What a book! I really enjoyed how the story involves our main character, and author, as well as experts from her sci fi novel. The story involves family dynamics, risks, and some romance. The author finally has the break through she’s been waiting for, when her sci fi novel becomes popular, this popularity and fame gets her involved in some sci fi adventure of her own. She was paralyzed from the waist down as a child, and is giving the opportunity to walk again.

One-voices
Book about books
Contemporary

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

I really feel like the odd one out here amongst my peers on GR ratings-wise, but definitely agree that this should not have been marketed as a sci-fi (it is not). Just because the story within the story is sci-fi, doesn't mean the overall theme of the book is sci-fi.

This is the first book I've read from Okorafor, and while I wasn't super in to this book, it did make me really want to see ACTUAL sci-fi from her.

Part of me feels like this was right book / wrong time - so I am not opposed to trying a re-read later when I'm in a different headspace.

I gave this a 4.5 stars.
This book wasn't like anything ive read, I don't really read science fiction but I loved this book.
The representation was one of my favorite things about this book. Zelu's character you are just drawn too with how fierce she is.

This is not my usual genre but I found it to be a unique and enjoyable read - I love that we were able to follow two stories at once. I do feel like there are a few unanswered questions around the interviews and what exactly it was that Zelu did, so I would have appreciated some closure on that piece. The ending did have me shocked and questioning the whole book!

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me, but I’m sure it will be for someone else!

I found the lack of character growth from Zelu and the lack of relationship changes between her and her family extremely frustrating. Probably realistic, but frustrating to read.

I wish the Rusted Robots story was more built out.

For me, the story was about 150 pages too long.

I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I tried taking small sips of it instead of reading big chunks of it at one time. That was probably detrimental to me in the end because it built on its momentum the entire time and then flipped expectations. I think this will probably be on a lot of award lists in the next year.

Zelu is a writer who seems to have everything working against her. As a child she fell from a tree in her backyard and became paralyzed. Since then her Nigerian-American family has always treated her different, like she is not complete. While at her sister's wedding she receives a call letting her know she has been fired from her adjunct professor job as a result of a complaint from a privileged white male student whom she called out for his antics. Her novel has also not been rejected by every publisher she has sent it to. That evening she is struck with inspiration for a novel that is unlike anything else she has ever written. A sci-fi novel by a writer who dislikes sci-fi.

Death of the Author follows Zelu's story of writing Rusted Robots and the fame that comes after. She has to handle her own families attitudes about her and what is expected of her, her fans desire for a perfect writer and want for more, and her own struggles with what she can have and becoming the person her pre-accident self wanted to be. This novel explores finding oneself and breaking from what family and society expect from you. It is told through Zelu's story as well as her book Rusted Robots where so much of what goes on is paralleled in Ankara's journey in a post-apocalyptic world of robots.

Nnedi Okorafor does a wonderful of bringing modern issues to life through her characters and their journeys whether they be social or personal. It took me a minute to get used to the story and the characters as I do not come from a culture that is similar to the Nigerian-American on portrayed in this book. However, once i got used to the characters I could not stop reading the book. I highly recommend to any reader as this is not just for sci-fi or fantasy readers.

Death of the Author is a literary sci-fi that contains many themes, at times to the detriment of the story. Nigerian-American author Zelu experiences viral fame for her post-apolyptic novel, Rusted Robots which follows robots and AI facing an existential threat in a post-human Earth. As the story within a story unfolds, so too does Zelu’s rise as a literary star, and all the consequences that come with it. Nnedi Okorafor explores many facets of life as a paraplegic, Nigerian-American woman. Most of the novel’s attention goes toward Zelu’s relationship with her parents and siblings. Meanwhile, there’s brief acknowledgement of other themes such as the Westernization of African stories in Hollywood or the role of billionaires in scientific innovation. Many of these were not approached with the same nuance that was lent to the family plotline. As for the novel-within-a-novel, I found the quality of the writing does not line up with the high praise it received in the adjoining storyline. The majority of the book was very middling until the ending which was unsatisfactory. Having read and loved Okorafor’s previous books, Death of the Author has to be my most disappointing read of the year so far.

Death of the Author is a hard book to pin down. Ostensibly, it's a story about Zelu, a Nigerian-American author who, after losing her position as an adjunct professor and having her novel rejected by yet another publishing house, decides to sit down and start writing a new novel that's completely out of her wheelhouse. Rather than the dull, pretentious literary works she's used to writing (hey now!), she turns to a sci-fi world where humans have long since gone extinct and robots rule the land. Surprising everyone, including herself, her novel is an immediate blockbuster winning her a multi-million dollar book contract, a Hollywood film adaptation, and a worldwide fan base.

Then the novel just...keeps going. And going. And going. Despite the lack of familial support, Zelu gets experimental exoskeletons ("exos") that allow her to walk after being paraplegic nearly her entire life. She has a situationship with someone she meets at a wedding. She returns to Nigeria for her father's funeral. She swims in the ocean and is chased by armed robbers. She watches (and hates) the film adaptation of her book. She puts off writing its sequel (and then puts it off some more). She decides to take up a billionaire's offer to send her to space. Et cetera. Interspersed throughout this meandering story are chapters of her novel, Rusted Robots (admittedly the least interesting part of the book, in my opinion). And then the ending of the book comes and reframes everything you just read.

