Nnedi Okorafor’s novel ‘The Book of Phoenix’ is a fantasy rooted in African reality

The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor (Hodder & Stoughton)
Gwen Ansell

The more levels it works on, the more delicious a book is. Nnedi Okorafor’s The Book of Phoenix – nominated for the Arthur C Clarke Award, to be announced later in August – is a positive millefeuille, with piri-piri between its layers.

Phoenix is an “accelerated woman”, one of a host of genetically enhanced SpeciMen created by a secretive American corporation.