This was brilliant. Okungbowa packs a truly impressive amount of world building and character work into this fast-paced novella with a storyline about grief, climate change, and resisting oppression. There's a lot to think about here as well as some passages of deeply beautiful language--I feel like I want to reread this novella several times so I can really sit with it and digest it!

Side note that as I was reading I kept thinking it felt like Snowpiercer meets The Deep... and then looked at the blurb again when I finished and realized that this is exactly how Lost Ark Dreaming is pitched. I guess the comps are accurate!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

In a post apocalyptic world that's been mostly washed away or submerged by ocean waters the survivors live in the last of the 5 towers that still functions. With the wealthy at the top and the poor under the water line. Yekini, Tuoyo and Ngozi meet when Yekini and Ngozi are sent to the lowers after an urgent problem is logged about a misfunctioning air tight seal. Tuoyo is the forman on the affected level and shows them the problem and the fix but the inspection leads to some unexpected discoveries.
The synopsis for this is a little bit misleading saying that people live in all 5 towers still but that's not the case, the characters and plot are interesting but there are a few interludes that pulled me out of the story ruining the flow for me, otherwise this is an interesting concept.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lost Ark Dreaming is a novella that explores a future marred by the severe effects of climate change, classism, capitalism, and greed.

I really liked the 3 main characters! I found their stories to be compelling and I genuinely cared about all of them. I almost wish this was a full-length novel because I wanted to spend more time with them.

This pacing was tight, engaging, and the action scenes were punchy and impactful. There was also enough world-building so the reader has a full understanding of the world the characters are living and the implications of their actions without getting bogged down in it. There are interlude chapters interwoven throughout the novella as well that give context to the world and to characters’ backstories.

There were a few interlude chapters that took me out of the flow of the narrative, but I did liked them as stand-alone chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed this and can’t wait to read more from Suyi Davies Okungbowa!!

On a small island off the coast of Lagos, what was once a luxury highrise is now partially submerged in water and has become the only livable place in the area. But when the safe building is breeched by what might be a deep sea monster, all of the strictly delineated classes inside are put at risk. I'm stunned by what a layered, complex dystopian world Suyi Davies Okungbowa builds in so few pages! With such an evocative setup and incredibly high stakes, I was sucked into this book from the start. I would absolutely read a sequel!

I loved this book! The beginning feels almost like a horror book, but it was much more than that! I loved how the main characters come together and finding out about their different backgrounds. This dystopian future seems absolutely plausible. There are echoes of River Solomon's The Deep - which I also loved. This is a fast-paced fun book that also raises questions of class and made me think. It was a pretty quick read that delivered a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing group for an ARC to review.

I tend to be a little picky when it comes to science fiction novellas, but I honestly loved this. Taking place in the near future off the shore of West Africa, this novella is about people living in kilometer-high towers, called 'arks', after the Atlantic Ocean rises. They are separated by class, with the workers living under the sea and the leaders living at the top of the tower. It reminded me quite a bit of High Rise and Snowpiercer, specifically in its discussion regarding class and community. I found all three POVs interesting to follow, but my favorite was Yekini. All three people have suffered loss and grief, so the way everything comes together is somewhat beautiful to see.

Even though this was only 200 pages, I thought the author wrapped up the novella fairly well. This was emotional and tense and it was so worth the read. I'm already planning on picking up the author's other novels because of how much I loved this one. If you're a fan of climate fiction and sci-fi, I highly recommend giving this a try!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with this ARC!

I wasn't a huge fan of the author's adult fantasy series (loved the worldbuilding; story was all right), but I was definitely willing to give him another try.

And I'm glad I did because this novella did not disappoint!

If you're a fan of sci-fi stories where the MCs are stuck with a potentially dangerous alien lifeform, then this might be for you.

The thing I really liked about this story was that the author took the above trope and made it wholly his own. I thought I was getting a typical locked-room horror mystery mixed with action thriller, but I was 100% wrong. And I liked that I was wrong.

What I got instead was a science fantasy story set in a futuristic Lagos that considers the consequences of climate change, neoliberalism, and the loss of cultural identity. It creates a bridge between gritty dystopian sci-fi (think Cyberpunk 2077 or Blade Runner) with a cultural fantasy rooted in the author's identity.

