Line #26 Literature/TheShadowSpeaker


1	[[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1212627.jpg]]
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3	2007 book by Creator/NnediOkorafor (as Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu). When 15-year old Ejii witnesses her father's beheading, her world shatters. In an era of mind-blowing technology and seductive magic, Ejii embarks on a mystical journey to track down her father's killer. With a newfound friend by her side, Ejii comes face to face with an earth turned inside out -- and with her own magical powers.
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5	But Ejii soon discovers that her travels across the sands of the Sahara have a greater purpose. Her people need to be protected from a force seeking to annihilate them. And Ejii may be just the hero to do it.
6	----
7	!!Tropes
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9	* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Jaa's green metal sword.
10	* AbusiveParents: They abound in this book. Chief Ette and Dikeogu of the neglectful variety, Ejii's father of the psychological type.
11	* {{Afrofuturism}}: Ejii lives in a small village in Niger that is pretty poor but also has technology ranging from iPads to water creating devices.
12	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Ejii]]
13	* BadPowersGoodPeople: Ejii and Dikeogu.
14	* CastingAShadow: Ejii is a "Shadow Speaker", or someone who can talk to shadows.
15	* ContinuityNod: Ginen is the main setting of Okorafor's first book, ''Literature/ZahrahTheWindseeker'', and a minor character, Sunshine is a windseeker.
16	* ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination: When Jaa beheads Ejii's father.
17	* ExoticExtendedMarriage: Princess Sarauniya Jaa has two husbands.
18	* FatBastard: Chief Ette
19	* HumanAliens: People from Ginen look like black Africans.
20	* LadyOfWar: Sarauniya Jaa
21	* LonelyRichKid: Dikeogu, at one point.
22	* TheMagicComesBack: After the Great Change, spurred by a war using nuclear and bio-magical weapons, random magical things have been happening on Earth and some people have gained or been born with magical powers. There is also some mention of magic already being there but much weaker and hidden
23	* MagicalLand: Ginen, and Earth has become this to a certain degree.
24	* MySkullRunnethOver: What happened to the older Shadow Speaker in Ejii's village.
25	* OrganicTechnology: Ginen's technology is based on plants.
26	* {{Planetville}}: Ginen only has one habitable area.
27	* {{Polyamory}}: Jaa has 2 husbands.
28	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Both Ejii's father and Chief Ette are horribly sexist
29	* PowerIncontinence: Dikeogu can't control when lightning strikes him [[spoiler: until near the end of the book.]]. He's immune but nothing else around him is which is why his parents let him be taken into slavery.
30	* PsychicNosebleed: Happens several times tp Ejii.
31	* TheQuest: Ejii's quest to find Jaa, and then her, Dikeogu, Jaa and Jaa's husbands go to find Ginen.
32	* RightfulQueenReturns: Jaa returns to the town she ruled and beheads Ejii's father, who has taken over in her absence.
33	* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: When Dikeogu and Ejii get to Agadez, people assume they are lovers. Ejii uses this for her advantage and claims he is her husband so she will be thought of as an adult.
34	* ShockAndAwe: Dikeogu, mostly involuntary.
35	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Ejii can talk to animals, and many other inanimate objects.
36	* StayInTheKitchen: Ejii's father's and Chief Ette's attitudes.
37	* StoutStrength: Chief Ette is powerful enough to fight Jaa to a standstill even though he's unarmed and she has an AbsurdlySharpBlade.
38	* TalkingAnimal: Onion the camel.
39	* TechnicolorEyes: All shadow speakers have oddly light colored eyes (though it is never stated what color exactly they are).
40	* {{Telepathy}}/ TheEmpath: Ejii can search people's minds to find out their deepest secrets and feelings.
41	* TranslatorMicrobes: Once someone enters Ginen, they immediately start speaking and understanding the language of Ginen.
42	* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Takes place in 2070.

Context Literature / TheShadowSpeaker