Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Somewhere in Africa a young girl sees death and destruction and is suddenly gifted or cursed with a strange green glow that kills anyone or anything in its path. They call her Sankofa and she wanders from village to village easing old people's suffering but always keeping to herself. Wherever she goes people are wary but give her new clothes, a place to stay for a night. Her only companion is a fox called Movenpick. There is a villain in the form of a large pharmaceutical company who wants to harness this green glow and its power. Part of this slim tale reads like an atmospheric myth and part of it reads like a futuristic warning. Beautifully phrased, it immediately draws you into Sankofa's plight and her extreme loneliness. 4 1/2 stars