Books by Nnedi Okorafor
“It’s powerfully fantasy as well as successfully science fiction.” Read more...
The best books on Fantasy’s Many Uses
Brian Attebery, Literary Scholar
Akata Woman
by Nnedi Okorafor
Want to start at the beginning of the series? The first book is Akata Witch (published in Nigeria as What Sunny Saw in the Flames).
It has been picked by Efua Traoré in our interview on the Best West African Fantasy Books for Teenagers and by Anbara Salam in our interview on The Best Boarding School Novels.
The audio version has been selected by the American Library Association as an Amazing Audiobook for Young Adults.
The Nsibidi Scripts (book 3). West-African inspired fantasy by award-winning Nigerian American author. Age 12+
“Nnedi Okorafor has an exceptionally creative mind (which anyone who has read any of her other books will already know) and in Akata Witch she created a stunning world skilfully interwoven with Igbo mythology.” Read more...
Best West African Fantasy Books for Teenagers
Efua Traoré, Children's Author
“These books are set in different worlds and the characters are not all human. But they all, in some way, conform to certain psychologies that are recognisable to us.” Read more...
The best books on Alternative Futures
Catherine Mayer, Politician
Interviews where books by Nnedi Okorafor were recommended
The best books on Alternative Futures, recommended by Catherine Mayer
Catherine Mayer—author, journalist and president of the Women’s Equality Party—talks to Five Books about her optimism for a more equal future for society by way of her favourite science fiction visionaries and their work.
Books Like Percy Jackson, recommended by Our Children's Editor
It is hard for books to compete with TikTok and YouTube for children’s attention, but a few popular series do manage. If you have children in your life who loved Percy Jackson, here are some suggestions to help you pick the next book series to enthral them, based on myths from around the world.
Best West African Fantasy Books for Teenagers, recommended by Efua Traoré
Fantasy inspired by West Africa is taking the literary scene for teens and young adults by storm. These books have strong world-building and all the usual fantasy ingredients. At the same time, drawing on rich seams of mythology and magical traditions such as juju, they bring something entirely fresh to the genre. Author Efua Traoré talks us through her pick of West African fantasy novels for teenagers.
The Best Boarding School Novels, recommended by Anbara Salam
Boarding schools make great settings for novels, says Anbara Salam, author of coming-of-age drama Belladonna. The combination of immense privilege with the claustrophobia of a closed society can create an intense pressure cooker atmosphere in which characters might be forged.
The best books on Fantasy’s Many Uses, recommended by Brian Attebery
Visionary storytelling, or fantasy, is part of our cultural DNA. Far from being simply fantastical or facile, we can use the fantasy realm as a testing ground for important ideas, argues Brian Attebery, a leading scholar of the genre. He talks us through five key works that demonstrate fantasy’s many uses, from 1922 through 2010.
