Remote Control is a fascinating SF novella about what it would be like to be unable to use technology is a technology driven world. At the same time it's about so much more: a confused girl who is feared, what it's like to be turned into a legacy, and not fitting into our world. In this futuristic setting, Sankofa is an intriguing narrator. The idea of death coming to call, but, of course, people will never understand that she is a force of mercy, not cruelty. Those moments of powers and actions we cannot control that end up destroying our lives, leaving those moments of the past behind.

I think this is maybe yet another sign that I should stop trying it with novellas: there is just not enough here for me. The premise is interesting enough at first, but what conflict there is is almost instantly negated by Sankofa's a-bomb-esque powers and since Okorafor seemed uninterested in detailing the why behind those powers that left us with Sankofa dealing with her grief and guilt and...I don't know. I just didn't feel like the writing was strong enough to fully convey that. I wish that there had been more, either externally or internally here.

I know a lot of readers really love Okorafor, so I don't doubt that many will find something to enjoy in this book, but for me it just didn't work.

Another great novella written by Nnedi Okoafor

Fatima accidently ended up with a power that can kill people. After killing her entire village, she goes on a journey to find the seed that gave her this power.

This novella is very bittersweet with how people treat her. They revere and fear her at the same time. Her otherness drives her too much away from people no matter who close she is to finding a new home.

My only problem with this book is that I don't know why her nickname is Remote Control.

This is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Another bittersweet, piercing story from Dr Okorafor - about community loss, childhood trauma, and self-knowledge. Chasing after what was lost creates more violence, but remembering and coming to terms with trauma and loss allows one to heal, and in turn, begin to heal others.

Much as she did with her Binti trilogy, Nnedi Okorafor has created a complex character and plot in the small space of a novella. Safoka has been embued with the ability to kill at will at a young age. A terrifying ability that would be the basis for a horror story in less capable hands becomes a coming-of-age tale set in Ghana in the near future. Safoka, alone and without family, wanders through the country of people who revere and fear her, searching for something that she has lost. A plot thread involving invasive technology and multi-national corporations is interwoven so gracefully that its true importance is not apparent until the very satisfying conclusion.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34215764-remote-control

A really original and fascinating read that expertly blends the feeling of a folktale/hero(ine)'s journey with modern sci-fi/fantasy elements. I loved it.

Remote Control is another stunning novella from Nnedi Okorafor, we follow Sankofa a mysterious character at first who seems to have death follow her around. She is almost revered amongst the community but everyone is also very afraid of her. Her touch is deadly and she uses this primarily as mercy killings (euthanasia). As the novella unfolds we found out more about Sankofa and how she came to be in the position she is, also following her early life as Fatima, a sickly child. A mysterious seed comes into her possession and she promptly loses it, it then becomes her purpose to track it down.

Okorafor’s writing is stunning, and she has a magical ability to make you care about the characters in such a small amount of time. This novella is also incredibly rich in culture and history, as well as having some very futuristic elements.

Equal parts tragic, harrowing and heart-warming, this novella is a beautiful story of purpose and what it means to lose it and find new purpose as well as the expectations and judgement society places on people, and how this shapes a person.

I hope that this is going to end up being a novella cycle (like [book:Binti: The Complete Trilogy|40382407]), because I kind of felt like it ended just when I was getting into it. It's a cool premise and worldbuilding but it left me wanting more! Which is a good thing except....I want more!

Writing: 4.5/5 Plot: 3.5/5 Characters: 4/5

A coming-of-age story set in a future Northern Ghana. Sankofa is only five when her favorite tree pushes up a strange seed after a meteor shower brought sparkling bits of green to the Earth. Before she has any clue as to what is happening, she has been “gifted” with a terrible power which continues to bring tragedy even as she struggles to control it.

A combination of myth, juju, and technology populate this picture of future Ghana. The “bad guy” is LifeGen — a “big American corporation that’s probably going to eventually destroy the world.” But Sankofa is a child, and we watch as she absorbs information and tries to understand what has happened to her, why, and what she can possibly do with it. This is not your typical, action-oriented, one man against a giant, evil machine.

Okarafor labels her work a combination of “African Futurism” and “African Jujuism” — terms she coined — to reflect its African-centricity. I like her definition: “I am an African futurist and an African jujuist. African futurism is a sub-category of science fiction. Africanjujuism is a subcategory of fantasy that respectfully acknowledges the seamless blend of true existing African spiritualities and cosmologies with the imaginative.”

I enjoyed the writing and the characters and the imagery of a blended future — but I did find the plot a little weak.

"The 'Sankofa' is a metaphorical symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana, generally depicted as a bird with its head turned backward taking an egg from its back. It expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress." - Sankofa.org

Nnedi Okorafor is a master at bringing African culture to popular fiction and marrying it with futuristic technologies and concepts - this book simply provides more evidence of this. What a masterful look at Ghana, its culture, past Ghanaian beliefs and superstitions, through the lens of a child, Sankofa, mysteriously imbued with powers of Death. After great tragedy, Sankofa wanders Ghana, called the Daughter of Death by the people, revered and reviled, harbored and cast out. She is followed by a silent red fox, glows green with pain, and must come to understand her nature and her life as she is. At once a reconciliation of past customs with a world filled with technology and culture-loss, this book is also a kind of metaphor for personal growth and a metaphor for how people can understand and embrace their heritage in a world moving beyond them.

I heartily recommend this book.

