“As the winner of Nebula and Hugo awards, Okorafor has been embraced by the field, and in Remote Control she takes the acclaim and uses it ― in an assured manner ― to radically undermine the stories that the world tells to manifest its power.” The futuristic details have wit, energy and brilliance, but there is also genuine depth to the narrative: a serene, folktale-ish cadence that feels timeless.” “I loved so many things about Okorafor’s book. “ has a rare ability to open the reader’s mind to various futures while creating complex characters and communities… A captivating world, a tragic tale, and a dangerous future.” “Okorafor’s star continues to blaze brightly.” “Thrilling and surprising all the way through.” It’s a cumulative narrative, a slow burn that builds in emotional urgency even as the scope of Okorafor’s worldbuilding bursts into something breathtakingly vast.” “Episodic and organic, the story winds along with a limber rhythm that allows every rich detail of Sankofa’s surreal world to surface. “Once again the incomparable Nnedi Okorafor has written a thought-provoking and visionary tale of fantastic Black girl empowerment futurism.” “Riveting from its opening page… lyrical and compelling.” Remote Control will sink into your skin like the purest shea butter. You can look around, smell the palm trees and dust, and like Guillermo del Toro’s cinematic masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth, Remote Control dances above the lines between young adult and adult without a care. This novella puts us right on the road, walking with a Ghanaian girl who quickly understands her entitlement.

It’s a familiar world that’s a few steps into the future. Mobile phones called “windows” that are thin as a card of glass. Traffic robots controlling intersections that are well-maintained and loved by its villagers.

Prayer Shacks, large walk-in containers with oriental rugs on their floors that block out all wireless networks so that one can truly be alone to pray.

In Remote Control, there are jelli-tellis, tvs made of gelatin that could be stretched and stuck to walls. In the shea tree farms of Wulugu, not the big city of Accra. Remote Control is science fiction of the Africanfuturist strain that knows aliens exist, quietly shows how technology is influenced by culture, features a powerful yet deeply-pained female protagonist, and wonders about the role of corporations in rural Africa.

Nnedi remote control