The Folio Society To Publish Illustrated Edition of Nnedi Okorafor’s Multi-Award-Winning The Binti Trilogy
Winner of both a Hugo and a Nebula award, The Binti Trilogy is a groundbreaking space opera by award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor that centres a young Himba woman on her travels in outer space as she leaves planet Earth to attend a prestigious intergalactic university. Now the Folio Society, independent publisher of beautifully illustrated hardback books, will publish the first ever illustrated edition of THE BINTI TRILOGY, created in collaboration with fine artist David Palumbo. This highly illustrated edition filled with vivid paintings of galaxies, spaceships and alien species will collect all three acclaimed novellas in the Binti series, as well as a short story by Okorafor.
The lavishly illustrated 360-page omnibus edition of THE BINTI TRILOGY includes seven full-page colour artworks in a palette of rich blues, purples and reds—featuring a cast of characters including our heroine Binti, the jellyfish-like Meduse, and the living spaceship Third Fish—as well as black and white illustrated part-title pages and dark blue metallic endpapers. The cloth-bound cover features an illustration of heroine Binti surrounded by a jellyfish-like alien species, with silver foil blocking for added dimension, while the slipcase is decorated with nebulas, planets and stars printed on a metallic paper for a shimmering finish.
'I am Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka of Namib.' So begins this groundbreaking tale of a young Himba woman as she leaves Planet Earth to attend a prestigious intergalactic university. Despite her family's concerns, Binti's talent for mathematics and her aptitude with astrolabes make her a prime candidate to undertake this interstellar journey. But everything changes when the jellyfish-like Medusae attack Binti's spaceship, leaving her the only survivor. Now, Binti must fend for herself, alone on a ship full of the beings who murdered her crew and classmates, with five days until she reaches her destination. But there is more to the history of the Meduse—and their war with the Khoush—than first meets the eye. If Binti is to survive this voyage and save the inhabitants of the unsuspecting planet that houses Oomza Uni, it will take all of her knowledge and talents to broker the peace. A vibrant space opera slash bildungsroman, THE BINTI TRILOGY traces the pains of coming of age against the very real threats of deep-rooted interspecies tensions. But this is also a story of rich human—and alien—experience: friendship, family, first love, and the quest for identity.
“With its fierce and imaginative blend of space opera and Africanfuturism—a term coined by Nnedi Okorafor herself, which aims to centre African culture and perspectives—the multi-award-winning BINTI TRILOGY is unique from any of the science fiction books that Folio Society has published in the past,” said Folio Society Editor Sophia Schoepfer. “Coupled with the mesmerising art by David Palumbo and vibrant design throughout, this Folio edition will be a stunning celebration of identity, exploration and connection across the stars. It’s a must-have for fans of Nnedi Okorafor and lovers of intergalactic science fiction.”
The Folio Society edition of THE BINTI TRILOGY will be available for £85.00 / US $120 from 4pm UK time (11am EST, 8am PT) on October 21, 2025 exclusively from https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/autumn-reveal.
