Book Series Guide
Nnedi Okorafor

Author guide

Nnedi Okorafor Books in Order

Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American writer whose work spans science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, nonfiction, plays, and comics for readers of all ages. Drawing on Nigerian and Igbo cultures, history, mythology, and contemporary life, she coined and advocates the terms Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism. Her books include Who Fears Death, the Binti trilogy, the Nsibidi Scripts series, Lagoon, The Book of Phoenix, Remote Control, Noor, and Death of the Author. She has received Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus, Lodestar, Eisner, and Wole Soyinka Prize honors.

science fictionfantasyspeculative fictionAfricanfuturismAfricanjujuismyoung adultmiddle gradechildren's literaturenonfictionmemoircomicsgraphic novelsplays

Catalog record updated .

Nnedi Okorafor's Newest Book

Cover of The Daughter Who Remains

The Daughter Who Remains

novella · First published 2026

Featuring Najeeba, now older and wiser than readers have ever known her, this is a tale of family, courage, and healing Najeeba has something terrible to kill. And now she’s off to go and kill it. A fully trained, mature, and sharply focused sorcerer (don’t call her sorceress), Najeeba has left the comfort and security of her town with two companions, the glass maker Dedan and the old camel MorningStar. This journey takes her back to where it all began. And despite the fact that her training with the sorcerer Aro forced her to face her deepest fears, she hasn’t seen anything close to what she’s about to see. As the Igbo proverb goes, a masquerade does not dance for nothing. The Daughter Who Remains is the final book in the She Who Knows trilogy. This tale isn’t about Najeeba learning to master her powerful skills, it’s about her having the audacity and courage to use them and use them well…no matter the consequence.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Binti

Binti

The best entry point for the Binti trilogy and a compact introduction to Okorafor's science fiction.

Cover of Akata Witch

Akata Witch

The starting point of the Nsibidi Scripts series and a strong introduction to her young adult fantasy.

Cover of Who Fears Death

Who Fears Death

A foundational adult novel and the first published entry point to the universe later expanded by The Book of Phoenix and She Who Knows.

Cover of Zahrah the Windseeker

Zahrah the Windseeker

Her debut novel and an accessible introduction to her middle-grade and young adult fantasy.

Cover of Lagoon

Lagoon

A standalone adult novel that showcases her Africanfuturist science fiction.

Read in order

Books by series

duology · complete

The Desert Magician Duology

A young adult fantasy series consisting of The Shadow Speaker and Like Thunder.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Shadow Speaker

    Book 1 · young-adult-novel · 2007

  2. 2
    Like Thunder

    Book 2 · young-adult-novel · 2023

trilogy · complete

The Binti Trilogy

A science-fiction novella trilogy following Binti, a Himba mathematician who travels to Oomza University and brokers peace among alien civilizations.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Binti

    Book 1 · novella · 2015

    Collected for the first time in an omnibus edition, the Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning Binti trilogy, the story of one extraordinary girl's journey from her home to distant Oomza University. In her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, Nnedi…

  2. 2
    Binti: Home

    Book 2 · novella · 2017

  3. 3
    Binti: The Night Masquerade

    Book 3 · novella · 2018

    Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to…

series · complete

The Nsibidi Scripts

A young adult fantasy series about Sunny Nwazue and the magical world of the Leopard People.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Akata Witch

    Book 1 · young-adult-novel · 2011

    Akata Witch transports the reader to a magical place where nothing is quite as it seems. Born in New York, but living in Aba, Nigeria, twelve-year old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino and thus, incredibly sensitive to…

  2. 2
    Akata Warrior

    Book 2 · young-adult-novel · 2017

    A year ago, Sunny Nwazue, an American-born girl Nigerian girl, was inducted into the secret Leopard Society. As she began to develop her magical powers, Sunny learned that she had been chosen to lead a dangerous mission to avert an…

  3. 3
    Akata Woman

    Book 3 · young-adult-novel · 2022

    From the moment Sunny Nwazue discovered she had magic flowing in her blood, she sought to understand and control her powers. Throughout her adventures in Akata Witch and Akata Warrior, she had to navigate the balance between nearly…

series · complete

Shuri

A Marvel graphic-novel series featuring Shuri, princess of Wakanda and sister of Black Panther.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Shuri: The Search for Black Panther

    Book 1 · graphic-novel · 2018

  2. 2
    Shuri: 24/7 Vibranium

    Book 2 · graphic-novel · 2019

trilogy · complete

She Who Knows

A novella trilogy set in the universe first introduced in Who Fears Death and centered on Najeeba, Onyesonwu's mother.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    She Who Knows

    Book 1 · novella · 2024

    Najeeba knows. She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s…

  2. 2
    One Way Witch

    Book 2 · novella · 2025

    Set in the universe Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor first introduced in the World Fantasy Award-winning Who Fears Death, One Way Witch is the second in the She Who Knows trilogy The world has forgotten Onyesonwu. As a teen,…

  3. 3
    The Daughter Who Remains

    Book 3 · novella · 2026

    Featuring Najeeba, now older and wiser than readers have ever known her, this is a tale of family, courage, and healing Najeeba has something terrible to kill. And now she’s off to go and kill it. A fully trained, mature, and sharply…

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (15)
  1. Zahrah the Windseeker

    young-adult-novel · 2005

    In the northern Ooni Kingdom, fear of the unknown runs deep, and children born dada are rumored to have special powers. Thirteen-year-old Zahrah Tsami feels like a normal girl -- she grows her own flora computer, has mirrors sewn onto her…

