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Binti #2
Home
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2017)It’s been a year since Binti and Okwu enrolled at Oomza University. A year since Binti was declared a hero for uniting two warring planets. A year since she abandoned her family in the dawn of a new day.
And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and face her elders.
But Okwu will be the first of his race to set foot on Earth in over a hundred years, and the first ever to come in peace.
After generations of conflict can human and Meduse ever learn to truly live in harmony?
And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and face her elders.
But Okwu will be the first of his race to set foot on Earth in over a hundred years, and the first ever to come in peace.
After generations of conflict can human and Meduse ever learn to truly live in harmony?
176 pages, ebook
First published January 31, 2017
About the author
Nnedi Okorafor
152 books17k followersNnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com and follow Nnedi on twitter (as @Nnedi), Facebook and Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,337 reviews
February 6, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!
This is my third Nnedi Okarafor and I think it's a definite improvement on the previous installment of Binti which read as pretty decent as a coming-of-age novel but was even better as a world-building novel.
This sequel, or perhaps it should be considered an ongoing line of novellas following Binti, has her returning back to the home she had left so unceremoniously in the first novella, a full year later, only to encounter some interesting and sometimes painful realizations.
There's a lot of cool culture going on and even more interesting personal reveals about Binti that goes a long way to answer some of the questions that had annoyed me in the first one.
This is very welcome news, indeed! I like continuing coming-of-age novels when they're done well and I think this fits the bill. :) I especially like how Binti grows in this one. :)
No spoilers! But it's quite cool :)
This is my third Nnedi Okarafor and I think it's a definite improvement on the previous installment of Binti which read as pretty decent as a coming-of-age novel but was even better as a world-building novel.
This sequel, or perhaps it should be considered an ongoing line of novellas following Binti, has her returning back to the home she had left so unceremoniously in the first novella, a full year later, only to encounter some interesting and sometimes painful realizations.
There's a lot of cool culture going on and even more interesting personal reveals about Binti that goes a long way to answer some of the questions that had annoyed me in the first one.
This is very welcome news, indeed! I like continuing coming-of-age novels when they're done well and I think this fits the bill. :) I especially like how Binti grows in this one. :)
No spoilers! But it's quite cool :)
May 10, 2018
1.5ish stars.
I thought the first book had potential despite its obvious flaws, but I simply did not like this second installment. Much like the first, it feels like the broad, unfinished sketch of a larger novel. Too much going on and none of it particularly interesting. I miss the Uni, all five minutes of it we get to see in this installment. Not often do I have to skim through such a short book.
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library
I thought the first book had potential despite its obvious flaws, but I simply did not like this second installment. Much like the first, it feels like the broad, unfinished sketch of a larger novel. Too much going on and none of it particularly interesting. I miss the Uni, all five minutes of it we get to see in this installment. Not often do I have to skim through such a short book.
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library
February 8, 2019
3.5 stars for this sequel to Binti and the middle novella in the BINTI trilogy. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Binti is a gifted 17 year old member of the isolated African Himba tribe who has rebelled against family pressure and expectations and sneaked off to attend the galactic Oomza University on another planet in the first book, Binti ... where she found far more adventure, tragedy, stress and personal change than she ever imagined. This theme of personal growth and change continues here in Binti: Home.
Home follows Binti as she leaves the university for a period to return to her home on Earth, with her Meduse friend Okwu accompanying her. Trouble awaits them there, not just from Binti’s choice to attend Oomza University rather than accept the role her family intended for her, but from Okwu’s presence. The Meduse have a long history of war with the Khoush people, and though there is currently a tentative peace treaty, Okwu’s being in their territory has inflamed emotions. Meanwhile, Binti is also having issues with her ongoing PTSD and with new revelations about her life and ancestry.
Binti is amazing and complex, with mixed motivations and emotions that she doesn’t always understand. She felt real to me, though her continual emotional outbursts and PTSD did get tiresome to read about after a while. But it was delightful learning more about her tribe’s culture, including the Himba women’s practice of covering their skin and hair with otjize, a red clay mixture ― a practice Binti follows with dedication, even when she is lightyears away from her home.
At the same time, Okorafor takes on multiple social issues like cultural insensitivity, finding connections with those who are different, and standing up for yourself against social pressure. The Himba are looked down on by the Khoush, the Arab (per Okorafor) people who are the majority, and the Himba in turn look down on the Desert People, or Zinariya, who are actually far more advanced than anyone outside of their tribe realizes. Binti's visit to the Zinariya, what she learns and what happens to her there, are the crux of this story.
Warning: this ends on a serious cliffhanger, one of the worst I've come across. Just consider Home as the first half of a two-part adventure for Binti, and don't pick this one up unless you have the third novella, The Night Masquerade, in hand! And really you need to have read the first novella before this one, so just plan on investing time in the whole trilogy. It's a quick read, though! And worthwhile if you like YA SF.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as part of Binti: The Complete Trilogy.
Binti is a gifted 17 year old member of the isolated African Himba tribe who has rebelled against family pressure and expectations and sneaked off to attend the galactic Oomza University on another planet in the first book, Binti ... where she found far more adventure, tragedy, stress and personal change than she ever imagined. This theme of personal growth and change continues here in Binti: Home.
Home follows Binti as she leaves the university for a period to return to her home on Earth, with her Meduse friend Okwu accompanying her. Trouble awaits them there, not just from Binti’s choice to attend Oomza University rather than accept the role her family intended for her, but from Okwu’s presence. The Meduse have a long history of war with the Khoush people, and though there is currently a tentative peace treaty, Okwu’s being in their territory has inflamed emotions. Meanwhile, Binti is also having issues with her ongoing PTSD and with new revelations about her life and ancestry.
Binti is amazing and complex, with mixed motivations and emotions that she doesn’t always understand. She felt real to me, though her continual emotional outbursts and PTSD did get tiresome to read about after a while. But it was delightful learning more about her tribe’s culture, including the Himba women’s practice of covering their skin and hair with otjize, a red clay mixture ― a practice Binti follows with dedication, even when she is lightyears away from her home.
At the same time, Okorafor takes on multiple social issues like cultural insensitivity, finding connections with those who are different, and standing up for yourself against social pressure. The Himba are looked down on by the Khoush, the Arab (per Okorafor) people who are the majority, and the Himba in turn look down on the Desert People, or Zinariya, who are actually far more advanced than anyone outside of their tribe realizes. Binti's visit to the Zinariya, what she learns and what happens to her there, are the crux of this story.
Warning: this ends on a serious cliffhanger, one of the worst I've come across. Just consider Home as the first half of a two-part adventure for Binti, and don't pick this one up unless you have the third novella, The Night Masquerade, in hand! And really you need to have read the first novella before this one, so just plan on investing time in the whole trilogy. It's a quick read, though! And worthwhile if you like YA SF.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as part of Binti: The Complete Trilogy.
February 25, 2018
I have to say I'm really sad I don't love this series as much as some people do. I remember reading the first one in the series a while back and liking it, but still not getting the hype a lot of my friends were giving it. Going back into Binti's world, I still don't get the hype.
What I do like about this series is that it's showing a female character who I think is pretty great and stands out from her Himba people in positive ways. She is trying to change things and show that you don't have to just settle, you can go for your dreams, and I think that's a great message.
Alongside the human character of Binti we have the alien characters in the book who show something different, like the un-gendered Meduse, and I think that's really nice to see in more books and is definitely a step in the right direction for Sci Fi as a whole.
Unfortunately, for me, plot and characters are really key to my enjoyment of a book and this storyline just didn't capture my attention the way I wanted. I think Binti is doing good things, but I just find her a bit of a boring character to read about even so, and I find her really hard to connect to which is a shame. I really do wish the story worked more for me, but I just can't help but think that in 160+ pages we actually don't do a lot, and I felt that I didn't really feel any intense emotion at all through the book.
