The Lies of the Ajungo
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Average rating4.1
Moses Ose Utomi's debut novella, The Lies of the Ajungo, follows one boy’s epic quest to bring water back to his city and save his mother’s life. Prepare to enter the Forever Desert.
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 you believe what they say in the City of Lies?
In the City of Lies, they cut out your tongue when you turn thirteen, to appease the terrifying Ajungo Empire and make sure it continues sending water. Tutu will be thirteen in three days, but his parched mother won’t last that long. So Tutu goes to his oba and makes a deal: she provides water for his mother, and in exchange he will travel out into the desert and bring back water for the city. Thus begins Tutu’s quest for the salvation of his mother, his city, and himself.
The Lies of the Ajungo opens the curtains on a tremendous world, and begins the epic fable of the Forever Desert. With every word, Moses Ose Utomi weaves magic.
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2 primary booksForever Desert
Forever Desert is a 2-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2023 with contributions by Moses Ose Utomi. The next book is scheduled for release on .
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An example of a completely transparent allegory / fable (intentionally so). The analogies are obvious and unsubtle. For me, that sucked the life out of this story, for others, it may be compelling and stylish; goodness knows, it is well-written. Yes, I understand, this is a style. The ending skews to a super-powered deus-ex-machina style resolution as well, which felt cliché.
A wonderful short fantasy with a splash of folklore. At just roughly 80 pages the read was packed with action, adventure, as well as great twists. It's absolutely amazing what the author packed into this short novella! I really enjoyed the theme of oppression by a ruling empire as well as the symbols and metaphors throughout the book that accompanied it. I am really glad to find out this will be a series and am excited to see how it will unfold and where the author will take this world he has created!
