If there’s one thing I feel like the bookish world needs more of, it’s African set, or inspired books. Ever since I read Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi, and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, I’ve had a hankering to read more books inspired bu these cultures. They lend themselves so well to fantasy especially. War Girls isn’t fantasy, but it is a Nigerian set sci-fi, and it’s been on my list of books to read for literally years. I didn’t stumble across a copy of it until this year though, and you can be sure I snapped it up quick. All Onyebuchi’s books that I have read are either set in Nigeria in the case of War Girls, or inspired by its culture as in the Beasts Made Of Night series (which is beautiful and I also recommend that duology, if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading it yet). I love discovering books that have their roots in cultures other than America or Europe (Australian fiction is still sadly lacking a little in my opinion as well), so that was a definite draw for me.
There are so many things to love about War Girls. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump recently, partly because I just haven’t been in the mood for reading much. It’s not even the good sort of slump where you’ve read something so amazing that you end up suffering from a book hangover because nothing else can compare to that experience. The other reason I haven’t read much recently is because I am deep, deep into the final editing and proofreading of my upcoming fourth novel, and so haven’t really had much time or attention for anything outside of my own books for the past few weeks. Which is no bad thing, considering it means that I’m getting a lot of work done, but it does mean that it takes quite some story to really capture me and hold me until the final page at the moment. War Girls is just such a book. I kept sitting down to read just a couple of chapters, and having to tear myself away after ‘just one more chapter’. It’s thrilling, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s going to stick with you. There are so many things to love about this book. But first, so we’re all on the same page, here’s the synopsis for War Girls.
The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.
In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.
Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, of a future together.
And they’re willing to fight an entire war to get there.
The first thing to love about War Girls is all the fierce warrior girls. The book is set in war-torn Nigeria, and many of the fighters are literal children. Onyii and Ify are part of a group of all female soldiers, some of the bravest and most effective soldiers, but who at the same time dream of creating a different life for themselves and their team mates. They’re willing to give everything to the war, in the hopes of one day winning freedom and peace and the chance to live without all this killing and heartbreak.
Onyii was my favourite of all the characters. I have rather a soft spot when it comes to characters who are more than a little broken, warriors who seek death in battle. She’s known as the Demon of Biafra, and for a very good reason. She’s a deadly fighter to the point of being a legend among both allies and enemies, but struggles to find peace outside of battle. She loves her companions fiercely, and she is selfless and giving in so many ways. I was rooting for her to have a happy ending all the way through the book because if anyone deserves it, then it’s my poor broken girl.
More than just fierce female warriors though, this book really leans into the idea of found family, and in particular, the bonds between sisters. The War Girls themselves aren’t related by blood. They’re a motley collection of girls from around Nigeria, united in their common fight. Life might have thrown them together, but they’ve somehow managed to forge themselves into a family unit. The girls are loyal and brave, always watching each other’s backs ready to fight or die for each other. And this is war. You know there are going to be casualties, but oh, you don’t want to lose any of the War Girls.
War Girls is set in a sci-fi/post apocalyptic future, and I was in love with all the sci-fi elements of this book. So many of the soldiers are augmented with cybernetic limbs, or given artificial brain cases after traumatic head injuries. They fight using mechs, struggling against the radiation from nuclear weapons that still irradiates much of the Nigerian landscape. Not to mention the fact that much of the world’s population has moved up into space. So while all war rages on the surface, the rich and powerful float on overhead, completely separated from the struggles down below. It’s an intriguing world, and I love how beautifully the sci-fi elements integrated with the African culture. It’s refreshing to get a different take on the familiar tropes.
One very important thing, which I suspected but didn’t have confirmed until I read the author’s note at the end, is that though War Girls is set in the year 2172, with cybernetic implants, space colonies, and the rest, it’s based off a very real civil war that Nigeria experienced in 1967, and also comments on the struggles in Africa during the 1990s-200os, particularly involving the terrible use of child soldiers. The way War Girls is written, it’s a both a commentary on the horrors, and also illustrates the incredible nature of people caught in such conflicts. In Onyebuchi’s own words he hopes that it will “exhibit that emblematic Nigerian quality of taking pain and despair and dysfunction and transmuting it into something heartier, more fulfilling, more nourishing. Of sifting poison out of the water drawn from the well.”
War Girls has so much to recommend itself, and honestly, I am so happy that I finally got to read it. I’m already eagerly awaiting being able to read the second book Rebel Sisters hopefully in the near future. After the way War Girls ended well, I can’t share any spoilers, but there are several very important questions that I need the sequel to answer for me very quickly. If you’re looking for a book with found family, strong sisterly bonds, fierce female fighters, awesome African sci-fi, and historical roots, then this is absolutely the book for you!
Have you read War Girls? If so, what did you think? If not, is it on your reading list for the future? What other African inspired sci-fi or fantasy books do you recommend I check out? Let’s chat!