Clearly, Okorafor's writing is modern and challenging at times, but for me it just isn't working out (I've previously also read Lagoon by her). I would give this a 2*s overall, it's okay, but I can't see why there's all the love this series gets, but maybe that's just me :)
What I do like about this series is that it's showing a female character who I think is pretty great and stands out from her Himba people in positive ways. She is trying to change things and show that you don't have to just settle, you can go for your dreams, and I think that's a great message.
Alongside the human character of Binti we have the alien characters in the book who show something different, like the un-gendered Meduse, and I think that's really nice to see in more books and is definitely a step in the right direction for Sci Fi as a whole.
Unfortunately, for me, plot and characters are really key to my enjoyment of a book and this storyline just didn't capture my attention the way I wanted. I think Binti is doing good things, but I just find her a bit of a boring character to read about even so, and I find her really hard to connect to which is a shame. I really do wish the story worked more for me, but I just can't help but think that in 160+ pages we actually don't do a lot, and I felt that I didn't really feel any intense emotion at all through the book.
Clearly, Okorafor's writing is modern and challenging at times, but for me it just isn't working out (I've previously also read Lagoon by her). I would give this a 2*s overall, it's okay, but I can't see why there's all the love this series gets, but maybe that's just me :)
February 6, 2017
Can you ever go home again? Binti returns to her home planet and is faced with navigating a complex political landscape with the Meduse, Okwu, as well as her own transformation. Family expectations have her preparing for a pilgrimage, but the people in the desert may have their own plans (or it is her destiny.) As always I very much enjoy the unique ways Okorafor blends various African folklores and mythologies with magic, outer space, aliens, and this time, with math! to create a vibrant and imaginative landscape. The pregnant ship was so interesting! The ending felt rushed and I wish all of Binti was a longer story. There are so many rich and unique elements, that I wanted to spend more time with more instances of them.
I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley.
I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 3, 2019
1.) Binti ★★★★★
2.) Home ★★★★
3.) The Night Masquerade ★★★★.5
--------------------------------------------------
WHAT???????
2.) Home ★★★★
3.) The Night Masquerade ★★★★.5
--------------------------------------------------
WHAT???????
January 9, 2020
Interesante evolución de la historia.
Para tener las páginas que tiene, me ha costado terminarlo más de lo esperado. Sin embargo, una vez pasado el ecuador de la novela, no pude soltarla.
La evolución a la que nos lleva Okorafor me ha sorprendido y me ha resultado más que curiosa. La mezcla de tradición, magia y ciencia ficción me ha parecido única y diferente. El personaje de Binti evoluciona muchísimo y la historia del mundo creado es simplemente brutal.
El problema principal, como digo, ha sido el ritmo. La primera mitad de la novela ha sido una introducción a todo lo que estaba por venir, quizá demasiado centrada en las raíces de Binti y en entender lo que significa su familia para ella. Una vez superamos ese bache, un nuevo viaje por su parte, y lo que ha significado para ella convertirse en el icono que es, comienza una nueva era dentro de la historia con nuevas historias, tribus y poderes increíbles.
Creo que la saga Binti es una mezcla ideal de géneros que no pegan pero que Okorafor hace pegar. Me tomaré un mini descanso para leer el tercero, que es el más largo y se anuncia un conflicto que sabíamos que iba a terminar sucediendo. A ver qué tal el desenlace, pero de momento estoy intrigado con lo que tenga la autora en la recámara. Y sobre todo, hasta qué punto va a llevar a Binti.
Para tener las páginas que tiene, me ha costado terminarlo más de lo esperado. Sin embargo, una vez pasado el ecuador de la novela, no pude soltarla.
La evolución a la que nos lleva Okorafor me ha sorprendido y me ha resultado más que curiosa. La mezcla de tradición, magia y ciencia ficción me ha parecido única y diferente. El personaje de Binti evoluciona muchísimo y la historia del mundo creado es simplemente brutal.
El problema principal, como digo, ha sido el ritmo. La primera mitad de la novela ha sido una introducción a todo lo que estaba por venir, quizá demasiado centrada en las raíces de Binti y en entender lo que significa su familia para ella. Una vez superamos ese bache, un nuevo viaje por su parte, y lo que ha significado para ella convertirse en el icono que es, comienza una nueva era dentro de la historia con nuevas historias, tribus y poderes increíbles.
Creo que la saga Binti es una mezcla ideal de géneros que no pegan pero que Okorafor hace pegar. Me tomaré un mini descanso para leer el tercero, que es el más largo y se anuncia un conflicto que sabíamos que iba a terminar sucediendo. A ver qué tal el desenlace, pero de momento estoy intrigado con lo que tenga la autora en la recámara. Y sobre todo, hasta qué punto va a llevar a Binti.
February 7, 2017
Binti has been at Oomza University for a while now and while she has learned much, she struggles with post-traumatic stress from her original encounter with the Meduse and a new anger she feels within herself more and more. That's a huge problem for someone who's supposed to be a master harmonizer and a master of meditation through mathematics. She believes that the issue is that she needs to return home and go on pilgrimage with other Himba. This book follows her return to her family with her friend, the Meduse Okwu.
The world that Binti inhabits is still deeply weird, with strange technology and alien interactions that feel like magic, along with cultures that feel very alien, but are actually real cultures in Africa. This is clearly a second book in a trilogy and doesn't wrap up anywhere near as neatly as the first book, but what it does do is give a reasonable explanation for the central deus ex machina from the first book (Binti's possession of the edan).
Looking forward to the third one.
The world that Binti inhabits is still deeply weird, with strange technology and alien interactions that feel like magic, along with cultures that feel very alien, but are actually real cultures in Africa. This is clearly a second book in a trilogy and doesn't wrap up anywhere near as neatly as the first book, but what it does do is give a reasonable explanation for the central deus ex machina from the first book (Binti's possession of the edan).
Looking forward to the third one.
February 9, 2017
3.5 stars
After a year at Oomza University, Binti wants to return home. She's learned a lot, but hasn't made any close friends, except for Okwu, the Meduse who participated in the traumatic event of the first novella... and it is now her friend and a student at Oomza too.
Binti is suffering from PTSD; she has panic attacks and nightmares. Disturbed that she has been experiencing extreme bouts of anger and rage, she wants to go home and participate in the pilgrimage that Himba women take into the desert - an experience that should cleanse her. Okwu returns with her to Earth, but Binti doesn't get the homecoming and the rest that she desires.
First impressions... Binti is really filled with anger. After her partial Meduse transformation, her body is changed, and perhaps her mind too, and she's struggling with understanding this. In Binti: Home she's constantly upset. She feels rejected, hurt, and attacked by her family and friends. Their reactions and instantaneous blame seemed uncalled for and rude to me! But I realize that I'm from the most individualistic culture in the world. Binti's people, the Himba, are the opposite: very focused on their tight-knit, insular community, rather than individual (and shockingly untraditional) achievements.
For Binti's people, the Himba, there are strict gender roles and social expectations. While her people's traditions helped Binti before, I think here we see more closely how she is diverging from Himba ways, while desperately wanting to conform. She's painfully torn, resulting in a lot of hurtful emotional turmoil.
Frustratingly to me, Binti doesn't quite come out and say that she wants to buck the expectations. But I also appreciate that it's incredibly realistic that she feels seemingly contradictory things. She was driven to leave home by her over-powering desire for education at Oomza University - and hasn't mentioned at all that she wants to marry. But when told by her people that "no boy will ever marry her now" because she isn't a good, traditional Himba girl, she's incredibly hurt.
