So this novella has been nominated for a Hugo award for this year, and it does deserve it!

Many of the Okorafor hallmarks are here. Creative environment, ancient history that is hinted at but not explained, and interactions (or clashes) between different cultures.

This is all pretty well accomplished through the main character Binti, who anchors the different themes and conflicts in her own person: a Himba who desires to go to a galactic university contrary to her own heritage and upbringing.

Perhaps the biggest issue that Binti suffers is that, being a good novella, you do not get nearly as much story as you want. Luckily, at least two more books (novels, no less) are forthcoming, so we can view this novella as an opening act for a larger story.