Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Who Fears Death

By: Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Now optioned as a TV series for HBO, with executive producer George R. R. Martin!

An award-winning literary author enters the world of magical realism with her World Fantasy Award-winning novel of a remarkable woman in post-apocalyptic Africa.

In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. A woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert, hoping to die. Instead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand. Gripped by the certainty that her daughter is different—special—she names her Onyesonwu, which means "Who fears death?" in an ancient language.

It doesn't take long for Onye to understand that she is physically and socially marked by the circumstances of her conception. She is Ewu—a child of rape who is expected to live a life of violence, a half-breed rejected by her community. But Onye is not the average Ewu. Even as a child, she manifests the beginnings of a remarkable and unique magic. As she grows, so do her abilities, and during an inadvertent visit to the spirit realm, she learns something terrifying: someone powerful is trying to kill her.

Desperate to elude her would-be murderer and to understand her own nature, she embarks on a journey in which she grapples with nature, tradition, history, true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and ultimately learns why she was given the name she bears: Who Fears Death.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2010 Nnedi Okorafor. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“Yetide Badaki anchors this fresh production of Okorafor's sprawling postapocalyptic fantasy with her heartfelt portrayal of a fierce, young heroine.… Badaki throws herself into her narration, giving Onye a powerful voice that handily demonstrates her anger at the world she inhabits and her determination to change it. A wry sense of humor accentuated by Badaki rounds out Onye's character and balances the darker aspects of this sometimes bleak and painstakingly detailed world.”AudioFile Magazine

"Haunting and absolutely brilliant. My heart and guts are all turned inside out."—John Green, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

"Beautifully written, this is dystopian fantasy at its very best. Expertly exploring issues of race, gender, and cultural identity, Okorafor blends future fantasy with the rhythm and feel of African storytelling."—Library Journal (starred review)

Featured Article: The top 100 fantasy listens of all time


When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.

What listeners say about Who Fears Death

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    44
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The story itself.

Loved the storytelling style and the characters and the world in which they live. I enjoy reading this author

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

No spoilers

Not my typical genre—purchased this a while ago & did not reread the synopsis before starting, so had not clue what the book was about. The story was absolutely captivating. It did run a bit long, but you really got a feel for the people, not just singular characters but for whole races. Take the time to listen—the narrator’s voice is music!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I'm angry.

I have been looking forward to this book for a long time.
I love the unique world that is set-up, I love a lot of the secondary characters, and I love the African fantasy and culture that is crafted and displayed with pride.
I hated the ending, I hated the main character, and I hated how much was not explained or even expanded upon.
So much talk for so little. This is a good example of why you need to take time to set up your magic system. The relationships between sorcerers held little to no weight, and there was so much world to explore yet somehow everything felt so small. there was no reason for it to be set in Post-Apocalyptic Africa because pre-Apocalyps has no bearing on the story. There's no point to much of the plot points, and I left the book feeling angry that I had wasted so much time looking forward to something that led nowhere.

it's worth a read, but I wouldn't read it again or recommend it to anyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed

I enjoyed everything about this book even though some parts we very similar to The Akata Witch.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Ending Wasn’t Satisfying

I enjoyed this book so much, until the last hour or so. It felt rushed like the final season of GOT. Great narration and great characters! I’ll probably still read the sequel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

I didn’t know that when I started this book I would end up loving it so much! A wonderful read I love the fearlessness of Oneysunwu.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Powerful and organic world building

I love everything about this book. The beautifully flawed characters, the amazing descriptions. There is violence described sexual and otherwise. It is necessary in the story but be forewarned if these things are triggers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Solidly Good Book

The writing style is engaging and the plot is interesting and reasonably well developed. Overall, I found the book entertaining. The African cultural themes are a good departure from typical European and American-based fantasy and sci-fi. I would definitely call this a fantasy book set in the future, rather than sci-fi, since there is a lot of magic and almost no speculative technology. Shortcomings include woefully emotionally immature characters who constantly flare up in anger over trivial things (constantly). That gets pretty tiresome after a while-- like reading about some particularly immature high school students having spats over dating and insecurities. There is also an odd choice of plot where a character chooses not to kill the primary antagonist despite that same character taking no issue with killing innumerable other people... it's just a jarring choice that makes it harder to stay immersed in the plot. Overall, it's worth reading. More pages devoted to developing the plot or the universe and fewer pages rehashing juvenile emotions might have made it a great book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read!

The story! The feeling that you know the characters! And the ideas about how magic exists and is expressed in the world she that has created! It’s just wonderful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb!

I really enjoyed this book even with the crude descriptions of sexual violence. I will look for more of books from this author.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!