Moses Ose Utomi

Set in a secondary world reminiscent of Saharan Africa, 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. 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.

The Lies of the Ajungo

prawnie

They knew that all of history was a lie told to instill fear in those whose fearlessness could have rewritten it.

The power came from translating understanding into belief, from standing so firmly in one’s knowledge of the world that the knowledge itself became an armor—and a weapon.

“Ya still young, Tutu. When ya reach our age, understanding comes—evil in one place is evil in every place. We will help this man.”

“A man will give ya work and name it a gift.” Lami barked a laugh.

Lindsay

The power came from translating understanding into belief, from standing so firmly in one’s knowledge of the world that the knowledge itself became an armor— and a weapon.

It had been so long since he’d had the freedom to cry. That’s what crying was— freedom. You could only cry when there were no more urgent responsibilities. Only when there was no one watching you who depended on your strength. Only when the people around you wouldn’t take advantage of your tears.

Tears are precious, his mama always said. Don’t waste them on your enemies. Save them for your friends.

sani

The Lies of The Ajungo follows the story of a young boy in the City of Lies where there is no water. all boys who reach the age of thirteen are made to cut their tongues off by the Ajungo Empire in exchange of a meagre amount of water, just enough for them to sustain. so, Tutu, the protagonist of the story begins on a quest to find water outside the city for his sick mother. the themes of the novella revolves around oppression and rebellion with the right amount of magical realism and epic quests. 

this was my first time reading a book based on African mythology and i liked the way Moses Ose Utomi wrote the book. the premise was a mix of fable and fantasy in the author's own words and I was surprised at how much i liked it. 

my one major problem with this book was that it was too short. the ending felt rushed and undeserving of how it should have ended instead. there could have been a better way to do the show vs tell thing too but i can understand since it's a debut novella and it need not be perfect. 

the most heartfelt part had to be Tutu's bond not just with his mama but with Asilah, Lami and Funme. he proved that the Oba was wrong and there were friends who cherish you outside the City. something about found family makes me so 🥹

it was, overall, a nice read.

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.

Seher Mohsin

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.

The Lies of the Ajungo

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