Interesting novella, I look forward to reading more from this author. Takes you on an interesting and deep journey about death.

Remote Control falls in the realm of genre defying speculative fiction, skirting the line between science fiction and folklore with its ethereal opening circumstances and mix of legend and technology. I always find Nnedi Okorofor’s writing to be fascinating, and this novella was no exception.

As a reader, I’m drawn to the magic of folklore and fairy tales, and I loved how Okorafor twisted the wonder and fear of those subgenres into her narrative. We follow a protagonist who has powers she doesn’t wish to have, powers that make her life more difficult at nearly every turn. She gains them mysteriously and from that point the lines between science fiction, fantasy and fairy tale begin to intermingle. Is it alien in nature? Is it magic? Is it a literal wish upon a star situation? The origins are never fully explained and that adds to the general mystery. I appreciated that vagueness and how it allowed for any number of interpretations.

The Best Bits
The mystical fox sidekick
The view of how folklore takes root
A Style Rooted in Folklore
The style feels folkloric, like the narrator is imparting a legend. Sankofa encounters mythical creatures, her powers are revered and whispered throughout the land, and she has a growing mythology with each step she takes. The story follows that myth building approach while also making you question the science fiction elements and their own fairy tale fantasy roots. True, robots are pure science, but by now in our society, they’re more myth than reality, built up into these all knowing, future defining beings who have yet to come into our actual Ives. The people in Robotown revere their robot in much the same way they fear the protagonist. By the end, they both feel larger than life.

The Strongest Hero
Okorofor’s protagonist brings a fascinating perspective given her age and the circumstances that brought her to this story. Sankofa starts as a carefree girl who spends her time removed from the world in a beloved tree until disaster strikes and she’s forced to grow up. Her approach to the world morphs as she walks and we see the dangers she has to face, both man-made and natural. People are cruel, the world is unforgiving, and no matter how hard she tries to fit into it, she is always cast out. She is the epitome of ‘being different’ and her bravery and ability to dust herself off defined the book.

An Alien Mystery
The surface explanation is that these powers are alien in nature, but I interpreted the source as more undefined. As I said above, the powers she receives seem more magical than alien, unexplained beyond a small seed that presents itself to her. It begs the question - is she a superhero imbued with alien strength? Is she part of a greater mythical story that becomes folklore in the years to come? For me, those questions were left unanswered and that added to the story exponentially.

Okorafor's writing never disappoints. There's randomly some quite consistent negative stereotyping of fat people which feels both really noticeable and weirdly out of place. Otherwise, this is great.

I keep trying out Nnedi Okorafor’s work, because there’s so much about her work that appeals, but it’s never quite clicked with me. (I’ll admit here that I interacted with her a couple of times on social media and found her unpleasant, for reasons that are not really relevant to reviewing her books but do mean I’d never call myself a fan of hers. So take my opinions with a grain of salt.) This is… honestly maybe the closest to a hit for me? I was intrigued by the way the story was told, the stuff that was held back, the little sensory details like the scent of shia butter.

Plus, Movenpick is a pretty awesome sidekick.

My only disappointment is that we didn’t really learn the why of it — it was more on the level of a fable, from the narrative to the repeated line about her sandals slapping her feet as she walks, so it makes sense… but darn it, I was curious.

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor was like no other novella I've ever come across. She somehow manages to pen an entire well thought out and engaging story in less than two hundred pages. This story follows our main character, Sankofa, from her childhood into adulthood. Sankofa has a power that causes many to worship and fear her while at the same time isolating her. Once again, Nnedi's prose and ability to make you feel for every character she writes shines through, and I was hooked from the first page to the last. Fans of her Binti Series will no doubt enjoy Remote Control just as much!

This book has an ambiguous ending, and a melancholy tone, both of which intend to avoid. But still, I loved it. The world building and social commentary are layered and memorable.

A girl finds a mysterious alien artifact that gives her power she struggles to control. As she wanders through a near-future Ghana, she meets many imperfect people, including a couple of fat characters who felt like complex people and not stereotypes.

The novella length made this an easy read, it has the emotional punch of a short story, with enough space to really sink into Sankofa’s tale.

The book has many intersecting mysteries. I think I read the whole thing in one day. It’s a smart novella that made me think, and left me feeling cautiously hopeful after following the heroine through loss and redemption. Even though it’s a story about a girl who kills people—sometimes accidentally, and sometimes on purpose—I didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly depressing.