So, for me, Binti: Home is about the painful struggle to find one's identity, against family and community expectations. The character relationships seemed abrasive, abrupt, unaffectionate - but not unexpected to me, since I recognize this is the same reaction I've had to Okorafor's other books, especially character behavior in Who Fears Death.
I think the one thing people will dislike about this novella is its length. It seems to end after a very quick story arc - simply that Binti comes home and goes through an initiation ritual she did not expect. But she comes out changed once again.
What I really hope for is that the third novella will show Binti actively accomplishing something with her identity and her ability. So far she has been focused on her self - looking inwards on her identity and her place in the world, where she comes from and where she wants to get to. But now it's time for her to accomplish something on her own, rather than having other people do it to her.
I received an e-galley of this novella from Tor.com, in exchange for a review
After a year at Oomza University, Binti wants to return home. She's learned a lot, but hasn't made any close friends, except for Okwu, the Meduse who participated in the traumatic event of the first novella... and it is now her friend and a student at Oomza too.
Binti is suffering from PTSD; she has panic attacks and nightmares. Disturbed that she has been experiencing extreme bouts of anger and rage, she wants to go home and participate in the pilgrimage that Himba women take into the desert - an experience that should cleanse her. Okwu returns with her to Earth, but Binti doesn't get the homecoming and the rest that she desires.
First impressions... Binti is really filled with anger. After her partial Meduse transformation, her body is changed, and perhaps her mind too, and she's struggling with understanding this. In Binti: Home she's constantly upset. She feels rejected, hurt, and attacked by her family and friends. Their reactions and instantaneous blame seemed uncalled for and rude to me! But I realize that I'm from the most individualistic culture in the world. Binti's people, the Himba, are the opposite: very focused on their tight-knit, insular community, rather than individual (and shockingly untraditional) achievements.
For Binti's people, the Himba, there are strict gender roles and social expectations. While her people's traditions helped Binti before, I think here we see more closely how she is diverging from Himba ways, while desperately wanting to conform. She's painfully torn, resulting in a lot of hurtful emotional turmoil.
Frustratingly to me, Binti doesn't quite come out and say that she wants to buck the expectations. But I also appreciate that it's incredibly realistic that she feels seemingly contradictory things. She was driven to leave home by her over-powering desire for education at Oomza University - and hasn't mentioned at all that she wants to marry. But when told by her people that "no boy will ever marry her now" because she isn't a good, traditional Himba girl, she's incredibly hurt.
So, for me, Binti: Home is about the painful struggle to find one's identity, against family and community expectations. The character relationships seemed abrasive, abrupt, unaffectionate - but not unexpected to me, since I recognize this is the same reaction I've had to Okorafor's other books, especially character behavior in Who Fears Death.
I think the one thing people will dislike about this novella is its length. It seems to end after a very quick story arc - simply that Binti comes home and goes through an initiation ritual she did not expect. But she comes out changed once again.
What I really hope for is that the third novella will show Binti actively accomplishing something with her identity and her ability. So far she has been focused on her self - looking inwards on her identity and her place in the world, where she comes from and where she wants to get to. But now it's time for her to accomplish something on her own, rather than having other people do it to her.
I received an e-galley of this novella from Tor.com, in exchange for a review
December 8, 2018
3,5/5
Creo que me ha gustado un poquito menos que Binti pero aún así también la he disfrutado un montón, especialmente la recta final que me ha parecido apoteósica.
Hay algo de 'Binti' que me tiene fascinada, imagino que es esa mezcla de cultura y costumbres africanas con la tecnología futurista, las matemáticas, el intimismo del relato... Todo junto hace que estas novelas cortas me tengan enganchadita.
Espero ansiosamente la tercera y última parte de la trilogía, que no tardará mucho en salir, creo *w*
Creo que me ha gustado un poquito menos que Binti pero aún así también la he disfrutado un montón, especialmente la recta final que me ha parecido apoteósica.
Hay algo de 'Binti' que me tiene fascinada, imagino que es esa mezcla de cultura y costumbres africanas con la tecnología futurista, las matemáticas, el intimismo del relato... Todo junto hace que estas novelas cortas me tengan enganchadita.
Espero ansiosamente la tercera y última parte de la trilogía, que no tardará mucho en salir, creo *w*
December 3, 2018
I found more to admire than fully enjoy in reading this short, somewhat truncated work. I continue to find the world Okarafor created to be intriguing, but something in her approach to telling Binti’s story just misses the mark of fully connecting me to her confusion, emotional reactions, and sense of self-discovery.
March 8, 2017
Home takes place a year after the ending of book one and Binti has moved forward with her talents. Binti is feeling the pull of home and is ready to visit her family and hopefully find the peace that she has been unable to regain after everything that has happened to her. Binti is strong and determined, but she is struggling with all of the rapid changes in her life. However, returning home is nothing like she expected or hoped for. Joy, apprehension, distrust, longing for what was but can never be again, and coming to terms with her new 'otherness' among not only her community but her family is all pressing down on her. Binti has to come to terms with just how much she has changed, but her home has not. Not only has her changes affected her relationships, but she does not get the journey she had come home for. That's all I can say without spoiling anything.
I don't know how in the world Okorafor managed to pack so much goodness in so few pages. I loved Home even more than I enjoyed Binti. I am still thinking about all of the themes packed into this novella. Binti being brave enough to face fears that she can not control, embracing changes that she doesn't understand, having to reconcile the fact that her best friend belongs to the group of beings who are responsible for so much of her pain, as well as being forever connected to the Meduse, and accepting a heritage that she never knew existed are all beautifully related. I tabbed the heck out of this novella, which was really surprising.
Home ends on a cliffhanger that will have me checking for a release date for book three on a regular basis. I highly recommend picking up this series and Home is going on my favorites list.
You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
I don't know how in the world Okorafor managed to pack so much goodness in so few pages. I loved Home even more than I enjoyed Binti. I am still thinking about all of the themes packed into this novella. Binti being brave enough to face fears that she can not control, embracing changes that she doesn't understand, having to reconcile the fact that her best friend belongs to the group of beings who are responsible for so much of her pain, as well as being forever connected to the Meduse, and accepting a heritage that she never knew existed are all beautifully related. I tabbed the heck out of this novella, which was really surprising.
Home ends on a cliffhanger that will have me checking for a release date for book three on a regular basis. I highly recommend picking up this series and Home is going on my favorites list.
You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
March 7, 2017
This sequel to "Binti" directly addresses the issues I had with the first story (in my review, here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). (Yeah, maybe being buddies with an inscrutable alien terrorist and bringing him home to meet the fam isn't the 100% BEST idea ever.) However, the first story was a more complete-feeling, self-contained piece of writing. "Home" is more of a "what happened next" piece.
After a semester at Oomza University, Binti gets antsy/homesick, and returns home for a visit. However, the 'welcome' she gets from her extended family and her old friends isn't all that she hoped. As a matter of fact, everything's worse than it was to start with, as people feel betrayed and resentful of her.
But then, Binti is called out to the desert, where revelations are in store... And, I have to admit, I had more issues with this part of the story. It's "TOO MUCH SPECIAL." Binti is already doubly special, with her math talents and her now-part-alien DNA. But now we're adding in another layer of special, and that layer also requires some awkward-feeling retrofitting of the initial scenario, which there were no clues to in the first story at all. I felt like it was decided on after the fact.
However, Binti and her adventures are still charming and entertaining. There will undoubtedly be more escapades, and I'd be willing to read them.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
After a semester at Oomza University, Binti gets antsy/homesick, and returns home for a visit. However, the 'welcome' she gets from her extended family and her old friends isn't all that she hoped. As a matter of fact, everything's worse than it was to start with, as people feel betrayed and resentful of her.
