Masobe Books is thrilled to announce the acquisition of ‘Ghostroots’ and ‘The Suicide Mothers’, ’Pemi Aguda’s debut collection of stories, and debut novel, as well as ‘Lost Ark Dreaming’ by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, to our growing collection of exceptional books. The stories will engulf you in twists and turns; take you on an explosive adventure in the cinematic worlds captured within their texts, a feast of the imagination . . . and it’s all in keeping with our promise to platform the very best of our stories, just for you. Join us as we welcome the authors and their works into our family.
Lost Ark Dreaming By Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Set 80 years into the future, Lost Ark Dreaming is a post-climate disaster novella that paints a profound and prophetic picture of what could become of our world when the power of the sea, as demonstrated by its rabid erosions; the displacement of waterside communities in favour of gentrification projects, and the resulting social stratification; economic-minded projects hailed as intervening measures for an improved environmental future, all come to a head. But somewhere within all this is a fun romp, featuring a gathering of unlikely heroes, a battle between good and evil, and questions about what it means to be a small part of a big world. It has been hailed as a must-read for fans of Snowpiercer and The Platform.
The people’s greatest fear has finally come to pass: The rise of the Atlantic Ocean and the submerging of a once magnificent city―Lagos.
The region’s survivors now live inside five partially submerged, kilometres-high towers originally created as a playground for the wealthy. Now the towers’ most affluent rule from their lofty perch at the top while the rest are crammed into the dark, fetid floors below sea level.
Some others, left for dead in the Atlantic are reawakened by an ancient power, and seek vengeance on those who offered them up to the waves.
It’s up to three inhabitants of the tower to save the day: Yekini, an earnest, mid-level rookie analyst; Tuoyo, an undersea mechanic mourning a tremendous loss; and Ngozi, an egotistical bureaucrat from the highest levels of governance. They must work together if there is to be any hope of a future that is worth living―for everyone.
LOST ARK DREAMING has been critically appraised as:
“A gripping tale set in a startling world that is fantastical, yet so very real.” —Abdulkareem Baba Aminu
“A surreal fusion of African politics, climate fiction, and mythology in the tongue of poetry and philosophy.” —Tlotlo Tsamaase
About the Author
Suyi Davies Okungbowa is an award-winning author of fantasy, science fiction and general speculative work. He has published various novels, the latest of which are Warrior of the Wind and Son of the Storm—both of The Nameless Republic epic fantasy trilogy. His debut novel, David Mogo, Godhunter, won the 2020 Nommo Award for Best Novel. His shorter works have appeared in various periodicals and anthologies and have been nominated for various awards. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, and lives in Ontario, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Ottawa. Lost Ark Dreaming is his latest work. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @suyidavies, or via his newsletter, SuyiAfterFive.com.
Ghostroots By ’Pemi Aguda
Ghostroots is a debut collection of twelve dazzling stories set in a hauntingly reimagined Lagos where characters vie for freedom from ancestral ties. The collection unfolds against a spectral cityscape where the everyday business of living is charged with an air of supernatural menace. These stories reveal starkly different facets of Lagos, grounded in reality, but well-traversed by ghosts and spirits.
When a young woman exhibits an uncanny resemblance to her sinister, deceased grandmother and shows capacity for deadly violence, she wonders if evil can be genetic, passed from generation to generation.
There’s a mysterious virus lurking, and its victim is all the boys on one street.
A young architect turns up to measure a house, only to find that her drawings make no sense, and the house seems to resist her.
A schoolboy must obey his mother’s one rule: Never bring strangers home. But one day, he is accompanied home by a group of tribal masquerades, cloaked in feathers and twinkling beads.
GHOSTROOTS has been critically appraised as:
“Marvellously unsettling.” —Kelly Link
“A treasure chest of surprises sometimes scary, sometimes funny, always darkly familiar.” —T.J Benson
About the Author
’Pemi Aguda is an MFA graduate from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan. A MacDowell fellow, her writing has been published in Granta, Ploughshares, Zoetrope, and more, and been awarded O. Henry Prizes for Short Fiction, a Nommo Award and the Writivism Prize. Her second book, The Suicide mothers will be published in 2025. She is from Lagos, Nigeria.
The titles are scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2024. Specific publication dates and cover reveals will be announced soon. For more information, please contact: Theresa Ominiabohs at +234 701 838 3286, email: info@masobebooks.com, follow us @Masobebooks on Instagram and Twitter, or visit the Masobe Books website at www.masobebooks.com.