Redemption in Indigo
#5703.88 adjusted 3.90 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2010 Reading commitment Low Karen Lord Last reviewed 2026-08-13
Overview
Redemption in Indigo (2010) is the debut standalone novel by Barbadian author Karen Lord, published by Small Beer Press and later reissued in England by Jo Fletcher Books. It reworks a Senegalese folk tale about Ansige Karamba the Glutton, following Paama, a skilled cook who has just left her gluttonous husband, after she is entrusted with the reality-shaping Chaos Stick by a djombi, a spirit, who has just lost it in a wager; she must learn to master the stick's power while evading the spirit's furious former owner. Blending Caribbean and West African storytelling traditions with wit and folkloric structure, the novel won the 2011 Crawford Award and the 2011 Mythopoeic Award, and was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. It also won the 2012 Kitschies Golden Tentacle for best debut novel.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Redemption in Indigo (novel) Karen Lord
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Redemption in Indigo | 2010 | core | 3.88 (3,031 ratings) |
A Barbadian author's debut novel reworking a Senegalese folk tale, in which a put-upon cook, Paama, is given the world-shaping Chaos Stick by a defeated djombi (spirit) and must learn to master it while being pursued by its former owner. Standalone; registered as a single-work universe (LOTR-analogy convention). Karen Lord's other novels (The Best of All Possible Worlds, The Galaxy Game, Unravelling, The Blue, Beautiful World) are social science fiction in different settings, not part of this universe.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Redemption in Indigo? Redemption in Indigo's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Redemption in Indigo finished? Complete (2010).
- How much reading does Redemption in Indigo take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Redemption in Indigo ranked? #570 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,031 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #570?
Ranked #570 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.88 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,031 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.02 behind #569, The Keys to the Kingdom.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #570 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2011: won: Redemption in Indigo; Confirmed directly via mythsoc.org's own 2011 awards page: "Karen Lord, Redemption in Indigo (Small Beer Press)" is marked as the category winner.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.88 across 3,031 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Redemption in Indigo admitted as a single-work universe accepted 2026-08-13
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Karen Lord Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Rule: Single-work universe: one standalone 2010 novel, registered per this canon's LOTR-analogy convention. The author's other novels are social science fiction in unrelated settings and are out of scope.