The Binti trilogy is an interesting one to unpack. While I’ve consistently had problems with the pacing and plotting of each installment I’ve also increasingly enjoyed the themes of the series. I can’t say I had an entirely positive experience with The Night Masquerade, or the series as a whole, but I respect what Nnedi Okorafor said in this story.

This final novella brings to a head the conflict woven throughout the series. Binti, our protagonist, is faced with a war between the Meduse and the Koush and her people stand as collateral damage between them. In this novella, Binti races to find peace between the two warring nations before her people are destroyed in the aftermath.

I struggled with the first half of The Night Masquerade. I can’t fully articulate why, but Nnedi Okorafor’s pacing didn’t work for me at all. The narrative dragged and the story struggled to find momentum. I couldn't place where the story was going and felt unmoored rather than excited by the confusion. The first half of the story felt like a frantic scattering plot points with no direction. But, thankfully, the story settled after the midpoint.

However, Okorafor excelled in thematic content. The Night Masquerade builds on and resolves the thematic tension first introduced in Home. This series is about creating bridges between opposing cultures and Okorafor uses Binti as a vehicle for that brilliantly. Binti is an engaging protagonist because she is a nexus point to so many communities that despise each other. She interacts with all of them and uses her positioning as a bridge for peace regardless of the personal cost.

I’ve grown to deeply love this series’ world and magic. What I had once found to be a confusing blend of science and fantasy has truly blossomed over time to be one of the most fascinating magic systems I’ve ever read. In this trilogy Nnedi Okorafor crafts a stunning magic system rooted in mathematics. Her depiction of the ways people weave formulas into energy continued to amaze me and I appreciated the way this was developed. Okorafor also introduces new sci-fantasy elements in this installment that were represented beautifully and were fun concepts to explore.

While the Binti trilogy isn’t an absolute favourite I still deeply appreciate it. The series has a thematic richness I love in literary speculative fiction and explores imaginative sci-fantasy elements I’ve never seen anything like before. Its place as a science fiction story by and about Africans that positions us a the centre of human progress and modernity is revolutionary and I will always be grateful to Nnedi Okorafor for creating that.