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

Spiders always had better things to do. She wondered what story it would weave about her and how far the story would carry.

The story of a girl who gains power over death, and the new life she takes on because of it. The story behind how she gains her powers is interwoven with what she's doing in the present, first searching for something that was taken from her and then attempting to make a home when that thing comes searching for her. The protagonist goes from about 4-years-old to 12-ish from beginning to end, and that youth and innocence gives this story another layer of melancholy and loneliness. Okorafor's language is beautiful as always, painting pictures quickly. This novella is a super quick read and very satisfying.

Also, there's a city with a giant traffic cop robot, which is awesome.

Brilliant, I had previously read Binti by this author and was disappointed by the lack of world building, that’s not the case for this one, it’s much more intricate and developed

Thank you for this ARC. Okorafor always creates interesting worlds and characters that closely resemble our own. Although I found this story a little thin overall, I would recommend it for fans of hers.

This was an excellent novella; immensely evocative and imaginative. I loved the melding of the very realistic world with slight elements of futurism. The heart of the story is Sanfoka, a little girl who finds a strange artifact and becomes the adopted daughter of death. She is beautifully realised and very engaging. This book is one that works to break your heart and give you gentle hope; a wonderful journey. There's something very unique in this book and I can't wait to read more by Okorafor.

Nnedi Okorafor is one of my favorite authors, so I was eagerly awaiting this one. I really love the way her stories evoke something new and at the same time familiar - you can recognize so much of humanity and human drive in her characters while examining a new world, scene, or power that brings that to life beautifully.

One of the things that I appreciate about Okorafor's writing is her ability to completely and quickly immerse me into her stories and characters which is why she is among a handful of authors whose novellas I can count on to be satisfying. Remote Control explores how a really young girl comes to know and accept unexplained powers and the fear and reverence it brings when she doesn't understand it herself. I'm a fan of characters taking a literal and/or emotional journey in order to figure out themselves and their situations in life and in this little novella I didn't feel cheated in that there wasn't a prolonged and well explored experience. Sankofa renames herself, finds the ability to be confident even when she makes decisions that should be beyond her, and finally has to deal with something more powerful than she is. There's a lot packed into 159 pages and I know that I will be doing a reread at some point to see if I missed anything.

We at Saga love Nnedi Okorafor, and her visiting us is a long-standing dream. Her writing is fearless, magical, and always relevant. We hand-recommend her work all the time to customers.

Excellent story as always from Nnedi Okorafor, set in futuristic Africa but at the same time feels rooted deep in the local culture and lore. Atmospheric and full of lonelyness and sorrow with a teenage protagonist that has taken on more than most. I feel it is alway best to read Nnedi Okorafor books without knowing what they are about so I won't go into detail.

Remote Control was not what I was expected but that's not a bad thing. It weaves together science fiction with a mythological vibe. Our protagonist is given unexplainable powers that can cause devastation and so a mythology builds up around her. People try to explain what they can't understand and it results in a mythic status for Sankofa who it uses to her advantage when she can and longs for the things that it denies her.

It's a story about survival, loss and being on the outside but wanting to belong somewhere. Also mysterious glowy green powers, a fox companion, high tech future Ghana and at one point a giant robot with drones for eyes. As always Nnedi Okorafor expertly weaves together a lot of ideas in a short amount of time.

Once again, Nnedi Okorafor pens a masterpiece. And the narrator: Adjoa Andoh was absolutely brilliant. So much emotion and gut-wrenching heartache. Such a wonderful book.

Been putting this on customer orders for Tailored Book Recommendations - http://mytbr.co

So thanks for the review copy! My netgalley reviews are slowing due to ocular fatigue, so I'm mostly taking print review copies from now on.

This sci-fi novella incorporates elements of myth or fable to tell a beautiful and compelling story about trauma and isolation. Sankofa­­ has a mysterious power to bestow death, and the narrative explores the balance of power in the face of fear. A really excellent and quick read.

This was my first Okorafor book and OMG, I finally understand the hype! Remote Control is a stunningly unique book. Usually sci-fi books don’t pick up until you’re six or seven chapters into it but I was hooked from the first page. I’ve recommended it to multiple book, an actually going to re-read it next month, and have bought all of Nnedi Okorafor’s books now.