But then, Binti is called out to the desert, where revelations are in store... And, I have to admit, I had more issues with this part of the story. It's "TOO MUCH SPECIAL." Binti is already doubly special, with her math talents and her now-part-alien DNA. But now we're adding in another layer of special, and that layer also requires some awkward-feeling retrofitting of the initial scenario, which there were no clues to in the first story at all. I felt like it was decided on after the fact.
However, Binti and her adventures are still charming and entertaining. There will undoubtedly be more escapades, and I'd be willing to read them.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
August 1, 2018
My only complaint is that I just want more! The story just feels so condensed. There is a lot of room for expansion had the author wished to make these each 300+ page books instead of just ~150 pages each. I am sad that there is only one more book left.
May 11, 2018
I listened to the audiobook read beautifully by Robin Miles. This is the second installment, maybe a sequel. In the first, short, novella, Binti suddenly leaves home to go to Oomza University. In the process this 16 year girl experiences a traumatic event, and before this second book, apparently completes her first year of school! The school is all about knowledge AND imagination, and Binti is a math whiz with tentacle-hair and with psychic/magical powers.
Because of said traumatic event, Binti has major PTSD, with panic attacks. To in part cope, she engages in "mathematical meditation," thinking of trapezoids and square roots. She is also quite fascinated by bio-diversity, by flora and fauna, strange creatures and plants. She is from the Himba tribe of Namibia, and she needs to the desert, to home. But the question in this second, more ambitious and longer volume is the nature of home for Binti, who needed to leave the planet to explore for herself what she might become. Where or what is home for this young girl, Binti, now almost 18? NBinto carries with her an artifact from home, an Edan, or godstone, but will it always be there to protect her?
What is clear is that family, and national and ethnic heritage, and local environment ground her, but like any college girl, she has seen the stars, too, and is like her father a "master harmonizer" who asserts communication as the old school solution for inter-ethnic, interspecies conflicts. She takes with her Okwu, her agender Meduse friend, the first Meduse--jelly-fish-lke aliens--to come to Earth. Guess who came home to dinner, Mom and Dad! She clearly needs family and the stars to be who she is, to reach her destiny.
Strip almost everything away from this well-written book and it is a girl's coming-of-age story. But why would you want to strip away anything from this Afro-futurist science fiction story rooted in Africa, with cool gadgets and creatures.
I'm a friend of the author, and have read some of her other books. And will read the next installment (or end of the trilogy, depending on what happens.
Because of said traumatic event, Binti has major PTSD, with panic attacks. To in part cope, she engages in "mathematical meditation," thinking of trapezoids and square roots. She is also quite fascinated by bio-diversity, by flora and fauna, strange creatures and plants. She is from the Himba tribe of Namibia, and she needs to the desert, to home. But the question in this second, more ambitious and longer volume is the nature of home for Binti, who needed to leave the planet to explore for herself what she might become. Where or what is home for this young girl, Binti, now almost 18? NBinto carries with her an artifact from home, an Edan, or godstone, but will it always be there to protect her?
What is clear is that family, and national and ethnic heritage, and local environment ground her, but like any college girl, she has seen the stars, too, and is like her father a "master harmonizer" who asserts communication as the old school solution for inter-ethnic, interspecies conflicts. She takes with her Okwu, her agender Meduse friend, the first Meduse--jelly-fish-lke aliens--to come to Earth. Guess who came home to dinner, Mom and Dad! She clearly needs family and the stars to be who she is, to reach her destiny.
Strip almost everything away from this well-written book and it is a girl's coming-of-age story. But why would you want to strip away anything from this Afro-futurist science fiction story rooted in Africa, with cool gadgets and creatures.
I'm a friend of the author, and have read some of her other books. And will read the next installment (or end of the trilogy, depending on what happens.
February 5, 2019
#1 Binti ★★★★★
#2 Home ★★★★☆
#3 The Night Masquerade ★★★☆☆
#1-3 Complete Trilogy Edition ★★★★☆
There was always so much I didn’t know, but not knowing was part of it all.
Despite how much I loved the first novella in this series, the second one fell flat for me in a few ways and I struggled to get through it at times. The lack of world-building that mildly bothered me before ended up being a big obstacle for me in this sequel, as I still feel like there's very little depth being given to the setting or the occurring events. The characters, thankfully, are a little more complex, and I would say this is probably the most character-driven sci-fi story I've ever read, which would be great for anyone who prefers that style in their SFF reads.
On a happier note, just like I mentioned in my review of the first installment, there's so much goodness here when it comes to Binti's relationship with her culture and the Himba people, as well as our introduction to the incredibly fascinating and lovable 'Desert People' or Enyi Zinariya (I'm endlessly fascinated by the descriptions of their hand motions). I also was absolutely amazed by the PTSD rep as Binti worked through her panic attacks and nightmares from what happened in the first book. We really get to see her struggle through her friendship with Okwu and question some of her own coping mechanisms, and it's tough to read about at times because it feels so real and heavy, but it's beautifully crafted.
While I may not have enjoyed Home as much as Binti, I feel like this one picked up towards the end and renewed my excitement to see how the whole thing ends in The Night Masquerade!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
February 8, 2024
I'm really enjoy the series and I think I will read the third and last one sooner rather then later. Its very bingeble series.
October 7, 2017
I don't think this novella series is going deep enough. I've had historical problems with novellas, always wanting either more or less, but novella series have treated me well enough that I expected more from this. Yet I'm just not feeling it.
// SOME BASIC GOODS
While I'm still not totally sold on the symbolic nature of this series, I have to admit that Binti and Okwu - both as individuals and as a pair - are lovely. Binti's narrative around PTSD is amazing and her narrative around being mixed race is intriguing. Okwu's narrative around prejudice is very well-done. Their friendship narrative, while it struck me as a bit rushed last book, means a lot to me now. I love their weird friendship and the entire concept of them being friends.
// GIVE IT MORE DEVELOPMENT!!
The issue here is the lack of development to all the interesting things brought up here. There are fantastic characters, a great worldbuilding concept... and yet none of it is going anywhere.
I've seen so many praising this story for its worldbuilding and I have to completely disagree. The worldbuilding is utterly confusing and far underdone. The thing with confusing worldbuilding like this is you NEED some setting depiction. And yet, there's no setting. I have no idea what the university looks like, or even whether it's free-floating or in space. I have no idea what part of earth the characters live on or anything about its appearance beyond "desert." Maybe the point is for the audience to imagine everything themselves, or project themselves on the story, but I'm not buying it.
In terms of thematic work, I feel as if this novella just won't go the distance I want. There's a really impactful story about colonialism and prejudice here, but everything is under the surface. There aren't enough explicit discussions for me.
The issue is just that the characters just aren't getting the development they deserve. Binti and Okwu are two characters I really adore, and I'd love to read a whole novel about them. But this novella prefers to focus on the random details of whatever scene is being told. I can't seem to find the point.
VERDICT: This series could be so much better, but it just won't go to that place for me. I'll read the final novella, but I'm not exactly desperate.
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// SOME BASIC GOODS
While I'm still not totally sold on the symbolic nature of this series, I have to admit that Binti and Okwu - both as individuals and as a pair - are lovely. Binti's narrative around PTSD is amazing and her narrative around being mixed race is intriguing. Okwu's narrative around prejudice is very well-done. Their friendship narrative, while it struck me as a bit rushed last book, means a lot to me now. I love their weird friendship and the entire concept of them being friends.
// GIVE IT MORE DEVELOPMENT!!
The issue here is the lack of development to all the interesting things brought up here. There are fantastic characters, a great worldbuilding concept... and yet none of it is going anywhere.
