Death of the Author, the latest novel by Nnedi Okorafor, has been named She Reads’ Best Science Fiction Book of 2025.
The novel follows Zelu, a disabled Nigerian-American writer who becomes an outsider in her family and loses her university job while facing repeated rejections from publishers. She begins writing a new story, Rusted Robots, a far-future narrative about androids and artificial intelligence in the remnants of human civilization. When she shares the manuscript, the book propels her into unexpected literary attention while reshaping her personal and creative life. Told as a book-within-a-book, Death of the Author blends metafiction with commentary on identity, storytelling, and the consequences of artistic success.
She Reads is a multimedia company that produces editorial, video, social, and digital content recommending books to women based on genre, reading habits, work, lifestyle, and pop-culture interests. Its annual selections influence reading trends and highlight notable titles across categories. Death of the Author joins this year’s list as the platform’s top choice for science fiction.
Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author known for her science fiction and fantasy novels, short stories, and comics for both children and adults. She writes from the perspective of Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism, terms she developed to center African cultures and future imaginings in speculative fiction. Okorafor’s work frequently addresses social issues and promotes strong, complex characters, and her notable titles include Binti, Who Fears Death, Lagoon, and Death of the Author. In addition to her fiction, she has written for Marvel and served as a creative writing professor.
Congratulations, Nnedi Okorafor!
