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3.5
Death of the Author
ByPublisher Description
The future of storytelling is here.
Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister's lavish Caribbean wedding, she's unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career. It's a far-future epic where androids and AI wage war in the grown-over ruins of human civilization. She calls it Rusted Robots.
When Zelu finds the courage to share her strange novel, she does not realize she is about to embark on a life-altering journey-one that will catapult her into literary stardom, but also perhaps obliterate everything her book was meant to be. From Chicago to Lagos to the far reaches of space, Zelu's novel will change the future not only for humanity, but for the robots who come next.
A book-within-a-book that blends the line between writing and being written, Death of the Author is a masterpiece of metafiction that manages to combine the razor-sharp commentary of Yellowface with the heartfelt humanity of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Surprisingly funny, deeply poignant, and endlessly discussable, this is at once the tale of a woman on the margins risking everything to be heard and a testament to the power of storytelling to shape the world as we know it.
Nnedi Okorafor, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, presents a sweeping tale about family, culture and identity, and a breathtaking examination of the relationship between writer and reader. Death of the Author is heartfelt, tender, and an ambitious meta-drama about what makes us human.
Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister's lavish Caribbean wedding, she's unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career. It's a far-future epic where androids and AI wage war in the grown-over ruins of human civilization. She calls it Rusted Robots.
When Zelu finds the courage to share her strange novel, she does not realize she is about to embark on a life-altering journey-one that will catapult her into literary stardom, but also perhaps obliterate everything her book was meant to be. From Chicago to Lagos to the far reaches of space, Zelu's novel will change the future not only for humanity, but for the robots who come next.
A book-within-a-book that blends the line between writing and being written, Death of the Author is a masterpiece of metafiction that manages to combine the razor-sharp commentary of Yellowface with the heartfelt humanity of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Surprisingly funny, deeply poignant, and endlessly discussable, this is at once the tale of a woman on the margins risking everything to be heard and a testament to the power of storytelling to shape the world as we know it.
Nnedi Okorafor, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, presents a sweeping tale about family, culture and identity, and a breathtaking examination of the relationship between writer and reader. Death of the Author is heartfelt, tender, and an ambitious meta-drama about what makes us human.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesDeath of the Author Reviews
3.5
“One of the most unique stories I’ve ever read. This was such a a fascinating story full of life and culture. I was so invested and thought I knew where the story was going but I could not have predicted that ending! Definitely recommend!”
“I thought this book was going to be more AI focused in the real world, but that is not the case. I would say this book leans way more into literary fiction, familial connections, and personal adventures of the main character, Zelu. I loved the Rusted Robots sections of the book and I enjoyed making connections between those characters and struggles in the Black community regarding tribalism.
Zelu, on the other hand, it took some self-discipline to get through parts of her story. She felt like a real human with flaws that influenced her actions throughout the book. I loved her process into getting her exos and the sucess of the book. I was even entertained with the movie adaptation, all the interviews following, and her distain for the movie.
The ending is where I'm stuck between liking it and feeling underwhelmed... I LOVED the plot twist of Zelu's story being written by Ankara, who was written by Zelu. It feels like inception almost. However, throughout the story, the interviews of the other characters made me feel like Zelu had done something wild and chaotic. Whole time, she just went to space??? I don't know, that just feels like a cop out and all that suspense was for nothing. I know realistically going to space would be a wild thing to do, but in a SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL? Come on, let's get crazy! lol”
“Beautiful, futuristic, and culturally rich.”
“Wow such a great read, the ending was totally not what I was expecting and it was so well written.”
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