The Lies of the Ajungo (Forever Desert, #1)

by Moses Ose Utomi

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.

• ISBN10: 1250849063
• ISBN13: 9781250849069
• Publish Date: 17 April 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 96
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250849069

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Everywhere you go, you will find stories. Some of these stories are cautionary, while others seem to serve no purpose other than a bit of light fun. But what about Ajungo – the City of Lies? What stories are told?

Tutu is a boy of nearly thirteen years, and he is desperate to save his mother. She needs water now, and he cannot afford to wait to help her. So he's going to make a deal. A deal that will send him out into the desert in hopes of finding salvation.

My Review:

Oh wow. Words cannot describe the beautiful storytelling of this novella. The Lies of Ajungo is brilliant. Full stop. If you like novels (and novellas) that make you stop and think, you've got to read this book!

The Lies of Ajungo is a story about stories. But it's also more than that. It encourages readers (through the characters) to question the veracity of these stories. What is truth? What is lore? What is the deeper meaning behind these lessons?

This novella hit me pretty hard as somebody who has always celebrated stories. But in a good way! I would strongly encourage other avid readers to consider trying The Lies of Ajungo, as I believe it will speak to them as well.

Highlights:
Debut Novella
High Fantasy
Coming of Age
Fable-like Storytelling

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I love it when my NetGalley reads work out!

 

I’ve been making an excel sheet, trying to plan my reads for the month. The lies of Ajungo were initially not on my list. I got approved for some books on NetGalley and ended up with 13 books to download. A fun fact about me is that I don’t like the number 13. I’m superstitious about it, even though I know that’s ridiculous. I do my best not to let it impact things, but I figured this was a small thing, and I could give into it this one time. Given that NetGalley has now added page numbers to the information section, I could download a small book and add it to my excel sheet.

 

And that’s how I started The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi, and I’m so happy I did!

 

Your girl isn’t a sci-fi fan. For instance, I’ve been trying to get through Dune, but honestly, I just can’t focus on it (I loved the movie, though). I also don’t like high fantasy (so yes, not that into the lord of the rings), steampunk, spies/assassins, or even urban fantasy. But I’ll try something every so often and hope for a different outcome. This is why I haven’t given up on Dune, and I loved Book of Night by Holly Black. This is also why I tried The Lies of the Ajungo, and as stated above, I’m so glad I did!

 

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 Tutu’s city, they cut out your tongue when you turn 13 to appease the Ajungo empire. In exchange, the empire sends their drought-ridden city some water; not enough to thrive, just enough to survive. Tutu has only 14 days to go before his tongue is cut out. Still, as his mother collapses from dehydration, he volunteers to search for water if they keep her alive for a year.

 

The say there is no iron in the city of lies.

 

While the story has some really interesting themes, such as collaboration with those in power and what people are willing to do to maintain control, anyone can do those themes. Many writers focus so heavily on those themes that they sacrifice the story. Moses Ose Utomi does none of that. He writes in a way that makes you want to slow down and savor each word. It’s not slow at all, but I don’t want for anything in terms of the world Utomi builds up here. I can recognise this as a prequel; it goes by like one. But it also makes me want to read the series when they come out, so it clearly does its job.

 

They say there is no sight in the city of lies

 

But I am leaving the book with 4 out of 5 stars. And it’s only fair to talk about what I didn’t like. My primary concern when reading this book is that Tutu comes into his powers faster than I think can be reasonably expected. It was also tougher to become emotionally invested in the characters, which is the trade-off when the author has less space to write about them. That’s important to me which is why it’s more 4 stars than 5.