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The Truth of the Aleke (The Forever Desert Book 2) Kindle Edition
Moses Ose Utomi returns to his Forever Desert series with The Truth of the Aleke, continuing his epic fable about truth, falsehood, and the shackles of history.
The Aleke is cruel. The Aleke is clever. The Aleke is coming.
500 years after the events of The Lies of the Ajungo, the City of Truth stands as the last remaining free city of the Forever Desert. A bastion of freedom and peace, the city has successfully weathered near-constant attacks from the Cult of Tutu, who have besieged it for three centuries, attempting to destroy its warriors and subjugate its people.
Seventeen-year-old Osi is a Junior Peacekeeper in the City. When the mysterious leader of the Cult, known only as the Aleke, commits a massacre in the capitol and steals the sacred God's Eyes, Osi steps forward to valiantly defend his home. For his bravery he is tasked with a tremendous responsibility—destroy the Cult of Tutu, bring back the God's Eyes, and discover the truth of the Aleke.
The Forever Desert series
The Lies of the Ajungo
The Truth of the Aleke
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTordotcom
- Publication dateMarch 5, 2024
- File size3482 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“This heart-wrenching sequel recaptures the tone of the opening volume and again packs an epic’s worth of worldbuilding into a limited page count.... This mind-bending story will have both new and returning fans hooked.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Utomi’s searing, thought-provoking fantasy novella has heartbreaking parallels in the present and is highly recommended.” ―Library Journal, starred review
“Utomi returns to the Forever Desert with this devastating, timely fantasy novella about the impossibility of peace when the powerful seek only to control and manipulate others.…There is no solace in this thought-provoking sequel, only uncomfortable truth.” ―Booklist, starred review
“The Truth of the Aleke is riveting and merciless, an exploration of power, deceit, corruption, and ultimately, hope. I was not prepared, and neither are you.” ―Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga and Untethered Sky
“The end of one story braids into the beginning of the next, and in this powerful sequel, truth cuts deeper than any lie.” ―Marie Brennan, author of A Natural History of Dragons
“Utomi's insights on power and propaganda are illuminating. The best fiction leaves us asking difficult questions about the world we live in and this novella succeeds in doing that and more. Such incredible writing!” ―T.L. Huchu, USA Today bestselling author of The Library of the Dead
“The Truth of the Aleke feels like you’re stepping into a story told around a campfire by a wise elder. Moses Ose Utomi understands the power of myth to point to deeply human truths. There is a richness to his storytelling. His worlds feel lived in like the comfort of coming home. We are literally watching an undeniable voice come into his own.” ―Maurice Broaddus, author of the Astra Black series
“The Truth of the Aleke weaves a dazzling tale that paints with sharp strokes, through massive battles and dizzying magics, to show the sheer power of stories and the deadly confluence between truth and lies.” ―Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, World Fantasy Award-winning editor of Africa Risen
Praise for The Lies of the Ajungo
“Utomi’s writing is both elegant and efficient, and the story is so eminently devourable that I finished it in a couple of hours. In keeping with the contradictions at the book’s heart, it left me perfectly sated and hungry for more.” ―The New York Times
“The Lies of the Ajungo is a tightly-packed, devastating punch, a masterful use of the novella as form and a heartbreaking tale of the lies we hold on to―the lies that help us live and the lies that hold us back.” ―C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken
“A captivating and violent fable, The Lies of the Ajungo plumbs the depths of deception yet bursts with hope. Taut and unexpected. I devoured it.” ―Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga
“Utomi is on the brink of something exceptional.” ―Suyi Davies Okungbowa, author of Son of the Storm
“Exquisitely crafted and original. Fiction at its best shows us the truth by telling us lies.” ―T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead
“A searing and mythical tale of manipulation, kindness, and sacrifice.” ―Marie Brennan, author of A Natural History of Dragons
“Utomi perfectly blends fantasy and fable in his mesmerizing debut novella. …[He] draws readers into a harsh and beautiful world where nothing is as it seems. Fantasy fans will want to keep an eye on this up-and-coming author.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This short but deeply affecting parable will unveil new perspectives to readers long after it’s done. Highly recommended.” ―Library Journal, starred review
“I was drawn into this story from the very first word, and each paragraph and sentence and chapter did not disappoint….[A] poetic, epic yet intimate, tale.” ―Safia H. Senhaji for Strange Horizons
“The Lies of the Ajungo is a masterfully epic and delightful tale. It is rich with, and spun from West African lore, with puzzles that unfurl before you as you read, thrilling fight scenes, wonderful mysteries, slowly unfolding secrets, and a dazzling revelation at the end of it all.” ―Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B0BQGHDXQ9
- Publisher : Tordotcom (March 5, 2024)
- Publication date : March 5, 2024
- Language : English
- File size : 3482 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 105 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1250849055
- Best Sellers Rank: #28,591 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #250 in Coming of Age Fantasy eBooks
- #304 in Action & Adventure Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #402 in Coming of Age Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Moses Ose Utomi](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/eo5ifnpj3tq1v67tj3mccdrqsh._SY600_.jpg)
Moses Ose Utomi is a Nigerian-American fantasy writer and nomad currently based out of Honolulu, Hawaii. He has an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and short fiction publications in Fireside Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, and more. He is the author of the YF fantasy novel Daughters of Oduma and the fantasy novella The Lies of the Ajungo. When he’s not writing, he’s traveling, training martial arts, or doing karaoke—with or without a backing track. You can follow him on Twitter (@MosesUtomi) or Instagram (@profseaquill).
