Thanks to @tordotcompub @torbooks for the reading copy.

"The Lies of the Ajungo" by Moses Ose Utome is a fantastic, fleeting novella. I am mostly reading fantasy or scifi but I read anything especially if they're queer!

This is a tale of prolonged suffering that is ended by tempered resolve, its point polished ever sharper. I am not sure how to talk about it without spoiling much since it's such a short read. What I can tell is that Utome paints vivid pictures both bleak and hopeful from a barren desert landscape. This is a journey to uncovering the truth and knowing that it sometimes is just a mirage, all lies orchestrated to fool us. I am entralled by Utome's work and can't wait to read a full-length novel soon.

A stunning novella which I devoured in one sitting. It is refreshing to have a book where the mythos is outside of the traditional Western/European cultures, and sits in great company with P.Djeli Clark, Rebecca Roanhorse and Aliette de Bodard.
Tutu a young teen, on the verge of turning 13 lives in the City of Lies, a place bereft of water and dependant on the Ajungo Empire. In this city when you turn 13 your tongue is cut out as a payment to the Ajungo to keep the water flowing.
Tutu's mother is slowly dying of dehydration and his only hope to save her is to go on a quest into the Forever Desert to find a source of water. This would not only save his mother but also his city. Tutu starts out his journey with the naivety of a sheltered boy of his age, but he is forged in the heart of the desert and his understanding expands exponentially beyond his original narrow horizons.
The book explores themes of nation, isolation, division and the length that those in power will go to keep hold of it. This is a complete story which in the space of 96 pages provides full immersion into the authors imagined world and builds up plot twists that blindside the reader.
I would thoroughly recommend and my thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this gem. All views are my own.

An excellent novella. Introduces us to a new world, in which water is scarce and a source of power. Otomi's writing and characterization are excellent, and I quickly felt invested in the protagonist's journey. Very much looking forward to reading more by the author. Recommended.

I have to admit, I normally have a hard time with novellas and short stories because I never feel they give me enough time to get into the world or story they're trying to convey. The Lies of the Ajungo, however, was one of the outliers that truly worked for me.

While it's true I think that this story could have been a whole novel and I would have eaten it up, I think it worked really well as a short story within a larger world. Judging by the description of the sequel, it looks as though this story will act as a background myth for the next story's plot, which is one of my favourite tropes!

I loved following Tutu on his journey to find water in order to save his mother. He was so courageous, and seeing him tackle various obstacles and learn more about the world he was living in was a joy to read.

I do wish this could be a full novel because so much happened in just 87 pages, and I wanted to spend more time with the characters that we met.

I think the author had such a good idea with this story, though, and I could tell he had a great time writing it. I can't wait to read the sequel to see where the world goes next!

I really enjoyed this book! The MC's story kept me engaged once they embarked on what seemed like a one-way trip on a destined-to-fail quest into the desert. I liked watching their world expand bit by bit as they explored. When the big plot twist hit, I was reeeeally thrown. And the ending left me pretty devastated. I highly recommend it if you want a quick story, like character growth, appreciate hidden lessons, and don't mind a bit of emotional damage along the way.

For being a story coming in under 100 pages, this packed a wallop. I wasn't expecting to be glued to this book yearning to uncover the secret that Tutu was trying to discover, yet I was completely and utterly engrossed in this tale.

The story hooked me with the initial plot of Tutu setting out to find a new source of water for his city, with the hopes of saving his mama, but it slowly took a turn and became so much more. The secrets and lies and betrayals that were uncovered kept me enraptured and needing to know what would happen next. The cast of characters is small, and while the length of the story is small as well, the characters still managed to stand out, to the point where I was genuinely sad over any death.

There is intense action and horrific death in this small story but there is a beautiful balance between the plot and the action, neither one outshines the other, a perfect type of harmony that I find is hard for a lot of authors to achieve in small stories like.

The ending is extremely bittersweet but one I feel was perfectly fitting for the tale.

Had a good time with this. it reads like a legend/myth to some extent and reminded me of The Alchemist to some extent which made me hesitant since I did not have a good time with that upon reread. I enjoy the thematic being discussed, but what really got it to this rating is its ending.

