Fantasy Annotation: The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor
Author : Nnedi Okorafor Title : The Book of Phoenix Genre : Fantasy/SF/Magical realism Publication Date : 2015 Number of Pages: 232 Geographical Setting: Dystopian former United States, Ghana, Africa Time Period : The not too distant future Series : Who Fears Death Plot Summary : Phoenix is only two years old, but she looks forty. She is the product of a corporation/dystopian government project that uses genetic experiments to create “speciMen,” creatures/people hybrids, coded for specific purposes. Some “projects” fail and others succeed. Some speciMen for instance supply the world’s elite with organs. In Phoenix’s case, she learns she is a weapon, driven by a thirst for justice she turns her powers of destruction on her careless and selfish creators. As Phoenix’s name suggests, this story, despite the science fiction elements, is fundamentally a fable. The author Nnedi Okorafor is a first generation Nigerian American. She skillfully weaves fairy tale elements,