Hello Gemmies! I have a new spoiler free book review to share with you today. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor is an inventive take on alien first contact. This story deals with the the weaknesses and strengths of human beings when faced with the different or unknown. Set in Lagos Nigeria, Lagoon felt refreshingly original. I especially like the opening moments of the novel told from the sea life's point of view.
Lagoon is well written with the detailed character and world building that Nnedi Okorafor is known for. The city of Lagos came across as its own character. The detailed descriptions really made it come to life. There is a diverse cast of characters that expose the flaws, ignorance, complexity, and fragility of human nature. Some portions of the dialogue are written in pidgen (Nigerian slang) which was hard to understand at times, but not enough to take away from the flow of the story. There is plenty of action and suspense to keep you turning pages well into the night. There are three main characters that we follow. But we also get the narratives from a slew of supporting characters that provide a wide variety of points of view. The fragmented narration helps to add to the feeling of chaos and loss of control.
If you are a fan of inventive, emotional, and compelling science fiction tales, then go read this book! This gem is published by Saga Press and is available for purchase from all major booksellers. I give Lagoon a solid 4 out of 5 gems. Happy Reading!
