Nnedi Okorafor: The Binti Trilogy Illustrated Edition Announcement

 

 

Nnedi Okorafor is a rock star of the science fiction literary genre. Now, the Folio Society is giving her stories the deluxe treatment they deserve. 

Here's all the info:

 

 

The Folio Society To Publish The First Ever Illustrated Edition of

Nnedi Okorafor’s Multi-Award-Winning THE BINTI TRILOGY,

Featuring Illustrations by Fine Artist David Palumbo

“There’s more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work

than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics”

—Ursula K. Le Guin

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. For more information, follow the Folio Society on social media:

Instagram: @foliosociety 

Twitter: @foliosociety 

Facebook: @thefoliosociety 

TikTok: @foliosociety 

YouTube: @TheFolioSociety 

LinkedIn: The Folio Society Ltd 

Hashtag: #foliosociety 

 

ABOUT NNEDI OKORAFOR

Nnedi Okorafor was born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant parents. She holds a PhD in English and was a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University. She has been the winner of many awards for her short stories and young adult books, and won a World Fantasy Award for Who Fears Death. Nnedi's books are inspired by her Nigerian heritage and her many trips to Africa.

ABOUT ARTIST

David Palumbo is an American illustrator renowned for his dynamic, atmospheric artwork across science fiction and fantasy. With a background in fine art and a flair for dramatic composition, his work appears in everything from Magic: The Gathering to Marvel Comics. For Folio’s edition of The Binti Trilogy, Palumbo brings Nnedi Okorafor’s interstellar landscapes and vivid character transformations to life with striking, otherworldly detail. His painterly style and deep understanding of light and form make him a perfect match for this genre-blending, boundary-breaking story. Palumbo lives and works in Philadelphia.

 

ABOUT THE FOLIO SOCIETY

The Folio Society, based in London, publishes beautifully produced, illustrated hardback books. From a single purchase to a lifetime of collecting, book lovers around the world can buy these exquisite editions exclusively from their website, foliosociety.com. Proudly independent for its 75-year history, in 2021 under the leadership of its CEO, Joanna Reynolds, The Folio Society became an Employee Ownership Trust. The Folio Society is committed to a progressive sharing of power and profit in publishing, and this is reflected in their new status. 

The Folio Society publishes some of the best names in publishing past and present, across the globe in high specification, collector editions. Notable publications include Frank Herbert’s Dune, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Andrew Chaikin’s A Man on the Moon and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple among many other contemporary and classic titles including a publishing partnership with Marvel delivering the world-recognized, iconic brand’s luxury editions. 

 

Thanks to Superfan Promotions and the Folio Society for sharing this announcement with us. 

 

Jim Zub Interview Part 4: Conan The Barbarian #13 & The Frost Giant's Daughter

 

After concentrating on his contributions to Titan Comics' series The Savage Sword Of Conan, I shifted topics to the latest issue of writer Jim Zub's Conan The Barbarian series. Still, I made a slight detour into Savage Sword along the way! Here's more of my interview with Cimmerian scribe Jim Zub!

 

David: With Conan The Barbarian #13, it seems like you've gone through cycles where Conan was with Brisa and then his world kind of breaks. He tries to go back to Cimmeria but he couldn't. So, he's goes to Shadizar to start over, and then that situation gets messed up. So now he’s going out into the wilderness on his own.

 

 

Conan The Barbarian #1 Cover B (Roberto de la Torre)

 

Jim: Well, we've jumped to an earlier part of the timeline. Like with the weird tale stories, we can move around. We don't have to go linear. So if you look in Conan The Barbarian #1, there's a flashback. It talks about him fighting at the battle of Venarium, and he's got this bear on his back, and it talks about him testing his might. Now we're going back and showing that story.

 

Conan The Barbarian #13 Cover A by Dan Panosian

 

We're showing Conan in his youth, questioning his faith, and wondering what it's all about. Chronologically, Conan The Barbarian #13 to 16 take place between zero [The 2023 Free Comic Book Day issue] and #1.  

 

David: The shape of his sword made me wonder. 

 

Jim: It is the Pict blade that he got at the end of the Free Comic Book Day special.

 

David: But in Conan The Barbarian #12, he discards it, right?

 

Jim: Yeah.

 

David: Okay, because it [the panel] was very small.

 

Jim: Yeah. No, he does discard it, yeah.

 

David: I'm going to revise my review then.

 

Jim: [Laughs] No worries. It's all good. 

 

 

The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 Cover A by David Palumbo

 

 

David: So, [in Savage Sword] you've done a prose story. You've done comics. You've done a poem. Are we going to see a pinup next?

 

Jim: [Laughs] You know, I am an artist. I was an artist before I became a writer. I'm not sure. I do sketches of Conan and stuff for people, but man! You know Doug [Braithwaite] and Rob [de la Torre] are so phenomenal! I would be extra intimidated to step into the ring. It's not impossible but it's not the current plan, no, but thank you for the compliment. It would be cool, for sure.

 

David: Yeah, something different.

 

Jim: Yeah, you’re like, “Are you doing a rock opera next?”

 

David: [Laughs] So, with your Conan The Barbarian series, you pass over some stories and you kind of blend on others.

 

Jim: Yeah.

 

David: Why retell “The Frost Giant’s Daughter’? 

 

 

Conan The Barbarian #13 Cover B by Amanda Conner

 

 

Jim: Good question! So, early on I made it very clear we weren't going to do straight adaptations because they've been done many times in comics. If you're a Conan fan you know “The Frost Giant’s Daughter”. You know the “God in the Bowl”. You know “The Tower Of The Elephant” and “The Queen Of The Black Coast”. So, we can build off those pillars and hopefully surprise you with the ways that we echo the themes or ideas or visuals from those stories, but not just retell them.

 

Doug [Braithwaite] specifically asked me to do a story set in the frozen north. He loves those [Frank] Frazetta paintings of Conan fighting in the snow, and he's like, “I want something that feels like that!” 

 

 

Conan Legacy Frazetta Cover #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

 

 

There’s only canon story that takes place in the north like that and that's “The Frost Giant’s Daughter”. I said, “I’ve got to think about it,” and I came across this idea of faith and Conan in his youth with wanderlust. Originally, I was going to finish it with him heading into “The Frost Giant's Daughter.” Then I realized thematically we could do something even more expansive.

 

I don't want to spoil it, but “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” is sort of central to the story now. So, we see before and after [Robert E Howard’s story] and there are some surprises. Even though you've read “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” before, there’s context for why they happen and where. We can give you a different story that is not just the one you've read before. There's more under the hood and I'm really excited for people to see it.

 

And it’s the 90th anniversary of the original story’s publication so it just seemed like kismet that we could do it and we'd be able to celebrate at the same time. 

 

 

The Cimmerian: The Frost Giant's Daughter #1 Cover A by Peach Momoko

 

David: I'm sure it'll be a lot different than Ablaze Comics’ version of “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” [in their series The Cimmerian].

 

Jim: [Laughs] Yes, I can say that with absolute confidence!

 

Thanks again to Jim Zub for speaking with me, Titan Comics for arranging the interview, and the press office at Comic-Con International for granting me the opportunity to speak with the author bringing Conan back to comic readers! I'll share more of this interview soon!