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Shadow Speaker

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
A deluxe, expanded edition of an out-of-print early novel from Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor, with a brand-new introduction from the author.
Niger, West Africa, 2074
It is an era of tainted technology and mysterious mysticism. A great change has happened all over the planet, and the laws of physics aren't what they used to be.
Within all this, I introduce you to Ejii Ugabe, a child of the worst type of politician. Back when she was nine years old, she was there as her father met his end. Don't waste your tears on him: this girl's father would throw anyone under a bus to gain power. He was a cruel, cruel man, but even so, Ejii did not rejoice at his departure from the world. Children are still learning that some people don't deserve their love.
Now fifteen years old and manifesting the abilities given to her by the strange Earth, Ejii decides to go after the killer of her father. Is it for revenge or something else? You will have to find out in this book.
I am the Desert Magician, and this is a novel I have conjured for you, so I'm certainly not going to just tell you here.
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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Dele Ogundiran's immersive performance of this Niger-set fantasy captures both the nostalgia of coming of age and the awe of otherworldly exploration. Ejii Ugabe is equally horrified and enthralled when the Red Queen Jaa beheads the village chief--who is Ejii's father--in front of her. Freed from the patriarchal confines of her father's dictatorship, Ejii embarks on a quest to become Jaa's successor. She travels alongside Dikeogu, a rainmaker, exploring the strange land, creatures, and other worlds of a universe previously transformed by an ecoterrorist bomb. Ejii must learn to use her shadow speaking powers to navigate interstellar politics and prevent war. Ogundiran's imaginative narration, especially of whimsical characters like the Desert Magician, bring a dash of wonder to an inventive story of empowerment. A.A.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      March 1, 2024

      This new, expanded edition of an early, out-of-print novella by Okorafor (Binti), originally geared toward YA audiences, commands attention in audio. D�l� Ogundiran, who is Nigerian American, narrates with a brisk, precise West African accent, using subtle tonal shifts to distinguish voices and convey emotions as 14-year-old shadow speaker Ejii Ugabe travels across the Sahara and into a parallel world, gathering allies and enemies on the way. When Ejii was nine, she witnessed her father's beheading by the warrior queen Sarauniya Jaa, a fellow metahuman who could guide Ejii through the manifestation of her abilities. Metahumans and rifts into other universes appeared after early 21st-century nuclear fallout transformed the planet. Metahumans are still regarded with suspicion in 2070, as Ejii sets out to find Jaa. Unique characters, including a talking camel, and Okorafor's profound insight into human nature (from Ejii's father's misogyny through her complicated grief at his death) add texture and maturity to a familiar call to adventure. This new edition, though billed as adult lit, still seems better suited to a younger audience but nevertheless offers much to engage fans of Afrofuturism. VERDICT Lyrical, emotive narration enhances a compelling coming-of-age novel, the first in a duology perfect for any audio fantasy collection.--Lauren Kage

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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