The Nsibidi Scripts
#2424.08 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2011–2022 Reading commitment Medium Nnedi Okorafor Last reviewed 2026-08-15
Overview
Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino girl growing up in Aba, Nigeria, discovers she is a "free agent": someone with latent magical power born to non-magical parents. She is drawn into the hidden society of the Leopard People, a magical culture built on Nsibidi script, West African folklore, and cosmology, and trained alongside three friends to confront a serial killer targeting children. Popularly known by its first book's title, Akata Witch, this is Nnedi Okorafor's second universe admitted to this canon, confirmed a wholly separate continuity from Who Fears Death's post-apocalyptic Sahara. The trilogy runs from Akata Witch (2011) through Akata Warrior (2017) to Akata Woman (2022), and the first volume won the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults honor and a place on the Amelia Bloomer Book List in 2012, alongside an Andre Norton Award nomination. Kirkus Reviews called it "ebulliently original," and it later appeared on Time's list of the 100 best fantasy books of all time.
Urban fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Nsibidi Scripts Nnedi Okorafor
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Akata Witch | 2011 | 1 | core | 4.02 (39,174 ratings) |
 | Akata Warrior | 2017 | 2 | core | 4.22 (14,746 ratings) |
 | Akata Woman | 2022 | 3 | core | 4.19 (5,192 ratings) |
Complete YA fantasy trilogy set primarily in Aba, Nigeria, following Sunny Nwazue and the magical Leopard People society grounded in Nigerian culture, folklore, and Nsibidi script magic. Akata Witch was published in Nigeria and the UK under the title What Sunny Saw in the Flames.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Nsibidi Scripts? The Nsibidi Scripts's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Nsibidi Scripts? Publication order, starting with Akata Witch. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Nsibidi Scripts finished? Complete (2011–2022).
- How much reading does The Nsibidi Scripts take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,249 pages).
- How is The Nsibidi Scripts ranked? #242 in this site's official ranking, based on 59,112 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #242?
Ranked #242 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.08 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (59,112 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #241, Chronicles of Amber (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Complete · 59k ratings · Ranks #242 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Akata Witch (2011)
- Akata Warrior (2017)
- Akata Woman (2022)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Andre Norton Award (Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book), 2011: nominated: Akata Witch; Confirmed via SFWA's own Nebula Awards database and its 2011 nominees announcement.
- Locus Award (Best Young Adult Book), 2018: won: Akata Warrior; Confirmed via Reactor's (formerly Tor.com) own ceremony announcement post.
- Lodestar Award (Best Young Adult Book), 2023: won: Akata Woman; Confirmed directly via thehugoawards.org's own 2023 Hugo Awards history page (the Lodestar is administered alongside the Hugos).
Related universes
- Same author Who Fears Death: Both by Nnedi Okorafor; confirmed separate continuities with no shared characters, setting, or era.
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Suggestions computed from what The Nsibidi Scripts and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- El Ciclo de la Luna Roja Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.19
- The Bartimaeus Sequence Urban fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.14
- Ghost World Mythic fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.14
- Saga of the Borderlands Epic fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.12
Official resources
- The Nebula Awards: Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu nominee page
- SFWA: 2011 Nebula Awards Nominees Announced
- Reactor: Announcing the 2018 Locus Awards Winners
- The Hugo Awards: 2023 Hugo Awards history page (Lodestar Award)
- Wikipedia: Akata Witch
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.08 across 59,112 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Nsibidi Scripts (Akata Witch trilogy) admitted; Nnedi Okorafor's 2nd universe accepted 2026-08-15
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Akata Witch Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Nnedi Okorafor Tier 2
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-15
Rule: Core Canon = all 3 novels of the complete trilogy: Akata Witch (2011, published in Nigeria and the UK as What Sunny Saw in the Flames), Akata Warrior (2017), and Akata Woman (2022). No further installment has been announced.