I've seen so many praising this story for its worldbuilding and I have to completely disagree. The worldbuilding is utterly confusing and far underdone. The thing with confusing worldbuilding like this is you NEED some setting depiction. And yet, there's no setting. I have no idea what the university looks like, or even whether it's free-floating or in space. I have no idea what part of earth the characters live on or anything about its appearance beyond "desert." Maybe the point is for the audience to imagine everything themselves, or project themselves on the story, but I'm not buying it.
In terms of thematic work, I feel as if this novella just won't go the distance I want. There's a really impactful story about colonialism and prejudice here, but everything is under the surface. There aren't enough explicit discussions for me.
The issue is just that the characters just aren't getting the development they deserve. Binti and Okwu are two characters I really adore, and I'd love to read a whole novel about them. But this novella prefers to focus on the random details of whatever scene is being told. I can't seem to find the point.
VERDICT: This series could be so much better, but it just won't go to that place for me. I'll read the final novella, but I'm not exactly desperate.
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April 16, 2020
This review contains spoilers for Binti.
This book is very similar to its predecessor. If you enjoyed Binti, you’ll probably enjoy the sequel, Home. If you didn’t enjoy Binti, you can safely skip this one. I was somewhere in the middle on both books: They were a mix of some things I liked and some things I didn’t, but they were ultimately both entertaining enough for me to keep reading.
We’re back with a protagonist I genuinely enjoy. Binti is the same intelligent and earnest individual I remember, a girl who always tries to do the right thing for both herself and others. She has undergone significant development, which of course is great to see; her first-person narration sounded more mature this time around. Perhaps the biggest change to Binti’s character is that we see her struggle with PTSD as a result of the events of book one.
I had more problems with the characters in this book than in the previous one, probably because the bulk of book one involved only Binti and the Meduse and featured little dialogue. Book two introduces many more characters, and not all of their interactions felt organic. Okwu and the Khoush who came into contact with it acted beyond irrationally, to the point where I could no longer suspend my disbelief. In general, I don’t think Nnedi Okorafor is very skilled at writing conflict. However, I enjoyed Binti’s positive interactions with other characters, especially Okwu.
I complained that the plot of Binti felt rushed, especially toward the beginning. That was not the case here. Home had a good, strong beginning and the story moved at a steady pace all the way to the end. The worldbuilding met and exceeded the high standard Okorafor set in book one, expanding on old concepts and introducing new ones. In particular, Home explored Binti’s culture and heritage, something I had wanted to see more of after reading book one. I wasn’t pleased with the cliffhanger ending, but at least the third and final book is already out so I don’t have to wait to learn what happens.
This book is very similar to its predecessor. If you enjoyed Binti, you’ll probably enjoy the sequel, Home. If you didn’t enjoy Binti, you can safely skip this one. I was somewhere in the middle on both books: They were a mix of some things I liked and some things I didn’t, but they were ultimately both entertaining enough for me to keep reading.
We’re back with a protagonist I genuinely enjoy. Binti is the same intelligent and earnest individual I remember, a girl who always tries to do the right thing for both herself and others. She has undergone significant development, which of course is great to see; her first-person narration sounded more mature this time around. Perhaps the biggest change to Binti’s character is that we see her struggle with PTSD as a result of the events of book one.
I had more problems with the characters in this book than in the previous one, probably because the bulk of book one involved only Binti and the Meduse and featured little dialogue. Book two introduces many more characters, and not all of their interactions felt organic. Okwu and the Khoush who came into contact with it acted beyond irrationally, to the point where I could no longer suspend my disbelief. In general, I don’t think Nnedi Okorafor is very skilled at writing conflict. However, I enjoyed Binti’s positive interactions with other characters, especially Okwu.
I complained that the plot of Binti felt rushed, especially toward the beginning. That was not the case here. Home had a good, strong beginning and the story moved at a steady pace all the way to the end. The worldbuilding met and exceeded the high standard Okorafor set in book one, expanding on old concepts and introducing new ones. In particular, Home explored Binti’s culture and heritage, something I had wanted to see more of after reading book one. I wasn’t pleased with the cliffhanger ending, but at least the third and final book is already out so I don’t have to wait to learn what happens.
September 8, 2020
The worldbuilding? Perfect. The story? Perfect. The pacing? Perfect. The character arc and growth? Perfect. The exploration of the inherent bias' people have that would make them consider a nomadic people as being "uncivilized"? More than PERFECT! Nnedi did that! SHE DID THAT!!!!
February 3, 2022
Absolutely breathtaking. I'm not usually into sci-fi but this will NEVER disappoint me. This whole series has been amazing. I look forward to reading the 3rd book tomorrow. This should absolutely be a movie or TV Show, its sooo so good.
July 17, 2017
One moment, Uncle Gideon was laughing raucously at something and then the next, he was struggling to keep my father from toppling over.
“Papa!” I shrieked, jumping up. It was as if my father’s fall created a vacuum, for everyone in the room rushed toward him. My brother Bena got to him before me, pushing me aside to do so.
My mother came running. “Moaoogo,” she shouted. “Moaoogo, what is the matter?”
Bena and my uncle held him up. “I’m fine,” my father insisted, but he was out of breath. “I’m fine.” Even as he spoke, he winced, limply holding his hands together. And it was then that I noticed the joints of his fingers were extremely swollen, almost bulbous. When had my father developed arthritis? I frowned as my sister Vera stepped up beside me on one side, her son clasping her skirts, and my oldest sister Omaihi on the other. I am not short, but all of my sisters, even my younger sister Peraa, who is two years my junior, were taller than me. Between Vera and Omaihi, I felt like a child standing between adult giants.
“Papa are you alright?” my sister Omaihi asked.
“Yes, yes, yes,” our father insisted, as his brothers helped him to sit down. My brother Bena joined Vera, Omaihi, and me, his arms across his chest and a frown on his face.
“Papa’s always overdoing it,” he said. “Stands all day in the shop working on the astrolabes and then comes to dinner and still doesn’t sit down.”
“Now you see, Binti,” Vera hissed. I could feel them all glaring at me now.
“How long has he been—”
“Since you left, really,” Vera said, looking squarely at me. Bena and Omaihi looked at me too.
“What?” I asked. “You think I caused it by leaving?”
Vera scoffed and only continued glaring at me. I looked to Bena and Omaihi for support, but they said nothing.
“That’s so wrong,” I said.
“It’s the truth,” Vera said, her voice sharply rising. I looked around. She meant everyone to hear. “Binti, now that you’re here, I think you need some tough truth.”
“Before you have the nerve to disappear in the night again,” Omaihi firmly added.
“I . . . I didn’t leave at night, I left in the early morning,” I muttered. I took a deep breath, slipped my hand into my front pocket, and grasped my edan. It was mine, the object that I was studying at the university over a dozen planets away, a place my sisters, my family, had never set foot on.
Vera stepped closer, leaning in as she looked down her nose at me. Her otjize-covered locks nearly reached her knees and they made my okuoko look like buds to a tree full of blooming flowers. “See Papa! You were supposed to take over the shop, so he could sit down and be proud. We’re all very happy to see you, Binti. But you should be ashamed of yourself. Your selfishness nearly got you killed!” Now she was pointing her index finger in my face. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. “Then what would Papa do? And . . . and even if you die, the world will move on. Who are you? You’re not famous.”
I was squeezing my edan, but somehow, I stayed quiet. The entire room was quiet and listening. Where were my parents? There they were, yards away. My father was sitting now, my mother and uncles beside him. All were just looking at us.
“You’ll always be alone if you don’t stop this and come home,” my oldest sister added. Her voice wasn’t as loud as Vera’s, but it was much harder. “Jumping back and forth between planets, you have to slow down.”
A few people in the room grunted agreement.
