Review: Binti by Nnedi Okarafor (Mini-Review)

Series: Binti #1
# of Pages: 96
Publication: September 22nd, 2015
Source: E-Book
Genre: Science-Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository 

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs. Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach. If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself - but first she has to make it there, alive.

This was actually my first experience reading science fiction and I really enjoyed it. The author didn't just focus on creating a new world but she also added some social commentary especially commentary regarding race and culture. I loved that this was an #ownvoices book in a different genre. The writing was simplistic but it built a world in such a short amount of time. I wouldn't have expected so much creativity to occur in a novella. I will say that because it was so short there were some holes that need to be filled. This only made me more excited to read the second part. I want to know more about the world and what other interesting characters readers can expect to meet.

Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian American author of African-based science fiction, fantasy and magical realism for both children and adults and a professor at the University at Buffalo, New York. Her works include Who Fears Death, the Binti novella trilogy, the Book of Phoenix, the Akata books and Lagoon. She is the winner of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards and her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo and family in Illinois. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com.