Binti

What Hacker News says

1. basementcatSep 2024
   Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binti_(novella)

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2. gertrundeOct 2022
   There is Nnedi Okorafor - Binti, which I enjoyed (a series of three novellas, so fairly short overall).

   There's quite a lot of interesting African sci-fi around at the moment, usually feels quite different from the usual western fare.

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3. morelispAug 2020
   Of recent laureates I really loved This Is How you Lose The Time War as well as Binti (this is a trilogy, but combined form something novel-length). Becky Chambers's recent novella To Be Taught, if Fortunate was a major step up imo, and the more utopian view of space exploration (less SpaceX hype machine, more cooperative citizen science) is incredibly welcome for me. (I also liked her previous novels, but level of prose did not match the high-quality world-building - but if you are an sf fan you are probably used to this.) I'd suggest Aliette de Bodard's Xuya universe to anyone who likes The Culture, Immersion is often recommended but the one that's stuck most with me is The Shipmaker. If you like Douglas Adams, Catherynne Valente's Space Opera is in a similar vein but also beautifully extra. If you like your sf humor darker and more muted, try Johanna Sinisalo's The Core of the Sun.

   Other than Binti none of these are a multi-novel series, which I agree is way too common. ("Thanks" for that among many other terrible directions in sf literature, Robert Jordan.)

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4. chrisofspadesJul 2020
   Nnedi Okorafor's Binti would be a great modern addition to this list.
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5. beatDec 2018
   Recommendations from my reading this year:

   Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. #1 with a bullet! This is the best, most useful book I've read in many years, and totally changed how I think about my thinking, and how other people (especially smart people) think. This is a must-read for anyone who thinks they're engaged and well-informed.

   The Cooking Gene, by Michael Twitty. This was recommended to me by a very smart friend as the best book she read in 2017. It's behind only Factfulness for me. Ostensibly a history of African-American cooking in the South, it's a sprawling yet deeply personal work of history, genealogy, multiculturalism, and of course food. A masterpiece, full of knowledge, wisdom, and heart.

   Prisoners of Geography, by Tim Marshall. An overview of political geography, and how the physical structure of land and water affects the cultures living there, their opportunities, and their place in the world. It caused a total rethink about why Europe and the US have been so successful, and why Africa and South America have suffered. A worthy companion to the classic Guns, Germs, and Steel.

   Let's Go (So We Can Get Back), by Jeff Tweedy. An autobiography by the Wilco frontman, talking about a lot of stuff I find intensely interesting - depression, being a bandleader, and being a parent and husband.

   Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor. An outstanding science fiction novella from an entirely different perspective - an African future.

   The Ethics of Ambiguity, by Simone de Beauvoir. A mid-century philosophy classic, tackling ethics from an existentialist perspective. Dense and difficult, but also highly entertaining and brilliant. Highly recommended if you read philosophy regularly (if you don't, start with something a little lighter!).

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6. KapuraDec 2018
   This year was a year in which, along with everything else, I read a number of standout scifi trilogies:

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   Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (African girl goes to space, becomes a unifying force in the galaxy)

   - Binti

   - Binti: Home

   - Binti: The Night Masquerade

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   Remembrance of Earth's Past by Liu Cixin (Humans make first contact and it doesn't go all that well)

   - The Three Body Problem

   - The Dark Forest

   - Death's End

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   Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie (A spaceship's AI becomes confined to a single human body and seeks revenge)

   - Ancillary Justice

   - Ancillary Sword

   - Ancillary Mercy

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   Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin (Earth really hates humans, but some people have the power to control the earthquakes)

   - The Fifth Season

   - The Obelisk Gate

   - The Stone Sky

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