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Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group, for the chance to read and review this book.
I was a big fan of the first book, The Lies of the Ajungo, and was really excited to read this one! Moses Ose Utomi has a distinctive style of writing that carries through both books. Both books unpack power and what people will do to maintain it. Both leave you feeling unsettled, and this one doesn't have the happiest of endings either. I also really appreciate how this book told the story of another city where Tutu is considered something else entirely.
That being said, the characters of this book, while realistic, fell flat. We don't need to have a clear good or bad thing happening, but some more details could have helped them become more distinctive and allowed some personality to make them more discernible; Hizo is the one who gives us the most in that regard.
"You numb yourself," Hizojie said. He was away from them, sitting with his head leaned back against the lunch table bench, staring at the sky. His voice lacked its usual bite. It was soft and calm, as sincere as Osi had ever heard it. "A Seer does not suffer when he steps on the sand. Because he feels nothing for the sand. That is all people are, Osi. Grains of sand. Burn them, crush them, step on them. You will learn to feel nothing."
Even when you know the Truth is coming, you still can't see it.
Following up The Lies of the Ajungo is no simple task. That book will blow you away. Yet Moses Ose Utomi delivered like he's the teacher of a Masterclass. I really enjoyed and appreciated his comments about Tutu and Osi in the Acknowledgements as well.
I am eagerly awaiting his 3rd installment in the Forever Desert.
The Truth of the Aleke is an excellent sequel to The Lies of the Ayungo. It's self-contained and technically works as a standalone, but I highly encourage you to read the series in the publication order. It'll make the impact of the ending much stronger.
Five hundred years have passed since the events of The Lies of The Ajungo, and history has replaced truth. The City of Truth and its leaders have been at war with the Cult of Tutu and its cruel leader, Aleke, for three centuries. Both sides of the conflict have different versions of history, with neither fully interested in the truth.
Young Osi believes his city stands as the final bastion in the fight against the ruthless hordes of Aleke, who bring nothing but suffering and destruction. Aleke's actions seem to confirm his belief: their attacks leave the city wrecked and its citizens massacred. Osi survives (not gonna tell you how) and embarks on a quest to defeat Aleke and retrieve the ancient magical artifacts stolen from the City during the bloodbath.
His journey into the desert reveals the depth of the lies. And Osi's fate is brutal and gut-wrenching. Osi is a flawed and naive hero, desperate for truth, and easily manipulated by others. His desire for glory blinds him and results in rather poor choices. The clash of his youthful idealism with the harsh realities of the world and political cunning is painful to watch.
I loved how Utomi approached themes of truth, power, and history, showing their ambiguity and complexity. The way he packed excellent world-building in just 112 pages impressed me, too. And I can't forget about awesome action sequences and awesome magical powers that enhance the readability of the story.
The Forever Desert is shaping to be a brilliant trilogy of novellas somewhere on the intersection of dark fantasy and fable. I can’t wait to read the last one in the series.
What I enjoyed the most about The Truth of the Aleke was how the story from the first book was distorted. The second book is set hundreds of years after the first. I love how stories told over generations are "changed" It's interesting to see how and why it's done. You can see how the story of Tutu has been manipulated and distorted by both sides. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'll stop there, but 😬😁😳
I wasn't as fond of Osi like I was of Tutu, after reading the Acknowledgement at the end of the book I understand why, it put the book in a different light, for me, and I advise reading it when you're done with the story. The Truth of the Aleke was a great short read and it comes out soon, March 5th. Highly recommend!
What do you do when your most anticipated read of the year lives up to your expectations???? @profseaquill is 2/2 with me, earning him a spot on the auto-buy authors list!!
The Truth of Aleke takes place 500 years after The Lies of the Ajungo (which everyone should read), and we see what happens when heroes don't write what's in the history books. This book is so timely with the events of the world, and it's written brilliantly. I will confess Osi got in my nerve with his naive recklessness, but that's most men 💁🏾♀️. Oh and the ending, I need book 3 now!!!
If you haven't read Forever Desert series what are you waiting for hmmm??? Thank you @netgalley and @tordotcompub for the ARC.