#forever desert

[dude-watchin-with-the-brontes]

how am i supposed to go in to work tomorrow and talk to anyone about literally anything besides this?

i finished reading it an hour ago and i'm still ringing like a bell.

if you haven't read Moses Ose Utomi's Forever Desert trilogy, do yourself a favor and read them, and then do me a favor and come talk with me about them.

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

have you read The Lies of the Ajungo, by Moses Ose Utomi (2023)?

yes

no

Voting ended onJun 2, 2024

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

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[readcommendations]

The Truth of the Aleke: A Journey Back to the Forever Desert

Happy new year, readers! I'm back with a review of The Truth of the Aleke, the upcoming sequel to The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi!

Welcome back, fellow readers, and happy new year! I know I haven’t been posting reviews regularly, and I have a good excuse – it turns out my burn out? Yeah, it wasn’t a burn out, there was something way more serious going on in my insides! Now that that’s settled, I’m feeling my energy return by leaps and bounds, and I’m so ready to tell you about all the great books coming out in this 2024.…

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[tigger8900]

The Lies of the Ajungo, by Moses Ose Utomi

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

There are three things known to be true in the City of Lies: there is no water, there are no heroes, and there are no friends beyond the walls. Tutu is just days shy of his thirteenth birthday, when he will have to undergo the rite all adults in the city undergo; in return for the water rations that will keep him alive, he must have his tongue removed and surrendered to the foreign power known as the Ajungo. But his mother is sick, and won't survive that long without water. And so he petitions the city's ruler, volunteering to journey across the desert in search of a water source that would allow the entire city to thrive. In exchange, his mother will be given enough water to survive for one year, by which time he must return or the life of his mother will be forfeit.

Make no mistake, this slim novella(my copy consisted of only 87 numbered pages) is a dark fantasy. Also, despite the age of the protagonist, this is not a young adult title. Rather than a coming-of-age narrative, this is a fairy tale about oppression, loss of innocence, and the power of stories. And it was so, so good.

The narration moves along at a brisk pace, laying down foreshadowing even as it reinforces Tutu's limited perspective. This is one of those stories where you're going to see the "twist" coming a mile away, but I put it in quotes because I don't think it's meant to be a surprise. I think we're supposed to know it's coming. The story — and the tragedy — is in watching Tutu uncover what was so obvious from our perspective.

One of the major themes of the story is that of a child forced to grow up prematurely. Tutu is 13 years old, 12 when he sets off into the desert. He shouldn't be doing any of the things he's doing. As the story goes on we see him more and more as an adult, growing into the role he's been thrust into, until the final confrontation when we see that he's very much still a child who just wants his mama. That hit me in the heart, easily the darkest moment in this story. Despite being a fantasy tale, the themes in this story are very much of our own time and place.

This is the first book of a planned trilogy. From where this one left off, I suspect I know what the concepts of the other two will be. I intend to read them when they come out, and if they can rip my heart open even half as much as the first volume did then they'll have done their job.

Important question time: do the camels survive? Very minor spoilers ahead! Camels are used as traveling mounts in this story. Not all of the camels survive, falling during scenes of mounted combat.

[anodetofiction]

Review : The Lies of the Ajungo (Forever Desert #1) by Moses Ose Utomi

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. The Lies of the Ajungo (Forever Desert #1) by Moses Ose Utomi Published by Tordotcom Adult Epic Fantasy Goodreads | Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org (affiliate) Release Date : March 21st 2023 SYNOPSIS They say there is no water in the City of Lies. They say there are no heroes in the City of Lies. They say there are no friends beyond the City of Lies. But would…

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