Lost Ark Dreaming

Compared with Mr. Okungbowa's "David Mogo, Godhunter," I found this less interesting from the perspective of high concept, but much more focused in terms of plot and characterization. On the whole, I'd say that was a good trade off, and if you're in the mood for a slice of post-apocalyptic Afro-Futurism, with a dash of magic realism on the side, you should find this novella worth your investment of time.

This story started out really well. The writing is unique and the plot is set in a dystopian world formed after two apocalyptic events happened - two major, world-ending floods where people were either left to survive floating in the ocean, or were fortunate enough to have a place in one of the towers protruding from the water. The society described within one of those towers, called the Pinnacle, seems like a capitalism-flavored dystopia. It was described through the eyes of three characters, all of whom had different social standings, and all of whom had very distinct voices. It was a very promising start. However, somewhere down the line the story unexpectedly changed genres to what I can only describe as surrealism and, honestly, it show more left me a bit confused. I think I would have liked if the author either dedicated more time to properly develop the intricacies of the dystopian setting together with the social critique, or made a magical surrealism book on the importance of history, but not both at the same time. show less

I read this as part of the Nebula finalist readings.

Lost Ark Dreaming is a fascinating piece of near-future scifi set after a climate disaster floods Africa. Refugees survive in five reinforced towers strictly demarcated by class. An alert on a below-water level brings together three administrators, forcing them to confront their society, their faith, and their future. The writing is masterful, the characters incredibly deep. The very ending, however, felt abrupt and unsatisfying for me.

What a fantastic story! This book has skyrocketed up my list of best books I’ve read and is in contention for my best book of the year. I knew from chapter one that I was going to love the story, and the rest of the book didn’t disappoint. It’s perfection.

The short chapters really set the pace, and build the tension as our characters realize they are not alone in the tower, and a vengeful water demon is hiding in the shadows. Not only that, but the higher ups think they are overreacting. Everything in this story felt so real. So painfully, beautifully human.

We follow three very different characters on the day that their lives are completely upended and changed forever. We learn about their hopes, dreams, and fears as they try to show more navigate the chaos. They don’t like each other, and never come to like each other, but they agree to work together to survive.

A major theme throughout the story is the human capacity for working together for good, and for turning on each other and hurting other humans, especially those who are a little different. There are no easy answers here, and the story mostly asks questions, all while providing a trilling, suspenseful tale.

The climax of the story was truly beautiful. I’m getting chills just thinking about it again. It’s an open ending, and I absolutely love it.

It’s been several days since I read this book, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I will definitely be rereading it, and I have a feeling it will stick with me for a long time.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

For more thoughts, see my review on youtube

I also have a reading vlog for this book show less

When I read the author's bio at the end of the book, I was definitely not surprised to find out that he's a poet. His word choices, the conciseness of the chapters, etc., all fit well with many other poets who have written prose. (He also seems like a genuinely cool person!) All the critiques I have are nitpicks; I really like this story and plan to read a lot more by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

After an almost post-apocalyptic rise of the Atlantic Ocean, the survivors of West Africa are packed into five partially submerged towers off the coast. Much like Snowpiercer and Wool, the rich live in comfort at the top while the poor are packed in the lower levels below sea level. And then, there are also those people who were abandoned to the show more rising sea, and who are now coming back for vengeance. The novella follows three people within one of these towers, one from the lower level, the middle, and the very top, as they have to find a way to work together to save everyone.

My nitpicky critiques include
- things progress a little too quickly, especially after the trio find the Child
- the text size is so small—and got even smaller—that I think this could have just been fleshed out into a full-sized novel, which would have helped the pacing
- I really struggled with the "called and chosen" thing the story had going on
- I wish there was a little more buildup, a little more description of the inside life of the tower before everything happened

I adore the open ending—and it is VERY open—but it somehow still works and is very satisfying. Ultimately, I don't think this was meant to be read completely literally. But overall, this was a great read. show less

I really enjoyed this story. Set in the future where water has covered most of the planet these towers, aka the fingers are where the last of humanity lives according to their class. There were others that were washed away when the waters came but something magical has happened and they want their places back. I really enjoyed the world building and the character development. It leaves you with a huge cliffhanger so I suppose unless the author has another book planned its up to your imagination to guess what happens next.