“I’m doing what I believe the Seven created me to do!” I said. But my voice was shrill and breathless. I was dizzy from the strain of controlling my outrage, needing to say my piece and feeling that shame that had resided deep within me since I’d left. “Do you even understand what I did on that ship? Everyone was dead, except the pilot and me! I saw them do it! I—”
“Then you befriended the enemy of humanity,” my brother Bena said from behind me.
I whirled around and said, “No, the enemy of the Khoush people. You know, the people you’ve been railing against since you learned how to read?” I turned back to Vera, who grandly sucked her teeth, as she looked me up and down with disgust.
“You’re so ugly now, Binti,” she said. “You don’t even sound the same. You’re polluted. Almost eighteen years old. What man will marry you? What kind of children will you have now? Your friend Dele doesn’t even want to see you!”
That last part was like a snakebite.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have come back,” Vera growled, her face inches from mine. I could practically feel her keeping herself from punching me in the face. Do it, I told her with my eyes. I dare you. My cheeks were hot and my body had begun to tremble.
“Some of the girls here now want to do what you did,” she said. “You’re supposed to be a master harmonizer. Look at you. What harmony do you bring here?”
I tried to grab even the simplest equation, 1 + 1, 0 + 0, 5 – 2, 2 × 1. I tried to do what I did on that ship, when I held my own life in my hands, when I’d faced a race of people who detested all humans because of a few humans. But every number eluded my mental grasp. All I could see was my sister’s otjize-covered face with her long silver earrings that clicked to enunciate her words and her elaborate sandstone and gold marriage necklace that meant more to everyone here than my traveling to another planet to be a student at the greatest university in the galaxy.
She stepped even closer. “You bring dissonance! What if . . .”
“Enough!” I screamed at her, shaking with anger. “Who . . . who are you, Vera?” I couldn’t find any more words. Instead I inhaled sharply and then did something I’d never thought of doing, even when at my angriest. I spat in her face. It landed on her cheek. Immediately, I regretted my actions. However, instead of shutting up, I continued shouting, “Do you have any clue who I am?” Even as I carried the weight of my regret, it felt wonderful to roar like that at her, at everyone.
4 1/2 stars
“Papa!” I shrieked, jumping up. It was as if my father’s fall created a vacuum, for everyone in the room rushed toward him. My brother Bena got to him before me, pushing me aside to do so.
My mother came running. “Moaoogo,” she shouted. “Moaoogo, what is the matter?”
Bena and my uncle held him up. “I’m fine,” my father insisted, but he was out of breath. “I’m fine.” Even as he spoke, he winced, limply holding his hands together. And it was then that I noticed the joints of his fingers were extremely swollen, almost bulbous. When had my father developed arthritis? I frowned as my sister Vera stepped up beside me on one side, her son clasping her skirts, and my oldest sister Omaihi on the other. I am not short, but all of my sisters, even my younger sister Peraa, who is two years my junior, were taller than me. Between Vera and Omaihi, I felt like a child standing between adult giants.
“Papa are you alright?” my sister Omaihi asked.
“Yes, yes, yes,” our father insisted, as his brothers helped him to sit down. My brother Bena joined Vera, Omaihi, and me, his arms across his chest and a frown on his face.
“Papa’s always overdoing it,” he said. “Stands all day in the shop working on the astrolabes and then comes to dinner and still doesn’t sit down.”
“Now you see, Binti,” Vera hissed. I could feel them all glaring at me now.
“How long has he been—”
“Since you left, really,” Vera said, looking squarely at me. Bena and Omaihi looked at me too.
“What?” I asked. “You think I caused it by leaving?”
Vera scoffed and only continued glaring at me. I looked to Bena and Omaihi for support, but they said nothing.
“That’s so wrong,” I said.
“It’s the truth,” Vera said, her voice sharply rising. I looked around. She meant everyone to hear. “Binti, now that you’re here, I think you need some tough truth.”
“Before you have the nerve to disappear in the night again,” Omaihi firmly added.
“I . . . I didn’t leave at night, I left in the early morning,” I muttered. I took a deep breath, slipped my hand into my front pocket, and grasped my edan. It was mine, the object that I was studying at the university over a dozen planets away, a place my sisters, my family, had never set foot on.
Vera stepped closer, leaning in as she looked down her nose at me. Her otjize-covered locks nearly reached her knees and they made my okuoko look like buds to a tree full of blooming flowers. “See Papa! You were supposed to take over the shop, so he could sit down and be proud. We’re all very happy to see you, Binti. But you should be ashamed of yourself. Your selfishness nearly got you killed!” Now she was pointing her index finger in my face. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. “Then what would Papa do? And . . . and even if you die, the world will move on. Who are you? You’re not famous.”
I was squeezing my edan, but somehow, I stayed quiet. The entire room was quiet and listening. Where were my parents? There they were, yards away. My father was sitting now, my mother and uncles beside him. All were just looking at us.
“You’ll always be alone if you don’t stop this and come home,” my oldest sister added. Her voice wasn’t as loud as Vera’s, but it was much harder. “Jumping back and forth between planets, you have to slow down.”
A few people in the room grunted agreement.
“I’m doing what I believe the Seven created me to do!” I said. But my voice was shrill and breathless. I was dizzy from the strain of controlling my outrage, needing to say my piece and feeling that shame that had resided deep within me since I’d left. “Do you even understand what I did on that ship? Everyone was dead, except the pilot and me! I saw them do it! I—”
“Then you befriended the enemy of humanity,” my brother Bena said from behind me.
I whirled around and said, “No, the enemy of the Khoush people. You know, the people you’ve been railing against since you learned how to read?” I turned back to Vera, who grandly sucked her teeth, as she looked me up and down with disgust.
“You’re so ugly now, Binti,” she said. “You don’t even sound the same. You’re polluted. Almost eighteen years old. What man will marry you? What kind of children will you have now? Your friend Dele doesn’t even want to see you!”
That last part was like a snakebite.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have come back,” Vera growled, her face inches from mine. I could practically feel her keeping herself from punching me in the face. Do it, I told her with my eyes. I dare you. My cheeks were hot and my body had begun to tremble.
“Some of the girls here now want to do what you did,” she said. “You’re supposed to be a master harmonizer. Look at you. What harmony do you bring here?”
I tried to grab even the simplest equation, 1 + 1, 0 + 0, 5 – 2, 2 × 1. I tried to do what I did on that ship, when I held my own life in my hands, when I’d faced a race of people who detested all humans because of a few humans. But every number eluded my mental grasp. All I could see was my sister’s otjize-covered face with her long silver earrings that clicked to enunciate her words and her elaborate sandstone and gold marriage necklace that meant more to everyone here than my traveling to another planet to be a student at the greatest university in the galaxy.
She stepped even closer. “You bring dissonance! What if . . .”
“Enough!” I screamed at her, shaking with anger. “Who . . . who are you, Vera?” I couldn’t find any more words. Instead I inhaled sharply and then did something I’d never thought of doing, even when at my angriest. I spat in her face. It landed on her cheek. Immediately, I regretted my actions. However, instead of shutting up, I continued shouting, “Do you have any clue who I am?” Even as I carried the weight of my regret, it felt wonderful to roar like that at her, at everyone.
4 1/2 stars
September 15, 2020
3.5 stars for a tough woman looking for home.
It still has similar flaws, but Home is a lot better than the first book in the Binti-series. Certain missing scenes and information is finally shared here, and while I’m sad not to see more of Oomza space uni, the exploration of Binti’s character is fascinating.
Just like Dorothy in the The Wizard of Oz, Binti has travelled to a strange land/galaxy far away and made some unique friends (giant floating jellyfish). Now she and Okwu return to Binti’s home where she learns that she has changed in more ways than one.