  2. Who Fears Death

    novel · 2010

    In a far future, post-nuclear-holocaust Africa, genocide plagues one region. The aggressors, the Nuru, have decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke. But when the only surviving member of a slain Okeke village is…

  3. Hello, Moto

    novella · 2011

  4. Lagoon

    novel · 2014

    When a massive object crashes into the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous and legendary city, three people wandering along Bar Beach (Adaora, the marine biologist- Anthony, the rapper famous throughout Africa- Agu, the…

  5. The Book of Phoenix

    novel · 2015

    A fiery spirit dances from the pages of the Great Book. She brings the aroma of scorched sand and ozone. She has a story to tell…. The Book of Phoenix is a unique work of magical futurism. A prequel to the highly acclaimed, World Fantasy…

  6. Black Panther: Long Live the King

    graphic-novel · 2017

    HEAVY IS THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN! As the Black Panther and an Avenger, T'Challa has had to save the world time and again - but those duties pale in comparison to his responsibilities as king of Wakanda. As the nation rebuilds in the…

  7. LaGuardia

    graphic-novel · 2018

    From Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award Winner Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death, Binti, Akata series) comes Laguardia. Set in an alternative world where aliens have come to Earth and integrated with society, LaGuardia revolves around a…

  8. Wakanda Forever

    graphic-novel · 2018

  9. Antar: The Black Knight

    graphic-novel · 2018

  10. Remote Control

    novella · 2021

    An alien artifact turns a young girl into Death's adopted daughter in Remote Control, a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment from Nebula and Hugo Award-winner Nnedi Okorafor “She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of…

  11. Noor

    novel · 2021

    Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying…

  12. Shuri: Wakanda Forever

    graphic-novel · 2020

  13. After the Rain

    graphic-novel · 2021

    After the Rain is an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s short story, “On the Road.” The adaptation, written by John Jennings and illustrated by David Brame, begins in Nigeria during a powerful and unexpected storm. While visiting her…

  14. Death of the Author

    novel · 2025

    Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister’s…

  15. The Space Cat

    graphic-novel · 2025

    Invaders from outer space have descended on Nigeria. They have no idea whose home they're messing with. Ah, yes, the luxurious life of a well-loved cat. It’s the best. And Periwinkle has it the cushiest. But there’s more to this pampered…

Nonfiction (1)
  1. Broken Places & Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected

    memoir · 2019

    A powerful journey from star athlete to sudden paralysis to creative awakening, award-winning science fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor shows that what we think are our limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths. Nnedi…

Short fiction (1)
  1. Kabu Kabu

    short-story-collection · 2013

    Kabu Kabu - unregistered, illegal Nigerian taxis - generally get you where you need to go, but Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu takes the reader to exciting, fantastic, magical, occasionally dangerous, and always imaginative locations. This…

Children's books (4)
  1. Long Juju Man

    children's-novel · 2009

  2. Iridessa and the Secret of the Never Mine

    children's-novel · 2012

    "Iridessa is one of the bravest fairies in Pixie Hollow. But one night, she accidentally gets lost in the Never Mine and sees a monster in the tunnels! After that, something unexpected happens. Iridessa becomes afraid of the dark!"--Back…

  3. Chicken in the Kitchen

    children's-book · 2020

    1 volume (unpaged) : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cmAD560L Lexile

  4. Ikenga

    middle-grade-novel · 2020

    Nnedi Okorafor's acclaimed first novel for middle grade readers introduces a boy who can access super powers with the help of the magical Ikenga. Nnamdi's father was a good chief of police, perhaps the best Kalaria had ever had. He was…

Plays (1)
  1. Full Moon

    play · 2005

Frequently asked questions about Nnedi Okorafor

Who is Nnedi Okorafor?

Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author of science fiction and fantasy for adults and younger readers. She was born in Cincinnati to Igbo Nigerian parents and holds advanced degrees in journalism and literature.

Sources: us.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)search.asu.edu (opens in a new tab)

How did Nnedi Okorafor become a writer?

At 19, a complication from spinal-fusion surgery temporarily paralyzed her. Writing during her recovery led her to take a creative-writing class and begin the career that followed.

Source: buffalo.edu (opens in a new tab)

What influences Nnedi Okorafor’s writing?

Her dual Nigerian-American identity, Igbo heritage, African history, mythology, and contemporary life strongly shape her fiction. She uses these influences to imagine futures and fantastical worlds rooted in African perspectives.

Sources: search.asu.edu (opens in a new tab)nnedi.com (opens in a new tab)us.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Nnedi Okorafor won?

Her major honors include the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Binti, the World Fantasy Award for Who Fears Death, and the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa for Zahrah the Windseeker.

Sources: thehugoawards.org (opens in a new tab)nebulas.sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)worldfantasy.org (opens in a new tab)luminafoundationsoyinkaprize.com (opens in a new tab)

What is Nnedi Okorafor’s legacy in speculative fiction?

Okorafor is widely recognized as a pivotal contributor to the emergence and popularization of Africanfuturism, an Africa-rooted mode of speculative storytelling. Her work has helped establish African-centered futures as an influential part of contemporary science fiction and fantasy.

Sources: cambridge.org (opens in a new tab)search.asu.edu (opens in a new tab)