Nnedi Okorafor is the master at writing African futurist novellas like Binti. Her latest, Remote Control again focuses on a young girl. This time set in a not too distant Ghana. A meteor shower bestows a gift on Fatima, one that turns out to have serious, fearsome power and repercussions.

On a quest to regain something taken from her, Fatima forgets her name and becomes Sankofa, the Angel of Death's adopted daughter. She has the power to kill - some see her as an angel of mercy, others fear and loathe her.

This novella is full of the beautiful and the strange as Sankofa makes her journey. The writing is descriptive and compelling with an offbeat tone. Fatima/Sankofa is such a strong, female main character for all that she's a young girl dealing with such overwhelming events.

The world-building was so intriguing that I hope there are more stories set there.

For fans of NK Jemisin and Tade Thompson.

Nnedi Okorafor has yet to write something that isn't solid, and engaging, and shows a future (usually set in Africa) that seems realistic in both its tech and its portrayal of how humans will always find a way to divide, discriminate, and judge (but also how they will find ways to cherish and save what is important). Nothing she's written yet compares to <i> Who Fears Death </i> to me, but this novella is still a fun, albeit dark, exploration into future Africa and a young child given a terrible power.

Nnedi Okorafor novella Remote Control has a classic sci/fi feel to it. We always buy her for our library.

As a big Nnedi Okorafor fan, I was delighted but this novella. It has a sense of magic that is familiar, yet new. I am always struck by the strong young female characters that Okorafor writes.

This was a great quick read. It felt very classic sci-fi to me. The whole journey of the story takes place on one long walk. We journey with Sankofa as she tries to figure out what has given her this power of death and as she learns to come to terms with what her life is. I enjoyed this. It had similar vibes to some of Okorafor's other books I've read but was also very unique. Would recommend to teens and adults looking for a "hard" feeling sci-fi, without any jargon.

REMOTE CONTROL is a slow-paced meditation about a young girl who calls down the supernatural and must come to terms with those consequences. Eye-catching prose weaves with vivid scenes make this a novella a must-read for Afrofuturism shelves, and it's perfect for fans of THE PREY OF GODS by Nicky Drayden.

This was my first time reading Nnedi Okorafor and I was pleasantly surprised. I've been binging TDC novellas and most of them seem to follow a delightfully chaotic pattern of "how many disparate elements and action scenes can we fit into this 160 pages." I love this, I am not complaining.

REMOTE CONTROL does almost the opposite, though. It's similar to reading through LORD OF THE THINGS, where it's a wonderful book but most of the action is actually the main character going for a long walk. The plot is very episodic, adventure-like, and at first glance, meandering and off-topic while the more "interesting" parts are very obviously and methodically set by the wayside.

I am not saying this a book roast, by the way: I'm saying this as a double-take of "you REALLY pulled that off, for the first time since Tolkien." It takes a powerful writer to take an incredibly busy plot into her hands, turn it inside out, and hand it back like "no: THIS is the focus. This one little thing. And nothing else will get in the way." It's spectacular.

As far as I'm concerned, all hail Nnedi Okorafor, queen of the short form.

I had previously read the Binti series so I was excited to read the new novella from Nnedi Okorafor. Set at an unspecified future time in Ghana, the story focuses on a girl who has gained a deadly supernatural power and lost her name. As she travels with only a fox accompanying her, the mythology surrounding her grows and shifts. It is at times a difficult and sad journey, but Fatima/Sankofa's story is also compelling and strange.

I’ve been a fan of Nnedi Okorafor’s work since Lagoon. Since then, I’ve always kept my eyes open for new fiction by the author. I’m happy to report that Remote Control is an excellent sci-fi novella, and I really enjoyed reading it.

Remote Control is an Afrofuturist novella set in a near future — everyone is even more connected than they are today, robotics have advanced, and corporations still have too much power over the communities in which they operate. Much of this is just the background of the story, however: the book very much focuses on Sankofa’s experiences, and her long, unrelenting quest to recover what was stolen from her.

Okorafor’s writing is excellent, as expected. From descriptions to dialogue, the author gives readers everything they need. The description is often minimal, but always evocative and interesting. Each character, whether Sankofa or mere bit players, is well-drawn and easily imagined.

Sankofa’s nature is never fully explained, but readers are given hints and more details throughout the novella. I thought this worked very well, because Sankofa herself is not aware of how or why she became changed. She’s a gentle soul suddenly imbued with a deadly power that she is not fully in control of.

As we follow Sankofa on her quest, you really feel for her — she is separated from society and the communities she travels to and through by her nature and her power. The myth that arises in her wake and precedes her journey alternates between positive and negative — some paint her as an angel of mercy, while others see her as a bad omen and evil. In each new community she arrives at, people quickly know who she is. Sometimes, she’s met with incredible generosity — given warily, however. She often plays the role of medieval “witch”: turned to when help is needed, but quickly and easily turned against if anything goes wrong. We learn of her desire for connection, her continued wariness of others and her not-entirely-under-control abilities.

If you’re looking for a near-future sci-fi novel with a difference, than I would definitely recommend Remote Control. I really enjoyed this.

I absolutely love the way Nnedi Okorafor combines the culture and traditions of the African culture with futuristic technology. The juxtaposition of these two backdrops makes her writing unique and captivating.
Fatima starts her life as a normal little girl in a small village until a meteorite shower changes everything about her life. I feel like there is definitely room for this story to continue and I certainly hope that it does. I loved this story. Highly recommended.