Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

This is our discussion topic for the 2015 SF Novella...


Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Note that this is a novella, less than 100 pages, so the e-book is by far the more economical value. (There's also an audiobook at Audible.)

Those curious can find a free excerpt on Tor.com.

I read it last week while I was away from home. It is a quick read.

I started reading it this morning. I'm greatly enjoying this mashup of African culture, shamanismed Computer Science, space opera with BEMs and strange artifacts.

Has anyone read Who Fears Death? How does it compare?

General impressions (non-spoiler)

When I started this, I was under the impression it was science fiction. Because: space travel and aliens. After reading a bit, I decided it also had significant fantasy elements, I think (not entirely sure.)

Okorafor is lighter on exposition than most of her fellow authors. She throws out a lot of things in passing, few of which are important to the plot, but which sort of hang there in my mind. You can either figure out what these are, or not, according to your predilections. Although this references real places on Earth, it seems an alternate Earth, perhaps, not just a future Earth.

Binti is a 16-year-old girl in Namibia, a Himba (which is a real indigenous peoples of Namibia.) Her father is a Harmonizer who makes Astrolabes.

Binti comments that most of the people in the neighboring city are Khoush. I couldn't find a reference to that as a real national/ethnic/cultural group. (For all I know, it's an alien race.) Anyone have any ideas on that?

Astrolabe: not your grandmother's star-sighting device. Apparently a communications device (that either itself or through a network is faster-than-light, ansible-style), an information source, and can also serve as a pair of binoculars. (!)

Harmonizer: I initially thought this was some sort of specialized technician, but there seems to be some sort of mystical component.

Spaceships seem to comprise living material (though not apparently sentient.)

Is it the same alternate/future earth as Who Fears Death or a different alternate/future earth?

Khoush: Veiling seems important to Khoush culture (conjuring up associations of Middle Eastern cultures, although there's no exact analog -- male Khoush, for example, seem to wear face veils) & there's no physical description that suggests they're anything other than human. However, the impression I get is that they're invaders/colonizers -- maybe this is one of those universes where human evolution on earth was actually influenced/seeded by more advanced galactic human-types? who later returned to take over? Or perhaps Khoush are human-like alien colonizers? Or did other folks get the feeling that Khoush are Earth natives?

My feeling is that it's a different world from Who Fears Death. I presumed future Earth here, although alt Earth might make sense of some of the maybe-fantasy elements.

Now, the science of the living spaceship seemed pretty grounded to me compared to the mysticism of harmonizing or treeing. I'm picturing a giant space grouper.

G33, my first thought was like the ship on Seaquest DSV. ??

Amelia wrote: "G33, my first thought was like the ship on Seaquest DSV. ??"

I guess I don't remember that series very well. Did it have a living submarine? I only remember Roy Scheider and a dolphin; and that barely. I do remember Farscape and Lexx had living ships on TV. And in novels, a few such as Liveship Traders, Boojum, & Xenogenesis. (not to be confused with mechanical ships with living brains, e.g. The End of All Things & Xuya.)

Brendan wrote: "Is it the same alternate/future earth as Who Fears Death or a different alternate/future earth?"

Based on the first three chapters of Who Fears Death, I couldn't tell. Both have a curious mix of old and new technology, and aliens, but they take place in different parts of Africa and I didn't find any obvious parallels (e.g. no mention of astrolabes or Maduse.)

Well I will probably start Binti soon, I need something short to read after I finish the marathon that is Blue Mars.

Hillary wrote: "I presumed future Earth here, although alt Earth might make sense of some of the maybe-fantasy elements...."

I originally thought alternate Earth, but after looking at Who Fears Death, a future, post-apocalypse & re-developed Earth seems a better bet. Jack Vance put fantasy elements into his The Dying Earth, so adding some magic such as harmonizers is hardly without precedent. :)

As I mentioned before, Okorafor is really light on exposition. Her world just is, and she won't digress to explain the how or why. (Sort of the antithesis of Brandon Sanderson or David Weber, who have to write entire treatise on history, magic systems and technology.)

The main character is Binti, a 16-year-old Himba girl who decides to run away from home, kick the small-town dust off her feet and seek a new life out among the stars. (Except she doesn't actually kick the dust off her feet. In fact, like a vampire bringing some of his native soil along, she packs up a good deal of her native soil to take with her as Otjize, a mud the Himba use as makeup. Despite the fact the Otjize earns her a lot of odd looks (and a few insults), she decides to stick with the look. (You'd think in a multi-alien race universe, a girl with a bit of mud in her hair wouldn't be the most unusual thing you see.)

In addition to the Otjize, Binti brings her astrolabe (which I keep thinking of as a smart phone) and something called an Edan. Apparently the latter is some random piece of alien technology she found and keeps as a good luck charm. It also serves much the purpose as Chekhov's Gun.

Sorry, G33z3r, I've read it now. No, nothing like Seaquest. Seaquest had a living "bio-skin", the whole ship wasn't alive...like a giant shrimp! Ha!

Hillary wrote: "there's no physical description that suggests [Khoush] are anything other than human. However, the impression I get is that they're invaders/colonizers -- maybe this is one of those universes where human evolution on earth was actually influenced/seeded by more advanced galactic human-types? who later returned to take over? Or perhaps Khoush are human-like alien colonizers? Or did other folks get the feeling that Khoush are Earth natives?..."

By the way, I found a reference on second reading that made it pretty clear that Khoush are human: "There were 12 other students, all human, all Khoush". Seems probative.

My impression was that they were human, that the difference was purely a cultural/racial/nationality type of divide.

Binti is a talented 17 year old girl in Namibia who sneakes off her village without the consent of her relatives to study mathematics at the prestigiuous Oomza Uni at some distant planet. She has never left her village before and her folk, the Himba, are quite isolated. Some mysterious technology at the edge between fantasy and SF comes in - she is a so called "Harmonizer", working on miraculous "Astrolabes". She is confronted with lots of prejudices against her culture, including the habit of otjize paste, or jingling ankle rings.

A group of space terrorists, jellyfish-like Meduse, board her spaceship and she has to talk for her life.

Review

Full of ideas - e.g. the Zen-like "treeing" of mathematics, or a living spaceship in the form of a shrimp - and cultural background, a good bit of action, but lots of plot holes - especially when Binti encounters the aliens. I loved the optimistic view despite all of the confrontations which is a great diversion from all those dark dystopian stories that I read the last couple of months. Only the ending is in urgent need of better development and I'd have loved to see a bit more of character development.

I wonder if this novella will be expanded to a full novel, because several unanswered questions just call out for a couple more pages. I'd like to read more of this extrapolation of African culture to space.

One of the negative things that struck me about Binti was the plot-convenience of certain elements. For example, not only is Binti a Harmonizer, she just happens to be from a people who use Otjize, which just happens to have salubrious effects on the Meduse. And, she carries an unknown artifact, her Edan (totem or good luck charm?) that just happens to have injurious effects on Meduse. Plot trifecta now in play.

Finished this one last night. I really liked it, though G's criticism that Binti was maybe just a little too super-dee-dooper special was fair. It was all very neatly wrapped up, but the short story format doesn't leave a ton of room for ambiguity.

By far the most important lesson from the story: don't touch other people's hair without permission!

Brendan wrote: "By far the most important lesson from the story: don't touch other people's hair without permission! ..."

Speaking of which, did anyone wonder how a mere archaeologist managed to steal a stinger from the boss man? That could be a book in itself.