Book Review - Who Fears Death, by Nnedi Okorafor

I am an absolute mark for fantasy that strays outside the Medieval European box, and Who Fears Death puts forth an interesting and woefully underrepresented alternative: African-based folklore. It also blends magic with a definite touch of post-apocalyptic science fiction, which makes things extra interesting. Ultimately, the story fell a little flat for me, but it was worth reading for the world-building alone.

The story follows Onyesonwu, a headstrong young woman that has been an outcast her entire life due to her appearance; her sand-colored skin, light hair, and strange freckles marks her as a child of rape, a shameful existence in the eyes of the dark-skinned Okeke people. Her neighbors have greater reason to fear her, however, when her talents for sorcery and shape-changing begin to manifest. As her power grows, her dreams are invaded by malevolent and deadly being: her biological father, a powerful sorcerer of the Nuru people across the western desert. Furious at the pain this man has caused her mother, and at his bewildering attempts to kill her, Onyesonwu sets out with the few friends she has to track him down. On the way, however, she gets caught up in a prophecy that promises to rewrite the history of the Nuru and Okeke peoples, and end the horrifying violence between them.

The setting evokes something between high fantasy and alternate history, like something from the pen of Guy Gavriel Kay. However, Okorafor makes it clear early on that this is not an epic. It’s the story of one girl, who eventually becomes a woman and accepts a series of burdens that she didn’t choose but must endure. I actually prefer it this way; while I love speculative fiction that takes place on a grand scale, I love good characterization even more. Honestly, Onyesonwu is not an easy character to like, but she’s definitely an interesting character to follow.

The plot itself feels a little loose, though. Okorafor’s take on this mythology is less fantasy fiction and more magical realism, and though it’s not a particularly fair critique, I tend to lose patience with magical realism rather quickly. Putting that aside, though, there’s an odd vagueness that suffuses the entire story- the mystical elements of the book are described in very broad terms, and left largely unexplained. Despite the urgency of Onyesonwu’s quest, her path is meandering, and the stops along the way seem arbitrary. The book’s beginning is strong, and its ending is exciting and satisfying, but the connecting points in between lack something that I can’t quite put my finger on.

That doesn’t make for a bad read, though. Just one I wanted to like a little more than I did. The world Okorafor builds and the mythology she places within it are absolutely wonderful, and the characters are beautiful for all of their glaring, maddening flaws. There are some incredibly dark elements to the story, especially in the beginning; I’d recommend it primarily to adults and very mature young adults. But this is a great choice for fantasy or post-apocalyptic fans that want a break from the usual genre tropes.

Verdict: 3 / 5