Ultimately, I liked what this book was doing, even though I didn't like how long it took to do it. I love metafiction and autofiction and this book contained plenty of both (the author herself being a paraplegic, Nigerian-American woman who primarily writes sci-fi but tested the waters with literary fiction here). Zelu's character was the highlight of the book. She spends most of the book seeking support from her family and approval for decisions around her own autonomy and never really achieves that. Despite that, she continues to make choices that are best for her even when no one else understands them.

it was like reading a book within a book. Truly, Death of an Author is like nothing else I’ve ever read or viewed. To mention much about the plot would be denying the next reader’s curiosities from fully forming, so I’m just including my feelings here.

A story inside a story, this is a brilliant piece of meta science fiction, tackling subjects such as family, disability, fame, and the pitfalls of AI, with an unexpected finale I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

#DeathOfTheAuthor #Nnedi #NnediOkorafor #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc exchange for an honest review.

I tried reading this one but only made it to about the 10% mark before realizing it just wasn’t for me. While the premise started off promising, I couldn’t connect with the characters or the plot. Nothing really held my interest, and I found myself quickly losing motivation to keep going.

I struggled to connect with both the characters and the overall story. I kept hoping I’d become more invested in their journey, but it never quite clicked for me. It’s a great idea on paper, but the execution didn’t work for me personally.

This one just wasn’t the right fit for me.

I had difficulty getting into this book and so kept it on my shelf intending on coming back and finishing it, but unfortunately feel like I'm going to have to give up trying to focus on other books on my shelf.

I couldn't finish this book. The characters were unlikeable, the plot and story line slow to develop and the mash up of family drama and sci fi disjointed.

Nnedi Okorafor is officially an instant-buy author for me. Her writing is exquisite and immersive. The kind that pulls you in from the very first page and refuses to let go. I hated that life kept interrupting my time with this book. I just wanted to sit down and devour it in one breathless read.

Okorafor masterfully weaves two seemingly distinct storylines: one set in the present, following Zelu, a complex and compelling main character, and another in a far-off future where robots roam a world devoid of humans. Both narratives are equally engrossing, and you can’t help but wonder how they’ll connect. When the threads finally come together, the twist is absolute perfection! Surprising, satisfying, and thematically rich.

The novel explores powerful themes: the distortion of creative work by Hollywood, the complexities of family dynamics, and the timeless question...what is art? Okorafor doesn’t just tell a story; she invites you to interrogate the stories we tell ourselves.

If you enjoy smart, genre-blurring fiction that balances thought-provoking ideas with deeply emotional storytelling, Death of the Author is a must-read.

I did receive a digital advanced copy but ended up pre-ordering my own copy.

(I got an ARC of this through William Morrow and Netgalleyhttps://theheatherreport.com/2025/01/recent-reads-december-2024.html!) I’m not usually a huge sci-fi person, but a friend recommended this book to me because it’s meta-fiction about and by a disabled author, so obviously I had to read it! This story has a book within a book, and chapters alternate between the points of view of the narrator, Zelu, and the book she’s written called Rusted Robots. Zelu was paralyzed after falling out of a tree as a child, and has always felt “othered” in her large, Nigerian family. After two professional setbacks come one after the other, she decides to devote her time to writing a different kind of book – one where robots and AI are fighting over the future. It’s an instant hit, and changes her life dramatically in every possible way – including changes that draw parallels to the characters she writes about. I did feel like there were some parts of it that dragged a bit, but I really loved how it made me think – about disability, about storytelling, and about AI and robots, plus the intersectionality of all three. And because the sci-fi aspects are mostly the story within a story, it feels approachable to people like me who are huge on sci-fi in general.

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is a novel within a novel, one literary and one sci fi. Interesting disability representation as well. The complex construction shows the brilliance of the author. Worth the long read.

To start, I am a huge Nnedi Okoafor stan so I was so excited to get an ARC of this book. It is so meta and clever and the premise drew me in immediately. Once I started reading I was blown away by how fantastic the story was. It was such a great blending of women's/contemporary literature and science fiction. This novel speaks to so many societal issues through the experiences of Zelu, but not in a way where it felt like everything was forced in for the sake of making a point, rather they were just authentically the experiences of the character and how they moved through the world.

Death of the Author is a genre-defying masterpiece that delves into the complexities of identity, fame, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction. The story follows Zelu Onyenezi-Onyedele, a disabled Nigerian American writer who, after facing personal and professional setbacks, pens a sci-fi novel titled Rusted Robots. The unexpected success of her book catapults her into the limelight, challenging her sense of self and the narratives others construct about her. Okorafor masterfully intertwines Zelu's journey with excerpts from Rusted Robots and interviews with her family, creating a layered narrative that explores the interconnectedness of author, art, and audience. The novel raises poignant questions about authorship, control, and the impact of storytelling in the digital age.Set against a rich cultural backdrop, Death of the Author offers a thought-provoking exploration of the human experience, making it a must-read for fans of speculative fiction and literary fiction alike.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Death of the Author.

I am not a regular reader of science fiction works, but I found this book interesting and engaging. The main character is a somewhat chaotic and impulsive writer; black sheep among her high-achieving siblings and prone to artistic swings rather than ruled by logic. She writes a book about robots (interspersed in the book with the narrative of her own story) at a low point and her life changes and becomes unrecognizable from there as she begins to resemble her characters and follow new adventures.

I found the characters believable and enjoyed the aspects of Nigerian and Nigerian American culture as portrayed in the story. This is a very human robot-focused narrative. Check it out!