The Shadow Speaker [Hardcover]

Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

 

Driven by vengeance. Destined for peace.

 

Niger, West Africa, 2070:

 

After fifteen-year old Ejii witnesses her father's beheading, her world shatters. In an era of mind-blowing technology and seductive magic, Ejii embarks on a mystical journey to track down her father's killer. With a newfound friend by her side, Ejii comes face to face with an earth turned inside out—and with her own magical powers.

 

But Ejii soon discovers that her travels across the sands of the Sahara have a greater purpose. Her people need to be protected from a force seeking to annihilate them. And Ejii may be just the hero to do it.

 

This futuristic, fantastical adventure heralds a bright new talent on the YA fantasy scene.

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun; 1 edition (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423100336
• ISBN-13: 978-1423100331
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nnedi Okorafor is a novelist of Nigerian descent known for weaving African culture into creative evocative settings and memorable characters. In a profile of Nnedi's work titled "Weapons of Mass Creation", The New York Times called Nnedi's imagination "stunning". Her novels include Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature), The Shadow Speaker (winner of the CBS Parallax Award) and Long Juju Man (winner of the Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa). Her latest novel, Who Fears Death (DAW Books, 2010), is a dark, gritty magical realist narrative that evenly combines African literature and fantasy/science fiction into a powerful story of genocide and of the woman who reshapes her world. Nnedi holds a PhD in English and currently is a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University. Visit Nnedi at nnedi.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic children's fantasy novel for adults as well!, November 24, 2007

By 

Multiverse Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shadow Speaker (Hardcover)

The shadow speaker's story begins in the year 2070, in Niger, West Africa. The time is after the Big Change. Ejii is a shadow speaker. This means that the shadows tell her stories of the people around her. This is very powerful magic; many people fear those with this power. Ejii is identified as a shadow speaker by her unusual eyes. She finds herself feeling isolated because of this and the fact that her father's children with other wives are treated as more important. Her father does not help her feelings of self-worth. He plans to marry her off to a lowly, lazy son of a baker. Ejii does not want this. Her father has claimed himself to be in charge of her people. He takes away women's rights and puts them in a lower status. To do this, he superseded the power of queen Jaa.

When queen Jaa comes to town with her two husbands, she immediately beheads Ejii's father and takes back control. Unfortunately, Ejii had to witness this. Still she is relieved to have her father's rule ended. She is sad because he was not always the evil, control hungry person that he had evolved into. Ejii is dealing with her own issues of who she and has not come to realize her worth. Queen Jaa wants to apprentice Ejii to her. Her mother feels that at 14 years of age, Ejii is still too young. Ejii feels pulled to leave, especially when the shadows tell her that she must go to help prevent a war.

Ejii leaves with her family's talking camel named "Onion." Along the way, she meets Dikeogu, a young man with a mysterious past. He was sold into slavery by his parents because they feared his powers. Dikeogu tries to hold on to his secrets. Having been betrayed by those close to him, he is afraid to trust. A big part of this adventure involves both of them discovering who they really are and learning to command their powers. As they journey to different places, they learn to develop their powers and they experience tremendous personal growth. They also learn to trust each other.


"The Shadow Speaker" is an incredible story. It is written for children aged 12 and up, yet as a middle aged adult, I totally enjoyed it. Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu has such a gift with words. She takes you into the hearts of Ejii and Dikeogu and makes you feel their pain. She also paints colorful pictures of the different places that they travel through. The magic, the people and the creatures all come alive through her writing. There are also a lot of messages contained with in the pages about personal growth for all of us. I would not want to miss this book for the world!


5 out of 5 spaceships


Reviewer: Paige Lovitt for Multiverse Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wildly imaginative, August 11, 2011

By 

Guy L. Gonzalez "Malcontent" (Bloomfield, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shadow Speaker (Paperback)

In The Shadow Speaker, Nnedi Okorafor spins a wildly imaginative, entertaining and nicely balanced coming of age tale unabashedly set in a fantastical Africa of the near-future where alternate worlds have collided and the threat of war looms on the horizon.

Okorafor's impressive world-building alone is noteworthy enough, but her nuanced characters are what really makes the story work, and its star, 14-year-old Ejimafor (Ejii) Ugabe, is an excellent and much-needed addition to the lily white ranks of Young Adult fantasy heroines. In fact, Okorafor's world is populated with a number of strong female characters, each one a believable and complex mix of strengths and flaws, and its mythological underpinnings draw from African cultural influences.

Don't mistake the YA label as for kids only, though. While Okorafor's style is very accessible, it doesn't mean her ideas (or execution) lack substance. The Shadow Speaker is a worthwhile read for fans of imaginative fantasy novels, as well as those who just enjoy a good story well told.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am spellbound!, April 2, 2009

By 

Global Peace Girl "Lover of Literature" (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shadow Speaker (Hardcover)

Okorafor-Mbachu has done it again! This book is magical and fantastical and exactly what I needed. At a time when we're all questioning the "magic" and "fantasy" in our own lives, Okorafor-Mbachu takes you on an unforgettable adventure. All, you HAVE to read this book!