Not only was I happy to see the traumatic events of last book acknowledged - you don’t just walk away from a massacre- but also to ‘soul-search’ Binti’s identity more. On earth she has to face what space has done to her, and if her old place in her Himba family still fits her.
“I felt the pain and the glory of growth, was straining and shuddering with it.”
The last part with the Desert people fitted the identity-exploration, but went way too fast. Binti very quickly accepted all that new information with little conflict and struggle: come on, you don’t simply put 17 years of prejudices aside just for your edan.
And while Binti constantly named him her friend, Okwu was there but barely present.
Still, thanks to Binti’s growth and that wicked cliffhanger – WHAT?! – I take my 3.5 up.
Read here my other reviews of the Binti trilogy books:
#1 Binti |#3 The Night Masquerade
It still has similar flaws, but Home is a lot better than the first book in the Binti-series. Certain missing scenes and information is finally shared here, and while I’m sad not to see more of Oomza space uni, the exploration of Binti’s character is fascinating.
Just like Dorothy in the The Wizard of Oz, Binti has travelled to a strange land/galaxy far away and made some unique friends (giant floating jellyfish). Now she and Okwu return to Binti’s home where she learns that she has changed in more ways than one.
Not only was I happy to see the traumatic events of last book acknowledged - you don’t just walk away from a massacre- but also to ‘soul-search’ Binti’s identity more. On earth she has to face what space has done to her, and if her old place in her Himba family still fits her.
“I felt the pain and the glory of growth, was straining and shuddering with it.”
The last part with the Desert people fitted the identity-exploration, but went way too fast. Binti very quickly accepted all that new information with little conflict and struggle: come on, you don’t simply put 17 years of prejudices aside just for your edan.
And while Binti constantly named him her friend, Okwu was there but barely present.
Still, thanks to Binti’s growth and that wicked cliffhanger – WHAT?! – I take my 3.5 up.
Read here my other reviews of the Binti trilogy books:
#1 Binti |#3 The Night Masquerade
March 11, 2022
La segunda parte de esta trilogía nos presenta a una Binti más madura que en el primer libro, con más ganas de ir tras lo que quiere y más valor para hacerle frente a quienes se oponen, aun cuando eso le cause dolor. También, esta vez sí que conocemos más de la cultura de los Himba y de otras tribus, especialmente de una, que influirá mucho en el futuro de Binti. De nuevo, la magia y la tecnología se mezclan tanto que es difícil diferenciar la una de otra, sobre todo si eres más de leer fantasía que CF (como es mi caso). Me gustaría, que ya que como es CF, las cosas tuvieran una explicación más elaborada, pero al mismo tiempo supongo que este estilo lo hace más sencillo para el público al que está dirigido el libro.
En lo negativo, siento que le sigue faltando algo y, a como veo las cosas, se va a integrar a la trama un romance que no siento necesario y tampoco creo que vaya poder ser bien desarrollado considerando que estas son novelas cortas y no sé profundiza en nada que no sea vital para que el personaje principal avance. Tampoco me gustó que la compañera de Binti casi no apareciera en esta entrega y fuera utilizada únicamente como un elemento detonante del libro, yo quería saber más sobre su especie y hasta la fecha es algo que no me han dado.
En lo negativo, siento que le sigue faltando algo y, a como veo las cosas, se va a integrar a la trama un romance que no siento necesario y tampoco creo que vaya poder ser bien desarrollado considerando que estas son novelas cortas y no sé profundiza en nada que no sea vital para que el personaje principal avance. Tampoco me gustó que la compañera de Binti casi no apareciera en esta entrega y fuera utilizada únicamente como un elemento detonante del libro, yo quería saber más sobre su especie y hasta la fecha es algo que no me han dado.
November 20, 2023
A reread for my book club :)
I was apprehensive to start this one, having just deducted a star from the first novella. Isn’t it satisfying when books hold up on a reread?
Importantly, the book stops pretending to be sci-fi and reveals its colourful science fantasy outfit. Thank you! Binti’s trauma and PTSD are addressed and explored in ways that lessened my gripes with the first novella.
Trying to reconcile who you are and your home and culture can be hard. It’s a culture that you love, yet it imprisons you, in more ways than you know. Your family loves you and hurts you – because of fear, because or prejudice, because of “this is how things should be”. Oh, Binti. This is indeed “the pain and glory of growth”.
I loved the scene when “Desert People” appeared:
“You people are so brilliant, but your world is too small,” the old woman who was my father’s mother, my grandmother said. “One of you finally somehow grows beyond your cultural cage and you want to chop her stem. Fascinating.”
The story ends with one of those horrible cliffhangers that shouldn’t be allowed. I do have the final novella within reach, so I am fine ;)
I was apprehensive to start this one, having just deducted a star from the first novella. Isn’t it satisfying when books hold up on a reread?
Importantly, the book stops pretending to be sci-fi and reveals its colourful science fantasy outfit. Thank you! Binti’s trauma and PTSD are addressed and explored in ways that lessened my gripes with the first novella.
Trying to reconcile who you are and your home and culture can be hard. It’s a culture that you love, yet it imprisons you, in more ways than you know. Your family loves you and hurts you – because of fear, because or prejudice, because of “this is how things should be”. Oh, Binti. This is indeed “the pain and glory of growth”.
I loved the scene when “Desert People” appeared:
“You people are so brilliant, but your world is too small,” the old woman who was my father’s mother, my grandmother said. “One of you finally somehow grows beyond your cultural cage and you want to chop her stem. Fascinating.”
The story ends with one of those horrible cliffhangers that shouldn’t be allowed. I do have the final novella within reach, so I am fine ;)
February 13, 2017
The flow of death like water I’d fallen into that in some twisted way gave me a new life.
Home is the aftermath of Binti going to Oomza Uni. Many changes in so little time, and she feels then is time to go home, to her pilgrimage.
There is so many themes here that I hesitate for where start. There is sci-fi that appeals to different ways of thinking , and made us aware of a future with other eyes and ethics. And there is sci-fi that made us think about our idiosincracy. This is old school sci-fi asking: we have to let go of ourselves to get live in another worlds? how much is too much or enough?
The quandary of the girl with her family, and what is expected of her is universal.
In another hand, we get trapped once more in the story for the strange culture, not the alien culture in case you're wondering, but for the Himba culture. I don't know how much is veridic or a piece of fantasy, but it's fascinating.
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Me sorprende de hecho la fascinación de la protagonista por el desierto rojo de Namibia, no creo que nadie que viva en el desierto sienta mucho amor por dunas y sol, sin contar con el frio horrible por la noche, sí, es lindo como turismo y sacar fotos, pero vivir alli es otro cuento (esto me recuerda a la pelicula de Lawrence de Arabia cuando comenta algo parecido Omar Shariff al mentado Lawrence). Uno ama el agua, las plantas, hasta el mar, pero no el desierto en sí ni la pampa.
Hay temas para rato en el mundo de Binti
We will see what happen after the cliffhanger.
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Ideas después de terminar el libro:
-termina en cliffhanger.
-la segunda mitad del libro fue mejor que la primera.
-quiero ver que pasa después.
Home is the aftermath of Binti going to Oomza Uni. Many changes in so little time, and she feels then is time to go home, to her pilgrimage.
There is so many themes here that I hesitate for where start. There is sci-fi that appeals to different ways of thinking , and made us aware of a future with other eyes and ethics. And there is sci-fi that made us think about our idiosincracy. This is old school sci-fi asking: we have to let go of ourselves to get live in another worlds? how much is too much or enough?
The quandary of the girl with her family, and what is expected of her is universal.
