2020. 2. 27. 08:05ㆍ카테고리 없음
EnterNnedi Okorafor’s 2014 Lagoon. About aliens who arrive in Nigeria bearing amessage of love, likewise all manner of chaos is unleashed as they spreadknowledge of their mission. Lagoon is significantly different fromHeinlein in tone and attitude, however. Rather than bludgeoning the reader with jaded cynicism, Okoraforpresents the social and political issues Nigeria is dealing with in candidfashion while integrating the alien viewpoint, arriving at something greener,something more holistic than just the disparaging dichotomy of Heinlein. Her commentary may sometimes be (indirectly)cutting, but Lagoon remains a warm,parental novel—the strong hand of love—that is more constructive thandestructive. Not just Heinlein’s stick,Okorafor also offers the carrot.
Nigeriarunning with the colors of sunshine and blood, shiny mobile phones and grittystreets, and old and new world beliefs in its move toward a globalized country,Lagoon is foremost a brilliantcharacter study—the capitol Lagos itself that character in transition. An anthill kicked by the arrival of aliensoff Bar Beach, the true personalities of its citizens emerge in theaftermath. Renewed faiths, mass exodus,rioting, public gatherings, military action, opportunism, confrontation—allsend the people scurrying toward the anchors of their souls they rarely lookedto in everyday life. But justperhaps it means a new dawn for Lagos. Arising from the sea is the angelic light of the alien Ayodele.
Of the “we come in peace” variety, shepromises a better life, and is met with a host of reactions. Attempts at kidnapping, flight, stunnedwonder, social media explosions, knock-kneed terror, religious backlash—thepeople of Lagos are struck by her. Father Oke sees the arrival as a chance to spread the gospel to thestars. Adaora wants to dig deeper intothe science behind the aliens, all the while balancing her family’stroubles.
And the rapper, Anthony DeyCraze, wants to capitalize in fame and money. But for all, Ayodele holds a promise that Lagos may not be able tocontain. It’s thusthat the theatrical structure of Lagoonis fitting. When encountering “Act I,” Iput in my notes “ any underlying purpose?” Okorafor uses the idea wonderfully. In addition to the stage presence her maincharacters achieve, breaking the novel up like a play serves to also spotlightsaid transitions they, and the city, go through. Enhanced by the arch tone of each of theact’s prologues, Okorafor shows exquisite command throughout her story, guidingthe city and its people through the alien landing to beyond. Lagos may seem to have burst its bounds onnumerous occasions trying to deal with Ayodele’s existence, but continuallyOkorafor’s gentle hand coaxes the chaos toward pertinent, poignant resolutionsproperly staged, prior.
In theend, Lagoon is a science fiction loveletter to Lagos and Nigeria. Whileadmonishing her countrymen for their faults, Okorafor extends her arms toembrace them, whispering in their ears of better things, of higher goals thanjust religious conformance, political corruption, and commercial greed. The colors of the city warmly and vividlypresented, Okorafor creates an African version of Heinlein’s yet does amarkedly better job balancing issues at stake and solutions possible. Full of dynamic, breathing characters builton a sentiment that rises above the bumps and bruises the country takes comingto terms with aliens in their waters, it is a prosaic, motherly, transcendentnovel that really stands out in 2014. (For those who read Lagoon andare looking for something similar, try John Kessel’s 1989 or Ian Watson's.).I shouldconfess that I listened to the audiobook of Lagoon.
This is a confession because, I believe thevoice acting so superb as to have affected my better judgment of thenovel. Adjoa Andoh andBen Onwukwe are perfect. Listening to the voices of the characters issheer pleasure that lingers while the story is being told. The narration bubbling and diving parallel tostory, I’m quite certain it influenced my opinion to the point the “reading experience”was completely different than the average rainy day and cup of tea. Highly, highly recommended. Hey thanks for this review as well as the confession at the end.
I skimmed the review itself to avoid possible spoilers because the comparison to Heinlein was enough to convince me to seek it out. I started Stranger in a Strange Land last year but only got through about twenty or so pages - that had to do with the style of story telling more than anything else. Heinlein I've always struggled with. But the confession was also useful because I've also struggled with reading for almost fifteen years now, where for ten years prior I had no issues, and have never tried the audiobook route.Thanks!:).
Firstly, thanks for stopping by my backwaters of the web. I do my very best not to include spoilers in my reviews, so feel free to read.:)Regarding audiobooks, the quality depends on many factors - some inherent to the text and some to the voice actors. A good voice actor enhances, or at least doesn't detract from a story, whereas bad one completely destroys the experience. That being said, I think there are some stories that work very well in audio format, while others fall flat.
Listening to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow would be a futile experience, whereas works more plot and character centric have a chance of being good in audio format - as long as the voice actor is good, of course. In short, not all audiobooks are good, and not all books were made to be read, but Lagoon I can whole-heartedly recommend. AnonymousLots of yes, yes, yessing as I read your review! You completely captured my experience with Lagoon, which I also enjoyed in the superb audiobook format with those brilliant actors. I'm with you that they add a dimension that the book-book version probably does not provide.I love the comparison to Heinlein, and never would have thought about connecting Lagoon's compassion with the destructiveness of Stranger in a Strange Land, but this is just brilliant. Where Heinlein gets distracted by the things that, er, usually, predictably, distract him, Okorafor offers some real, biting commentary about the world at large.
She intertwines humor with violence in a natural way and you can tell she had a lot of fun with it (as did the actors). A fun and necessary addition to the First Contact field.
“She flies higher than she’s ever flown before, maybe she is trying to leave the earth. She isn’t sure, she isn’t thinking about it. She’s far in her mind, deep in her own thoughts, the air on her wings feels amazing, she is swimming, rolling through the air as if it’s water. She lifts her head as she flies and lets out a series of loud chirps. And that’s when she sees it. The largest bat ever. Flying faster than any hawk or eagle or owl, roaring like some sort of monster.
She doesn’t know the human word ‘dragon’ otherwise she would call it that. There is no time to flee.
Binti By Nnedi Okorafor Pdf
No time to turn. No time to shriek, and no pain. It is like being thrown into the stars.”―Nnedi Okorafor.