Nigerian Fiction Book Review: Teleporter

Hello, dear friend! 

I come again bringing good tidings. I'm so excited to bring today's book to you, because OMG, it's so epic. This is a must-read for everyone, I tell you. 

TITLE

Teleporter

A glimpse of the title alone will pique your curiosity. 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Teleportation is

in fiction: instantaneous travel between two locations without crossing the intervening space

Teleporter gives off vibes that will intrigue anybody. Of course, if you are quite familiar with European superhero movies and comics like Superman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman, then the concept of teleporting won't be strange to you. 

However, it's rare to see a Nigerian story that includes mystical or science fiction concepts as this book did. 

Before we move further, I'd like to invite the author herself in person of Muna Fausta to share with us her experience of why and how she wrote Teleporter. Over to you, Muna:

•••

WHAT INSPIRED TELEPORTER?

So I've gotten this question one too many times that I have decided to answer it.

Back then in secondary school, I enjoyed watching superhuman movies like Power Rangers, The Flash, Teen Wolf, The Gifted, etc. But my favourite was The Flash. You can't say you're close to me if I've never mentioned The Flash to you.

I noticed though that most of these movies were set in foreign countries and as a Nigerian who wanted to write in that genre, I was sad because I know that our development here in Nigeria has not gotten to such an extent.

But that didn't deter me. I decided to write on Teleportation especially as I admire Cisco in 'The Flash' and Clarice in 'The Gifted'.

Note that I didn't know where I was headed with the story. I wasn't so much of a good storyteller back then so I didn't even outline the story before writing.

As I began writing, it hit me that Teleportation was kind of similar to what witches did in Nigerian movies. I mean, Teleportation is more like appearing and disappearing, right? Only that a portal is involved in this one.

Boom!

That was the 'Aha moment' for me. I worked on the discovery immediately and found a way to connect the dots between Modern Advanced Science with Ancient Nigerian Practices. And that formed the concept of my story; one that nobody who reads the book will miss.

My friend and first editor Eben Gilbert was the first to point it out to me. In his words (as can be seen on the front cover of the book);

"The concept behind your story was really nice: a fine marriage of science fiction and the extinct culture of the Igbo land revolving around a female protagonist (instead of a male. Hence, exalting the horns of women considered the weaker vessels).

It spanned across lovely themes of unrequited love and tragic fate, betrayal and loss, heroism and friendship, courage and fear and faith.

To me, your story's concept ministers the transfiguration of a soul's weakness into strength via the anvil powers of love and identity, of fear and horror, of gut and faith: for '...strength is nothing but a rebranded weakness misled by confidence and faith.'

Cheta (the symbol of the limitation of man) is transformed into Mariam (the symbol of the spirit of 

man: unconstrained by time and space; 'able to manipulate Earth's dimensional energy')."

And that was how Teleporter came to be. A story that revealed itself to me as I wrote.

Perhaps that's one of the beauties of being a panster, you discover the story as you journey. Unlike the outliner who waits to get all his facts straight before taking the first step.

There you have it. This was how I got the concept for my debut novel; a bridge between what I saw in foreign superhuman movies and our local movies like Superstory.

An interesting bridge, by and by. You should read through every page of it to enjoy this bridge and journey into wonderland.

•••

Thank you, Muna, that was a really beautiful experience you had there. It's not easy to come up with such a novel concept and see it through to fruition.  

GENRE

Teleporter is a blend of both science fiction and African (Nigerian, to be specific) fantasy. And of course, there were many Christian-themed allegories peppered at various junctures in the story. 

Though, I must add a note here that there are a few suggestive scenes in the novel as there are also elements of teen romance in the story. 

(Of course, remember what our parents do for us when we stumble upon a kissing scene in a movie? Fast forward!)

Now, some might be sceptical. Is it right for a Christian to write or read any story in this type of genre? Things like Magical realism, Fantasy, or the like...

I chose to feature this book on this blog because this story has elements of supernatural fiction (which is my favourite genre, in case you aren't yet aware). I respect the author and I love her writing style. 

Besides, the whole concept of teleportation also features in scripture. Remember Phillip when he was transported from one place to another after baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch? A perfect example of teleportation. 

Unexplainable supernatural happenings continued in the cases of Elijah, Moses, Enoch etc.

