First impressions review: Lagoon, by Nnedi Okorafor
‘Lagoon’ is one of the most unusual first-contact science fiction stories I’ve ever read. For one thing, the earthling that actually makes first contact with the aliens is a swordfish who had been attacking an oil pipeline1, and we see that event through her eyes:
MOOM! The noise ripples through the ocean with such intensity that she tumbles with it, sure it will tear her apart…something large and glowing is down ahead. A great shifting bar of glimmering sand. This is what is giving off the sweet, clean water…What good questions it asks. She tells it exactly what she wants.
Our main human character is Adaora, a marine biologist. She is on the beach by the Lagos lagoon after a spat with her newly born-again husband Chris (who has taken to calling her a witch) turned violent. There she meets rapper Anthony Dey Craze and soldier Agu before a wave surges up and grabs them. They are taken to meet the aliens – though their memories of this are fuzzy – before being tossed back up on the sand, accompanied by an alien Adaora names Ayodele. The three human ambassadors take this rather odd introduction fairly well…but will everyone else?
Ayodele and her people remain somewhat mysterious throughout the story. They are shapeshifters, made up of tiny metallic balls rather than cells (as Adaora discovers in her basement lab) and they are almost genie-like in their ability to grant wishes. They want to be able to stay on earth in exchange for helping out with things like cleaner energy sources, but never say why. Ayodele is fascinated by the variety and dynamic nature of life on earth – though she does sour on it a bit after someone tries to shoot her. And wishes, of course, can come into conflict. The sea creatures, for instance, want a greater ability to defend themselves from humans, and get it!
Things in the human realm get extremely busy and dangerous after various videos of Adaora get uploaded to the internet. Everyone wants something or fears something. The bishop of Chris’ church wants to convert the aliens. The army views them as a threat. A gang views them as a source of ransom money. And all of these groups begin to converge on Adaora’s house. At the same time something, which may or may not be the presence of the aliens, seems to be waking up native earth spirits: sea goddess Mami Wata, the masquerade spirit Ijele, even a bone-collecting monster highway. Our three human protagonists, too, prove to be rather more unusual than they initially appear.
The writing is engaging and varied, ranging from the rather lyrical POV of the swordfish to chaotic action sequences. Human characters speak in different dialects, like Moziz’s street-style pidgin: “We know wetin e be…Na from space dem come. Dem get ability to change dem shape and dem body as dem like. Now na only imagine all de many, many other things dem fit do.” Okorafor is Nigerian-American and both her love for Lagos, and her knowledge of its flaws, shine through clearly. I also really enjoyed having multiple POVs from non-human characters, which is an unusual feature even in this genre.
There was only one aspect of this book I didn’t like2. In chapter 14, we are introduced to the members of Black Nexus, a student LGBT organization. The leaders are described vividly: “Rome was immaculate, as always. Tall, lean, and statuesque as a runway model…Even without makeup, he passed as a beautiful woman…Seven…had the curves of Osu the Yoruba goddess, a shiny bald head, and eyes so expressive she barely had to speak.” On seeing the video of Ayodele changing form, they get very excited to meet these alien – because who better to understand the kind of change they want? Unwisely, instead of trying to approach Ayodele quietly, their miniature Pride parade arrives at Adaora's house at the same time as the religious fanatics and gangs. Everything up to that point is fine, but then the story just leaves them in mortal peril and doesn't say what happens! We get some kind of follow-up on every other named character, plus some unnamed ones like the swordfish, but not the Black Nexus members. This is a problem for two reasons. First, replacing a potential “bury your gays” trope with what I can only call a “Schrodinger’s queers” approach3 doesn’t help! And second, it doesn’t make thematic sense to introduce these characters and not follow up with them. Of all the human factions, they are the one that already wanted a specific material change in their society, and Rome correctly identifies the aliens as change-makers who don’t automatically side with the currently powerful. The book isn't that long; just an extra page to an extra chapter would have been enough to give some resolution to those plot lines.
1. This apparently actually happened in Angola!
2. Well, I’d also
like Chris to face some more consequences for repeatedly yelling at and attempting to
beat his totally innocent wife, but at least there are some signs by the end
that A) she may not stay with him and B) he may be coming to his senses.
3. Are they alive? Are they dead? Who knows! Could be both?
Overall recommendation: Flawed handling of the Black Nexus aside, this is a unique science fiction story (with elements of African folklore) with well-written characters and well-executed dramatic tension. Check it out, especially if you are interested in broadening the cultural scope of your sci-fi reading.
