejii's journey across the desert, but it seemed a bit anti-climatic...there was supposed to be all of this danger and Ejii seemed to overcome her trials fairly easily because in my opinion her powers are just way too crazy powerful but only at really convenient times.
In general, this just felt more choppy and immature compared to Okorafor's other books. It's an interesting story. However, the premise here is fairly sophisticated and the writing style didn't match well for me. I struggled with the flow of the story some. I really loved the beginning but the ending felt a bit jumbled.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I liked this but found it a lot less impressive than Okorafor's "Binti" series. It just feels a bit clunky and the main characters seem very overpowered (at convenient times). Right now I don't plan on reading the second book in the series.
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LibraryThing member Verkruissen
If you haven't had the chance to read anything by Nnedi Okorafor, please do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books. She has a writing style that is so original and fresh, it's truly unlike anything else you will read. Most of her books are a fairly fast read but the amount of world building
Ejii, our protagonist and Shadow Speaker is a young girl in West Africa who decides, against her mothers wishes, to join up with Jaa, the leader of her tribe who several years ago beheaded her father. She is not joining her in order to avenger her father but to join her at a meeting regarding the Great Merge that is joining other worlds to our own and the shadows have told her that she needs to be there in order to stop a war. On her journey on her talking camel Onion, she finds another young person who was a former slave and he is also discovering his power over storms. The two form a difficult friendship on their way to find Jaa.
This story kept me fully engaged and I will definitely be reading the 2nd book of this duology to find out how everything turns out
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and character development you find in her stories are more of what you would find in much larger books yet somehow she makes it fit into a much shorter story.Ejii, our protagonist and Shadow Speaker is a young girl in West Africa who decides, against her mothers wishes, to join up with Jaa, the leader of her tribe who several years ago beheaded her father. She is not joining her in order to avenger her father but to join her at a meeting regarding the Great Merge that is joining other worlds to our own and the shadows have told her that she needs to be there in order to stop a war. On her journey on her talking camel Onion, she finds another young person who was a former slave and he is also discovering his power over storms. The two form a difficult friendship on their way to find Jaa.
This story kept me fully engaged and I will definitely be reading the 2nd book of this duology to find out how everything turns out
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LibraryThing member tapestry100
I recently finished Shadow Speaker by @nnediokorafor from @dawbooks, and y’all, it is wonderful. While quite a bit of the story revolves around an impending war, there is an always-present sense of optimism and hope.
Ejii lives in a future world that has been devastated by nuclear war but also
Throughout Ejii’s journey, she gains allies and friends, as well as new connections to her emerging powers. She also learns life lessons that help her understand her place in the upcoming war, and helps her understand that violence is not the way to peace.
The story is beautifully told, the imagery is vivid, and the character development is strong. This is an earlier work of Okorafor’s that is being rereleased, so doesn’t have quite the polished edges of her more recent work, but it is still a remarkable story. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the duology, Like Thunder, just released this week.
A huge thank you to DAW and @netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#shadowspeaker #nnediokorafor #thedesertmagiciansduology #daw #netgalley #sciencefantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #fantasy #africanfuturism #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
Ejii lives in a future world that has been devastated by nuclear war but also
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changed forever by Peace Bombs that have created magical changes everywhere. Ejii is a shadow speaker, and the shadows have told her that she will help to prevent another war, this one with Ginen, one of the other worlds that has been connected with Earth by the Peace Bombs.Throughout Ejii’s journey, she gains allies and friends, as well as new connections to her emerging powers. She also learns life lessons that help her understand her place in the upcoming war, and helps her understand that violence is not the way to peace.
The story is beautifully told, the imagery is vivid, and the character development is strong. This is an earlier work of Okorafor’s that is being rereleased, so doesn’t have quite the polished edges of her more recent work, but it is still a remarkable story. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the duology, Like Thunder, just released this week.
A huge thank you to DAW and @netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#shadowspeaker #nnediokorafor #thedesertmagiciansduology #daw #netgalley #sciencefantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #fantasy #africanfuturism #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
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