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War Girls

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War Girls

By: Tochi Onyebuchi
Narrated by: Adepero Oduye
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In a postapocalyptic Nigeria plagued by violence and political unrest, two sisters dream of peace, hope, and a future together. They’re willing to fight an entire war to get there.

“Onyebuchi has created a fascinating futuristic Nigeria and a plot filled with left hooks and upper cuts.”—The New York Times Book Review

“High action and high drama in equal measure . . . Perfect for fans of Paolo Bacigalupi’s novels and the Pacific Rim films.”—School Library Journal

The year is 2172.

Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of Earth unlivable. The lucky ones have escaped to newly formed space colonies, but those remaining are left to deal with the aftermath.

A civil war between Nigerians and Biafrans over mineral-rich land is wreaking havoc on the country. Battles are fought using flying, deadly robots, and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radioactive environment. Survival has become the only way of life.

In a technologically advanced camp that serves as a refuge for former child soldiers and girls orphaned by the war, Onyii and her little sister, Ify, are largely protected from the fighting. But all that changes when Nigerian soldiers intercept a signal from them. A bomb is dropped. Their home is decimated. And Onyii and Ify are ripped apart, forced onto opposite sides of the conflict.

Four years later, the war rages on. Onyii has become a decorated solider for the rebellion, known as the Demon of Biafra. She is hell-bent on revenge. Ify is the most promising student at her STEM-based school in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. She dreams of escaping to space. Both girls believe they will never see each other again. But then top-secret information is leaked. A mission goes wrong. Suddenly, reuniting might be within reach. But in their war-torn homeland, being together means risking everything. Dystopian Family & Relationships Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy War Dream
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Critic reviews

“A brilliant novel about sisters, war, and freedom."—Booklist, starred review

“Onyebuchi has created a fascinating futuristic Nigeria and a plot filled with left hooks and upper cuts, even as he nobly illuminates one of the most pervasive conditions of the human experience.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Set amid the horrors of war in a world ravaged by climate change and nuclear disaster, this heart-wrenching and complex page-turner, drawn from the 1960s Nigerian civil war, will leave readers stunned and awaiting the second installment.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The intense plot is narrated in alternating third-person perspectives, and the author explores themes surrounding colonization, family, and the injustices of war. The story culminates in an unexpected, heart-wrenching end. An exhilarating series opener.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] compulsively readable story with high action and high drama in equal measure. Perfect for fans of Paolo Bacigalupi’s novels and the Pacific Rim films.”—School Library Journal

“War Girls is a brutal and spectacular feat of imagination.”—Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles series
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The publisher blurb says this is "Black Panther inspired" but apart from its African setting I just don't see it. It's more like an African William Gibson novel.... but better. It's a future-set cyberpunk sci-fi take on the Biafra-Nigeria war, and on one level it's an insanely exciting actioner, with the kind of tech you'd find in an anime rather than a standard war novel (even a sci-fi one). Yet despite that, it has every bit as much nuance as novels like Half of a Yellow Sun. It's characters - all recruited into war as children - find themselves on opposite sides. All are bitterly opposed and filled with unforgiving and evidently justified mutual hatred, and all have committed unforgivable atrocities, but you can't but love them all. It's rarely made explicit how they are being used and lied to, or by whom, but the dread at their commitment to evident propaganda is a thread that runs underneath it all. So is their commitment to each other, their deep love and dedication. I found myself so committed to these characters that at times I just had to stop listening in order to let the feelings subside. It's tragic and beautiful and powerful and just... just get it, ok? The performance is mostly excellent too - I'll be looking for other books by this reader.

This book is amazing. Don't miss it.

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