LAGOON

301pp., paperback, London, 2014

A futurist novel about a meteorite hitting the ocean just off Lagos, Nigeria. It's up to a famous rapper, a biologist, a rogue soldier and an alien ambassador to prevent mass extinction.

"Lagoon is a thing of magic and beauty. It grips you, right from the opening lines, and sucks you into the deep waters of its mystery. The different currents of Okorafor's creation cross, clash and splash curiosity... you breathe with expectation, thirsting for more. Nnedi Okorafor is a master storyteller." Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, author of Wizard of the Crow

"Lagoon mixes a traditional trope of SF – first contact with visitors from the stars – with African magical realism to create a lyrical, poetic mash-up examining social deprivation, religious excess and the power of story on our lives." Eric Brown, The Guardian

Nnedi Okorafor is a writer of African-based science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Born in the USA to Nigerian immigrant parents, Okorafor is Professor at the University at Buffalo, New York (SUNY). She is the author of the novel Who Fears Death.