Death of the Author cover art

Death of the Author

A visionary science fiction novel and Nebula Award Finalist from the international bestseller

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £18.89

Buy Now for £18.89

About this listen

 THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
NEBULA AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL
WINNER OF THE LIBBY AWARD FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION

'This one has it all' GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
'As delicious as it is disorienting' ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS
'Beautifully evoked' THE GUARDIAN
'Mind-bending' THE NEW YORK TIMES
'Suspenseful, timely, and heartfelt' PEOPLE

The future of storytelling is here.

Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.

In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.

What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.

Nnedi Okorafor, a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, presents a sweeping tale about family, culture and identity, and a breathtaking examination of the relationship between writer and reader . . . and robots. Death of the Author is heartfelt, tender, and an ambitious meta-drama about what makes us human.

'There's more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes' URSULA K. LE GUIN
'A deeply felt dazzle. A blaze. It is true deep to the bones' LUIS ALBERTO URREA
'An ambitious, inventive tribute to the power of storytelling itself' NIKKI ERLICK Editors Select Family Life Genetic Engineering Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction World Literature Heartfelt Robotics Fiction

Critic reviews

Don't be frightened by the title, Nnedi Okorafor is fine... and doing her best work yet. DEATH OF THE AUTHOR reads like three novels in one... or maybe four... about fame and family, culture and change, the power of story, the writer's life... and robots. This one has it all
Nnedi Okorafor is so ferociously talented that we are starting to see she cannot be boxed into any category or genre. Her new, Death of the Author, is a deeply felt dazzle. A blaze. It is true deep to the bones
Connection is the heartbeat of Okorafor's work
I was captivated by the story-and the many stories-within-the-story-of this ambitious, inventive tribute to the power of storytelling itself
Okorafor explores what it means to be human. . . . All-out Okorafor - her best yet
Highly recommended for fans of Octavia Butler, Nicky Drayden, and Tade Thompson . . . will attract genre and literary fiction fans alike
Metafiction at its finest . . . equal parts sharp social commentary and deeply human storytelling
An epic about love, friendship, and the cost of survival
Absolutely brilliant. My heart and guts are all turned inside out
All stars
Most relevant
I loved loved this novel! It was absolutely captivating
Great job. I’m so invested that I want to know what happened to Zelu and her baby

Captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved it all. Especially its afrocentrism mix with science fiction and intersectionality. I am so sad the book is over!

Such an enagaging story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
My bookish friend recommended this book and though I am not a sci-fi reader I went for it as I always trust her honest, kind reviews. I absolutely loved this book and I was sad when it ended. I loved how the excitement of AI was brilliantly woven into the mundane family life of Zelu’s life. I also loved the African-futurist angle. I thought the ending was clever, blending Zelu’s fiction with her reality! Brilliantly written! I would love to read more of Nnedi Okorafor’s work.

Great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
really enjoyed this book. i loved Zelu and really felt some strong emotions for and with her. the story was really enjoyable and well narrated. 100% a recommend

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love this novel, my favourite by this author. It has so much to say about the future of storytelling, and of humanity, of robotics and AI, but unlike other similarly prescient sci-fi novels roots things amidst humanity in literary sharpness. It’s the combo of present humanity and truly imaginative futurism that makes this book feel like an earthquake.

download download you will not regret it.

(Also: the main narrator’s performance is masterful perfection too. I think it might be my favourite audiobook narration ever).

magnificence

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews