We haven’t read a Fantasy/Sci-fi book so far this year so we decided to pick up Nnedi Okorafor’s latest, Remote Control. This is the first time we are reading Okorafor’s work and we are excited to bring you the discussion about this novella set in futuristic Ghana. Take a look at the synopsis below and then dive into our discussion.
“She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own.”
The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa–a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.
Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks–alone, except for her fox companion–searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.
But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?
Content Notes: Depiction of animal cruelty and animal death, infectious diseases, death, violence
Remote Control
Whole book Discussion
I found the premise of this book quite intriguing and enjoyed reading Sankofa’s story. I loved how local legends and stories were interwoven into the narrative and, Sankofa, being so young, offers an almost innocent and clear look into her situation. Her search for the seed that she lost and how relationships changed with it over time was thought provoking. What did you think of this book, Ariel?
I really loved the blending of Sankofa’s attachment to the tree and the meteor seed and how that became the catalyst for her growth as an MC. The alternate near-future setting was really cool, and listening to the audiobook felt especially immersive.
Though Chapter 1 hooked me in, Fatima’s story in Chapter 2 portrayed a love for her home and kept me interested to find out how everything was connected. It is only recently I have started to notice this style of writing in authors – they start off the story with something in the present, making the reader wonder how did they get here? And then, in the next few chapters start to offer a glimpse of where everything began. I personally find this fun to read because my curiosity is quenched in the near future rather than waiting until the end to find out how it all fits.
For such a short book, the worldbuilding and character development are stellar, and I feel like we got a full-length novel of information, development, and plot progression.
Yes! I agree! For me, time just flew by as I read this and I got so much out of it.
Through Sankofa’s interactions with people along the way, we see a variety of human perspectives. There are people who fear her and stay clear of her, others who understand her powers, some who are careless with her and some who pay the price of taking her too lightly. She is a strong character with a purpose that people know of through stories though the world does not understand her at all. I felt sad for her as she is so young to have such a huge burden.
Sankofa’s character is certainly reactionary– she reacts to the emotions and the people around her. She defends herself when fear turns into violence, and she seeks every opportunity to use her powers for good. I think it was really interesting to see how those choices varied as the book goes on.
Learning about her self control was a good insight into her character and powers. If Sankofa had been older, would her story have had a similar impact?
I think it would have been different, but the lens from a smaller child makes the story, in a lot of ways, more profound. There is innocence there, a certain confusion of the larger ramifications, and the constant recovery and processing through her traumatic events.
Sankofa’s journey takes her to the town of RoboTown. Here she is in the midst of well loved technology that the residents are dependent on. I love how much of an enigma Sankofa was for the robots. What did you think of the last few chapters of the book?
I thought it was so interesting how her almost mythological powers became at odds with technological advancement, but she was able to adapt and continue her journey nevertheless!
Concluding Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed our discussion of Remote Control and would give it a read if it appealed to you. We quite enjoyed it and it was a novella that we got a lot out of.
Remote Control is available in stores. Be sure to check your local library and support them.
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Thank you for reading! For more book discussions, check out the books with * in the Book Review Index.
Cover Image: Photo by Jude Infantini on Unsplash
I have been meaning to read Okorafor’s books for a while now. And this short story seems like a good place to start. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did too.
Same – this is a good one to pick up for her! I hope to check out her other works too in the future. Enjoy 🙂