I remember really enjoying Binti, the first novella in this series, but I did get stuck on one point: the mass murder of a group of young students seemed pushed aside so easily, with one of the perpetrators rewarded for their bloody participation with a place at the universe's most prestigious university. I thought to myself "That's not going to end well," and in Home, of course, it doesn't. When tolerated, violence spreads, both within Binti herself and within the community at her home, when she brings her Meduse friend home to visit. And, you know, I can understand it. Okorafor makes Okwu unpleasantly alien, and the brief moment of wonder the jellyfish evokes, when visiting waters near Binti's home, doesn't make up for its actions. I'm sure, to the Meduse, the slaughter was justified, but to everyone else it isn't, so I'm glad this hasn't been papered over.

Equally as interesting is the conflict Binti experiences at home, where her determination to go against tradition has caused conflict within the family, simultaneously limiting her future at the same time as her experiences with unknown family members expands possibilities in another direction. Okorafor is always good for the sense of wonder that science fiction can evoke, and I enjoyed reading this for that reason before all else, but she doesn't shy away from the costs of wonder, too, and that's what makes this series so compelling, I think.