COVER DESIGN

Exquisite, just perfectly lovely, I tell you. We see a blue, electric-current-like portal, which shows up quite a lot in the book itself. This is presumably the portal that Mariam teleports through. 

There are mathematical and scientific equations also on the design. This alludes to the fact that this is a science-fiction story. 

The final thing we see is a white silhouette of a young lady walking into this portal. Of course, this is a representation of the main character in the story, Teleporter. 

BLURB

Mariam stepped into the room feeling incredible; she was breaching the laws of time and matter with ease. Panting a little from the stress of her quick travel, she smiled at herself. This was the success she couldn't find in books, this was the life she had tried too hard to find...

But was it, really? Was there more to life than travelling long distances in split seconds? Do people with powers live a perfect life or do they also struggle to find their place in family, and love, and 'life'?

Find out for yourself in this awesome debut novel by Muna Fausta. A story of power and the responsibilities that come with it. Of love and hate. Of trust, and betrayal, and a quest for identity, and death...

PLOT AND SETTING

This story was set in the Eastern part of Nigeria, which is commendable seeing as this is something that took a lot of careful research. 

I don't want to give spoilers but...

Imagine this, you wake up feeling strange one morning only to discover, with the help of your best friend and secret crush, that you have the ability to travel through time and space and now enemies, some disguised as friends, are after you to steal your powers, putting those you love at risk. 

That's the logline of this story. 

So, the ending is a huge cliffhanger, but don't worry, our dearest author has promised that the possibility of there being a mind-blowing sequel is very high. 

And for this reason, keep your eyes peeled for updates on that on this blog. 

CHARACTERS 

I loved the uniqueness attributed to each character in the book. Of course, my best character is the main character herself, Mariam (or should I say Cheta)? 

In the beginning, she's this dumb girl who goes through the boring routine of her daily life. That's until she discovers her superpower.  

Her unique style of speaking, adding the filler 'ah' is super sweet. 

Then, there's Charlie. The MC's love interest. The intelligent fine boy that makes Mariam's heart race. Oh, did I add that because his parents are military officials, he knows how to use a gun? 

There are other characters in the story, villains, rivals, friends and side characters.

Also, I dare not forget to add that Mariam's 'mother' is an architect. (*Squeals)

PERSONAL ENJOYMENT AND OTHER COMMENTS 

Teleporter is sooooo interesting. Like, I was hooked to the story and stayed up all night to read through it. 

The storyline is an epic drama that had me on the edge of my seat all through. 

My overall rating for this story would be 4.5 stars. 

SNIPPETS AND EXCERPTS 

Check this one out. 

This was the most emotional scene for me. Towards the end... (Sorry for the spoilers, y'all. I couldn't resist)

So, I would be sharing where you can read a taste (excerpt) of this amazing book. Click this link. Thank me later. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Muna Fausta is a Story Writer, Poet, and currently a Student Architect.

Her passion for helping story writers and poets write better expressions of themselves in stories and poems led her to found an online school known as the School of Stories and Poems (SSP for short).

With this school, she helps story writers and poets write not just better stories and poems, but GREAT stories and poems that will change the narrative for them and those who read or listen to them.

She is passionate about leaving legacies in books and this is what she is out to achieve with SSP.

Muna Fausta has written tons of short stories, and flash fiction, and has just published her debut novel Teleporter. Her works have won her multiple awards including her most recent story 'My Valentine' which won her a cash prize on 2023 Valentine's Day.

With this wealth of knowledge and experience, she is open for ghostwriting gigs on Story writing, Poetry and other Articles and is available for collaboration and coaching sessions with brands, companies and individuals alike.

She strongly believes that 'You too can write great stories with ease.'

Believe it too, learn how, and get to work on all you've learnt. Cheers to greatness.🥂

Send her a proposal via email at munafausta02@gmail.com to get started.

Connect with the author on WhatsApp 

As well as on her other social media handles.

So, in addition to the above information, I want to add that I and Muna share so much in common. 

First, my birthday was yesterday (11th June) and hers is today (12th June). 

Happy birthday, Muna!

We're also both architecture students in Nigeria (Hence the earlier squealing reaction) and are both published authors. Isn't that cute?

Get your copy of Teleporter here.

You wouldn't want to miss out on this book. 

Have you gotten your copy yet? Trust me, you wouldn't regret it. 

Happy reading.