This was so good!!!!!!!!!!! Fantasy novella excellence. Perfectly encapsulated fable-esque story that does what it came to do. The characters are well realised, the magic is exciting, the stakes are serious, and the relationships meaningful, and it all works in under 100 pages because the writing is so well crafted.

*3.5 stars
The premise and the story here is compelling. Utomi sets up an interesting world, and the myth-style storytelling draws you in. That said, the graphic action sequences and violence lost me; na dI wish the story was not as black and white as it ends up being - with a set of evil people and a set of the "good guys". I hope the author revisits this world since I think there is a lot more material here.
Thanks to Net Galley and Tor for the ARC.

✨9.25 out of 10 stars✨
What a gripping and satisfying read.

REVIEW
As the premise say, this short novella was about a boy's journey on his quest to find water.
In the city of lies, there are no water. And there are no friend.
For the sake of saving his dying mother, Tutu had to brave himself and venture out of the safety of his city's wall, to the endless dessert where beasts and their enemies lurked. But unbeknownst to him, his journey will also bring him closer to the truth.
At first, I didn't think I could finish this book in one sitting. I was in reading slump and can't even find myself to finish few chapters of other books. But somehow, the narratives of this novella keep me glued to its pages. It's simple and not flowery, but it also flow nicely and easy to read. As we follow the story from Tutu's point of view, we are brought to wonder and question the truth with him.
On the outside, it's wrapped as a fable in a high fantasy setting. But it's also talk about deceit and exploitation of power.
The story itself is quite short but I think it's the perfect length. It's resolved nicely and satisfying to read.
Recommended quick read for anyone.

'The Lies of the Ajungo' has a folkloric feeling to it: the magic of the setting is undercut by the danger of the Ajungo. The structure of the story will feel familiar, but the author has leaned into that fairy tale feeling and I really enjoyed it. Tutu is a compelling narrator and I was rooting for him from the start. His character development was incredibly satisfying and I think fans of coming of age novels will appreciate how he grows in confidence and insight. Tutu's relationship with his setting is one of the most pivotal of the novel, told through beautiful prose.
I think the strongest part of this work is the setting. There was a real sense of menace lurking and Tutu's uneasy mirrored my own. The City of Lies is brutal and hungry, and each new city Tutu explores is similarly dark and demanding. Tutu's character development is well-realised with strong motivations, and the author is skilled at giving us insight into his thought process, so that some of the difficult decisions he has to make read as incredibly emotional scenes. I am impressed with this novella and will definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy folkloric atmosphere, strong setting, rich character development - and cross my fingers that the series will be continued!

Tutu is about to turn thirteen, the age where tongues are cut out to appease the Ajungo Empire and ensure than water continues to come to the desert city. But Tutu decides that he will go out into the desert in search of water in exchange for his month being taken care of. But Tutu doesn't realize that the desert is more dangerous than he thinks and that the world is more complicated than he could've imagined.

This is a brutal book, but the imagery and the characters pull you right in. It feels a simple story that is almost fairy tale esque. But then as it progresses its feels like a true fairy tale, where everything is much more awful than is revealed at first. This book is about power and how those who wield it care nothing for the world. I don't typically like revenge plotlines, but this is incredibly done. Definitely recommend!

This was a very interesting book with an equally interesting premise. Utomi is a very talented writer and knows how to write characters in a world that will pack one hell of a punch against you. I'm very excited to see what he writes next!

I’ve had good luck with novellas recently - The Lies of the Ajungo is another quick read that strikes the right balance between telling a complete story and leaving you wanting more.

The Lies of the Ajungo reads like an old-fashioned fable or a Brothers Grimm fairytale. It’s a simple story told devastatingly effectively. Tutu’s evolution from small and bullied to powerful and vengeful is done so well that you’re rooting for him from the very beginning.

I like that this story is about questioning everything. If even the name of your town is designed to breed distrust, if your history is littered with deceit and trickery, if everything you’ve ever been told is a betrayal, then what do you do?

This fast-paced, almost feverish narrative drew me into this bleak and barren world with almost no effort. Within a few pages, I was completely on board for this adventure, and I never looked back. I cannot recommend this novella highly enough, and as it looks like this might be the start of a series, I’m very excited to be able to return to this world one day.

