After the Flare: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and Special Citation Winner
A catastrophic solar flare reshapes our world order as we know it in an instant, electricity grids are crippled, followed by devastating cyberattacks that paralyze all communication. With America in chaos, former NASA employee Kwesi Bracket works at the only functioning space program in the world, which just happens to be in Nigeria. With Europe, Asia, and the U.S. knocked off-line, and thousands of dead satellites about to plummet to Earth, the planet's only hope rests with the Nigerian Space Program's plan to launch a daring rescue mission to the International Space Station. Bracket and his team are already up against a serious deadline, but life on the ground is just as disastrous after the flare. Nigeria has been flooded with advanced biohacking technologies, and the scramble for space supremacy has attracted dangerous peoples from all over Africa. What's more: the militant Islamic group Boko Haram is slowly encroaching on the spaceport, leaving a trail of destruction, while a group of nomads has discovered an ancient technology more powerful than anything Bracket's ever imagined. With the clock ticking down, Bracket helped by a brilliant scientist from India and an eccentric lunar geologist must confront the looming threats to the spaceport in order to launch a harrowing rescue mission into space. In this sequel to Nigerians in Space, Deji Bryce Olukotun poses deep questions about technology, international ambition, identity, and space exploration in the 21st century.

Reviews

A Kirkus Starred Review "The entire novel is spectacularly imagined, well-written, and a pleasure to read. An absorbing novel that explores a compelling, African-centered future world." Kirkus Reviews Praise for Deji Bryce Olukotun: An exquisite blend of unpredictable twists and lightning-speed plot. The Guardian "A madcap first novel that unravels like a spy thriller." Mark Haskell Smith, Flavorwire "Deji Olukotun's novel Nigerians in Space is an impressive debut, a literary thriller that also deftly explores themes of the African diaspora." David Gutowski, Largehearted Boy "Fast-paced, well-written and packed with insight and humor. Olukotun is a very talented storyteller. " Charles Yu, National Book Award 5-Under-35 winner and author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe "A deft mingling of satirical humor, Noirish twistsand a keen-eyed yet accessible take on cultural displacement in contemporary times. " Olufemi Terry, winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing "You can taste Cape Town, you can hear it in the dialogue, see its beauty in the descriptions. Deji Olukotun has my city's number: especially its nasty underbelly, the dangerous dealing of abalone poachers. " Mike Nicol, author of the Revenge Trilogy "A transnational mystery novel replete with assassins, abalone poaching and an international fashion model who exudes light from her skin." Matt McGregor, Warscapes "A crime thriller that is out of this world." Samantha Lim, The Brooklyn Paper "Nigerians in Space captures the cocksure attitude and dignified clip of the 1950s radio play, with more mischievous and macabre elements that reflect the frustration of anti-colonial and Pan-African politics." Megan Eardley, Africa is a Country "The book is a must read." Dianah Ninsiima, Africa Book Club

Author Bio

Deji Bryce Olukotun is the author of Nigerians in Space. His work has been featured in Vice, Slate, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, Guernica, The Millions, World Literature Today, ESPN, and elsewhere. After the Flare is the second novel in the Nigerians in Space series.