In another hand, we get trapped once more in the story for the strange culture, not the alien culture in case you're wondering, but for the Himba culture. I don't know how much is veridic or a piece of fantasy, but it's fascinating.
--------------------
Me sorprende de hecho la fascinación de la protagonista por el desierto rojo de Namibia, no creo que nadie que viva en el desierto sienta mucho amor por dunas y sol, sin contar con el frio horrible por la noche, sí, es lindo como turismo y sacar fotos, pero vivir alli es otro cuento (esto me recuerda a la pelicula de Lawrence de Arabia cuando comenta algo parecido Omar Shariff al mentado Lawrence). Uno ama el agua, las plantas, hasta el mar, pero no el desierto en sí ni la pampa.
Hay temas para rato en el mundo de Binti
We will see what happen after the cliffhanger.
----------------------------------
Ideas después de terminar el libro:
-termina en cliffhanger.
-la segunda mitad del libro fue mejor que la primera.
-quiero ver que pasa después.
February 2, 2020
There was so much to embrace and enjoy in the second ‘Binti’ novella, but ultimately I felt that it just scrapped the surface of its potential.
The stand out is Binti herself, and her ultimate internal battle about who she is, what she is, and the cultural prejudices she has been raised in, and also been subjected too. She’s an intelligent woman, strong, yet also naive and sheltered in her understanding of the wider world. This makes her endearing, and her ability to learn and need to understand everything makes her instantly likeable. I also loved her relationship with Okwu, who is so black and white in its emotions (especially anger) that the pair make a good team. Hard and soft, both still learning about the other and becoming friends in the process. My only regret is that there isn’t enough of Okwu in the second half of the book.
That said, the second half of the book is my favourite section. We learn a lot more about Binti, and the culture and world building are vastly expanded and (to a certain extent) explained while also moving the plot forward. It’s a unique concept that is entirely gripping, steeped in a rich lore and mythology that I just wish was expand on even more. There was so much potential to go beyond what is written, and explain things even more that it almost starts to feel like an outline of a greater story that’s missing some vital pieces. That said, it’s also incredibly diverse with trans representation as well as cultural, that fits perfectly into the story without making a big deal out of it.
I really like Binti and it’s premise, and the cliffhanger this ends on means I’ll definitely be sure to pick up the last in the series.
The stand out is Binti herself, and her ultimate internal battle about who she is, what she is, and the cultural prejudices she has been raised in, and also been subjected too. She’s an intelligent woman, strong, yet also naive and sheltered in her understanding of the wider world. This makes her endearing, and her ability to learn and need to understand everything makes her instantly likeable. I also loved her relationship with Okwu, who is so black and white in its emotions (especially anger) that the pair make a good team. Hard and soft, both still learning about the other and becoming friends in the process. My only regret is that there isn’t enough of Okwu in the second half of the book.
That said, the second half of the book is my favourite section. We learn a lot more about Binti, and the culture and world building are vastly expanded and (to a certain extent) explained while also moving the plot forward. It’s a unique concept that is entirely gripping, steeped in a rich lore and mythology that I just wish was expand on even more. There was so much potential to go beyond what is written, and explain things even more that it almost starts to feel like an outline of a greater story that’s missing some vital pieces. That said, it’s also incredibly diverse with trans representation as well as cultural, that fits perfectly into the story without making a big deal out of it.
I really like Binti and it’s premise, and the cliffhanger this ends on means I’ll definitely be sure to pick up the last in the series.
March 13, 2017
Ten MORE things to enjoy in Home, the sequel to Binti
1) A move from the interplanetary scope of the first instalment to the more personal.
2) A pregnant, organic, shrimp-like spaceship!!!
3) Expansion of the key mysteries left unanswered by the end of the first novella.
4) A return to the unique Namibia of the future introduced in the first novella.
5) A story motivated by mystery, where the violence of the last novella appears only as the trauma it has left in its wake.
6) An investigation of how quickly an inclusive culture can ostracize someone who steps outside of their cultural expectations.
7) A nice short read that feels sort of like the mid-point of a novel, or perhaps a serialized television series.
8) A look at how prejudice and stereotyping is all to often ignorance and how that ignorance hinders Binti in her journey.
9) The writing, again, is really compelling and serves the world-building tale extremely well. The world of Binti is one that distinguishes itself from the sci-fi crowd.
10) An intriguing cliffhanger that leaves fates and mysteries to be unveiled in the novella series final chapter. I'm looking forward to it!
1) A move from the interplanetary scope of the first instalment to the more personal.
2) A pregnant, organic, shrimp-like spaceship!!!
3) Expansion of the key mysteries left unanswered by the end of the first novella.
4) A return to the unique Namibia of the future introduced in the first novella.
5) A story motivated by mystery, where the violence of the last novella appears only as the trauma it has left in its wake.
6) An investigation of how quickly an inclusive culture can ostracize someone who steps outside of their cultural expectations.
7) A nice short read that feels sort of like the mid-point of a novel, or perhaps a serialized television series.
8) A look at how prejudice and stereotyping is all to often ignorance and how that ignorance hinders Binti in her journey.
9) The writing, again, is really compelling and serves the world-building tale extremely well. The world of Binti is one that distinguishes itself from the sci-fi crowd.
10) An intriguing cliffhanger that leaves fates and mysteries to be unveiled in the novella series final chapter. I'm looking forward to it!
April 20, 2019
"I was clear now. I wanted to go home, but I wanted to solve the Edan more. Everything comes with sacrifice."
This was good but so frustrating! After the events of the last book Binti is a galactic hero, but when she goes home her family treats her like a big ol'zero.
The love of her friends and family is conditional on her never returning to school, to laboring happily for her brothers gain, to giving up her dreams. And most importantly, they need Binti to condemn herself because her example inspires other young women to reach for the stars.
Bad as all that is it's worse when you see Binti, victim of so much prejudice, find it in herself to be small minded and prejudiced towards others. How human is that?
It's a complicated situation as Binti is trying to balance her traditional beliefs, education, preconceptions, and power.
Or rather, she makes it complicated. Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds, it is an ever fixed point. Binti needs to let everyone know 'You take me as I am or you take a hike.' I want to see her go home strong and drop some Lemonade on that loud family of hers.
I'll have to wait until January to find out if Binti has it in her.
May 6, 2018
[3.5 Stars]
I usually round my rating down if they're .5, but this one was a really strong 3.5 for me. I really enjoyed the commentary on how detrimental rigid expectations can be and how people will be cruel to you sometimes, thinking it's for your own good, because you're disrupting what is viewed as "normal." I really like that the main character stays true to doing what is best for her, and I think that's valuable. I also felt more invested in Binti and her situation than I did in the first novella.
Yet, I found the ending really abrupt and not very ending-like. There is not any catharsis which I think is important if you're going to end an installment. I started reading the next novella, and they should maybe have just been combined because they flow from one to the other without any time passing. The ending of Home would be less jarring. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Home's ending was more akin to the ending of a middle chapter in a story than the ending to a novella.
I enjoyed this, and I'm obviously continuing with the series!
I usually round my rating down if they're .5, but this one was a really strong 3.5 for me. I really enjoyed the commentary on how detrimental rigid expectations can be and how people will be cruel to you sometimes, thinking it's for your own good, because you're disrupting what is viewed as "normal." I really like that the main character stays true to doing what is best for her, and I think that's valuable. I also felt more invested in Binti and her situation than I did in the first novella.
Yet, I found the ending really abrupt and not very ending-like. There is not any catharsis which I think is important if you're going to end an installment. I started reading the next novella, and they should maybe have just been combined because they flow from one to the other without any time passing. The ending of Home would be less jarring. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Home's ending was more akin to the ending of a middle chapter in a story than the ending to a novella.
I enjoyed this, and I'm obviously continuing with the series!
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