Publisher's Weekly Review
Tsamaase debuts with a mind-bending and potent blend of Afrofuturist science fiction and horror. In a dystopian near future surveillance state, the bodies of minor criminals are "recycled" to allow old souls to reincarnate. Because of their past infractions, however, these former criminal bodies are microchipped, linking them to an AI server that monitors their every move. Nelah Bogosi-Ntsu is a body hopper, the third occupant in an infertile body that she was finally transferred into after her consciousness waited 15 years between life spans. Her husband is a police officer who has access to her memories through her microchip and monitors her every move. Even so, Nelah finds ways to hide the affair she's having with another man. When one of her trysts ends in an accidental death at her hands, Nelah's life spirals out of control as she goes to desperate lengths to hide the killing and save the life of her yet-to-be-born daughter who's growing in one of the city's Wombcubators. The body horror and sci-fi elements work together beautifully, melding into a thrilling and thought-provoking page-turner. Tsamaase is a writer to watch. Agent: Naomi Davis, BookEnds Literary. (Jan)
Kirkus Review
Microchips and monitoring make for a safe society--but at what cost? Botswana, many years in the future: Despite her successful career and marriage, Nelah Bogosi-Ntsu desperately wants a child and is willing to pay to make it happen. As a woman, and in possession of a body that was not originally hers, Nelah is monitored through a microchip that lets her husband comb through her memories for "undetected infractions." And Nelah does have secrets, including an affair with the heir to a business empire. Despite her microchip, she's managed to conceal her activities, until one night when things spin out of control. Now haunted by the specter of a young woman who believes Nelah killed her, Nelah must unravel the connections among the girl, Motswana beliefs, the government, and even the people closest to her before the ghostly girl kills again. Even as Nelah chafes against the restrictions placed on her by society, she contends with her own complicity within the system. The twists and turns are compelling, and the setting of future Botswana is intriguing yet grounded in reality, especially regarding global inequalities. The commentary is slightly one-note, fueled by monologues about how women should band together that rarely manifest in action. Nevertheless, Nelah's frustrations ring true even as she displays her own significant complications. Simplicity in theme is balanced by worldbuilding that seamlessly combines problematic technology with Motswana legend. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Imagine a future where people can live for hundreds of years by swapping their consciousness into new bodies and crimes can be prevented before they happen. Now imagine all of the ways those new technologies can go wrong. Tsamaase's debut novel (after the short-story collection The Silence of the Wilting Skin, 2020) is a tense sf thriller about a woman who seemingly has everything she wants. But Nelah's struggles with infertility and her powerful husband mar her perfect life. Science can help her become a mother. Technology surveils her every move. When a wild night ends in tragedy, Nelah is haunted--literally--by the consequences of her actions. How will the conspiracy against her end? Womb City develops a fascinating dystopia that examines the place of women in society, what it means to be a mother, and how surveillance can be used to subjugate the people it should protect. This intense vision of what could be is a compelling read for fans of the subjects that Octavia Butler and Margaret Atwood explore in their novels, but Tsamaase's unique voice provides an intriguing perspective.
Library Journal Review
Critically acclaimed Motswana author Tsamaase's strong full-length debut (after the novella The Silence of Wilting Skin) combines African futurism and revenge horror to tell the story of Nelah, a woman living in a near-future Botswana, where most people have a microchip that monitors their behavior, and crime, especially murder, is nonexistent. Readers are swept into the story immediately, as the complicated details of the world and its characters are relayed with confidence, and the dangerous plot, including Nelah's race against time, unspools at a compelling pace with intrigue coming from multiple angles--thriller-esque twists, deadly secrets, and the history and mythology of the place itself. But like the best dystopian tales, this novel is universally provocative as it seriously contemplates topics such as AI, spirituality in modern society, bodily autonomy, grief, love, motherhood, and family. VERDICT Tsamaase, like Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, is a rising star in African speculative fiction whose work will appeal to readers from across the globe, especially fans of Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood, and Blake Crouch.