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

Without question one of the best novellas I've ever read! The worldbuilding is so vast, the characters so fully developed, and the storyline so cohesive that it felt like I'd taken in a full-length novel.
Utomi's writing is beautiful and so poetic, but still approachable and easy to absorb. More than once I found myself circling back to reread a line that resonated just right. I know I'll be thinking about this story for a long time to come.

Highly recommend and cannot wait to see where the rest of the series takes us!

Special thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! I absolutely adored this new addition to the quest fantasy genre, just as I’m excited to see where the story goes. Not only is this incredibly moving story poetically told, the main character, as all heroes who partake in a quest, faces many complex challenges of his own.
A successful novella can tell an intricate story in around 100 pages and do so in a way that leaves an impact on its reader that lasts far longer than it takes to read the book. And this book achieved this with flying colors.
I can’t wait for the follow-up already!

The Lies of the Ajungo could easily have been a grand multi-book YA fantasy series: young boy goes on a quest to save his city from the machinations of a more powerful, evil, city-state. Instead, Moses Ose Utomi gifts us with a story that turns that basic concept at odd and poignant angles, serving as commentary on the politics and societal maneuverings of our own world while still giving us a heartbreaking coming-of-age story set in an intriguing secondary fantasy world.

Tutu lives in the City of Lies, a drought-stricken city on the edge of the Forever Desert where what water is available is provided to the city by the Ajungo, a domineering foreign city-state. The Ajungo’s price? The tongues of every citizen at or above the age of thirteen, so they make speak no ill of the Ajungo. With his mother on her deathbed, Tutu approaches the city’s leader for a camel and supplies to go in search of a better water source. He is granted one year, with the reminder that “there are no Heroes in the City of Lies,” and that once he’s outside the city limits, “there are no friends to the City of Lies.” He heads out expecting no help from anyone he might meet along the way.

Of course, Tutu encounters a series of challenges to his quest, from desert wildlife he’s never seen before to humans he assumes are the Ajungo. But he also learns more of the outside world and his city’s relationship to it, through his encounters with three sisters who hail from a city where the Ajungo have demanded a tribute of ears, and a wise man from a city where the Ajungo demanded eyes. I was done with the book before I realized how deftly Utomi had worked in the classic “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” imagery in the form of the body parts the Ajungo choose to demand from the populace of these different cities. The trope is usually used to connote someone’s willful ignorance of the world around them; I think this is the first time I’ve seen it used as a tool of power, to subjugate and control the masses. Subtle and effective!

Tutu’s journey from innocent boy facing a brutal rite of passage to a man knowledgeable about the way the world really works is neither rushed nor dragged out. His path is not easy and involves un-learning “facts” and opinions that have been ingrained. Watching him go from untrusting loner to a team player without ever losing sight of his original mission is painful at times; Utomi doesn’t shy away from the anguish Tutu feels over his mother’s impending death or the inevitable betrayals that are a part of stories like this.

The Ajungo, who seem to have an answer to every city’s problem but always at a steep price, are the evil that looms over the entire book. I will not spoil the big reveals nor the resolution, but I will say that both are well-seeded, well-earned, and extremely satisfactory. And Utomi beautifully captures the “fairy tale / fable” voice in his omniscient narrator – I truly felt at times like Tutu’s story was being told around a campfire for a community of listeners. The style kept me engaged.

According to various online sources, The Lies of the Ajungo is only the first book in the Forever Desert series. While I think it stands perfectly well on its own as a complete whole, I do look forward to returning to this world in future volumes.

I received an advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The Lies of the Ajungo released on March 21, 2023.

I really enjoyed The Lies of the Ajungo. Very strong for a debut, it reads almost like a folktale. The action and intrigue kept me turning the pages, and the characters gave it heart. I’m very interested to see where the story continues from here, as I felt like the story was pretty well wrapped up, but the series is intended to be a trilogy I believe. And I will absolutely be there when it comes out. Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO is a novella that feels like one of those typical dystopian YA stories where *shock* turns out they were lying to us all along but the protagonist single-handedly destroys the enemy because of some vague superpowers they've gained along the way that make them the obvious chosen one.

Though those tropes are executed quite well here (this is no YA drivel), I'm still not especially fond of them. I still thought it was a decent read, however. The book has an excellent atmosphere and a cute coming-of-age feeling plot line.