Description
'There's more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics' Ursula K. LeGuin
Prequel to the highly acclaimed, World Fantasy Award-winning novel, Who Fears Death.
*** ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FINALIST***
They call her many things - a research project, a test-subject, a specimen. An abomination.
But she calls herself Phoenix, an 'accelerated woman' - a genetic experiment grown and raised in Manhattan's famous Tower 7, the only home she has ever known. Although she's only two years old, Phoenix has the body and mind of an adult - and powers beyond imagining. Phoenix is an innocent, happy to live quietly in Tower 7, reading voraciously and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human.
Until the night that Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated, Phoenix begins to search for answers - only to discover that everything that she has ever known is a lie.
Tower 7 isn't a haven. It's a prison.
And it's time for Phoenix to spread her wings and rise.
Spanning continents and centuries, The Book of Phoenix is an epic, incendiary work of magical realism featuring Nnedi Okorafor's most incredible, unforgettable heroine yet.
About the Author
Nnedi Okorafor is the author of numerous novels and short stories, including Zahrah the Windseeker, which won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature, Who Fears Death, winner of the 2011 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,and Lagoon, which Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of Wizard of the Crow, calls 'a thing of magic and beauty.'
She lives in New York, where she is a professor of creative writing at the University of Buffalo, SUNY.
Reviews
PRAISE FOR NNEDI OKORAFOR:
There's more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics * Ursula K. LeGuin *
Nnedi Okorafor writes glorious futures and fabulous fantasies. Her worlds open your mind to new things, always rooted in the red clay of reality * Neil Gaiman *
Okorafor's books are fresh, original and smart. We need more writers like her * Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind *
Haunting and absolutely brilliant. My heart and guts are all turned inside out * John Green on Who Fears Death *
Okorafor's writing is wonderful, and the details of her world-building ... are complex and fascinating * Veronica Roth *
Blending poetic passages with sharp observation and the occasional cadence of a story told by firelight, The Book of Phoenix is an assured introduction not just to her world's myths, but to the process of mythmaking
Nnedi Okorafor is a master storyteller * Ngugi wa Thiong'o *
Nnedi Okorafor is one of the most powerful voices in Science Fiction & Fantasy * SFF World *
A gripping examination of the power of myth and of who is allowed to write and preserve history . . . a superlative adventure that addresses all-too-harsh realities * The San Francisco Chronicle *
Okorafor's inventiveness is as stunning as ever, and the ending is nothing short of spectacular * The Chicago Tribune *
Phoenix and her story exist in that shimmering space that marks where science fiction and magical realism overlap.... The Book of Phoenix hit all of my emotional checkboxes * BookRiot *
The book is grounded by its unflinching exposure of the brutalities of colonialism, racism, and greed, and exalted by the beauty of Okorafor's prose * Library Journal (starred review) *
This is a story of vengeance, a fantastic epic battle between good and evil; written as a fable for the future * Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog *
While the grim logic of the plot makes it very clear early on how the plot must play out, the process is as entrancing as watching an avalanche sweep toward you, and Okorafor's prose is as ever, enthralling * RT Reviews *
The Book of Phoenix isn't just well written, and it isn't just smart as hell; it's also a damn good story . . . Original, sharp, thoughtful and evocative * Tor.com *
Awards
Short-listed for Arthur C. Clarke Award 2016.
Book Information
ISBN 9781444762808
Author Nnedi Okorafor
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 180g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 18mm