While most of the story is literal, the ending is very metaphorical and open-ended. Some might like this, some might not. It was quite different and I ended up liking it.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for this arc.

I was really impressed with this novella. It's hard to tell a complete story in under 200 pages but this author nails it. I think the world is interesting, the story is told beautifully with a dreamlike quality and the characters are all complex with their own backstory. The story draws you in and immerses you into this world right away. I think this author could have written this as a much longer novel but it also satisfies as a shorter one. I will definitely be checking out more of their work.

In a way this book reminded me of "Wool" by Hugh Howey but it's also very different so it's hard to compare them but I got the same feeling while reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group | Tordotcom and Suyi Davies Okungbowa for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This dystopian sci fi novella set in Africa was such a good read! For such a short book, it really packed in quite the story. Climate change has left the masses living in high rise skyscrapers, where, of course, the rich live in the levels above water, and the poor in the levels below water. A creature from the water infiltrates the tower, and what follows is a great action packed exploration of class division, climate change, and humanity.

The world building and snippets of articles really bring the environment of the novel to life. The development of the characters could have been a little deeper, but it was very nicely done in regards to the length of the novella.

All in all, this novella was an intriguing read, and the author does an amazing job of bringing it to life. I look forward to reading more of this authors work.

Thank you to TOR Publishing Group and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sad to say I'm a little disappointed by this one. It started off real strong. I was drawn into this whole new world curious to how environmental elements played into creating it. The characters were charming, I looked forward to getting to know them more yet then about half way through I fell out of love. Something about the mystery of the children introduced really tapered off and I don't know what happened for me personally. The idea of a novella sounds great, you get straight to the point of everything and this felt too big of an idea to confine it into the time frame built into the narrative. Yet with that said I don't know if it'd benefit from being an actual novel.

Lost Ark Dreaming is Okungbowa's foray into the climate fiction (cli-fi) genre. And what a magnificent entrance this was. In less than 200 pages of the novella, Suyi (like a seasoned griot) masterfully narrates and weaves together intricate and vibrant story threads of, at first glance, unlikely people and places. Skilfully and without a word wasted, he allows the story the story to unfold.

Lost Ark Dreaming is a gripping and thought-provoking narrative; a story that simultaneously urges you to pause, reflect and contemplate on what you've read. But it also forces you to move forward with the story, to listen, to know what will happen next. A superbly balanced dichotomy that reveals Suyi's mastery of his craft.

For me, Lost Ark Dreaming was an unforgettable read; and strangely enough, it was also the first time I wanted to listen to a book in audio format rather than reading it.

A really enjoyable novella with some very thoughtful themes. Described as "cli-fi", this novella takes a look at a potential society after the waters rise and drown the coast of west Africa, specifically Nigeria. At first this felt a bit like a sci-fi horror book, with the way it began, but it phased out some of the horror elements at a particular point in the story; this felt very purposeful and was playing with audience expectations, which really helped drive the meaning of it home. I really liked the characters and their different backgrounds, and how those backgrounds informed the people they'd become. The tensions between them felt very real. There were some elements of this that didn't quite work for me (I felt one particular part came together too quickly, given who was involved, and I didn't love the ending), but this was still an incredibly solid novella that makes me want to try more of the author's work. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC; all opinions are my own.

This was a wonderfully written and very atmospheric novella! Had a lot of insightful commentary without being too heavy handed and I love the sci-fi/fantasy elements that were mixed in!
Really enjoyed the characters and their dynamic together and wish it was a longer story but I think it serves its purpose very well and is a worth while quick read!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this novella dealing with the rising oceans, a dark futures for 99% of the survivors, the 1% and their power games and the that beyond power and wealth, are things we don't understand, but still know to frightened of.

I live in New England and for the second year we have had more flooded basements than snow days. Everyone says the weather is certainly changing, but mention climate change and people start denying. Governments will claim a lack of money, and the do their own research crowd will take the talking points from their news channels and suddenly become climate experts. Just as they wer constitutional scholars, vaccine experts and much more. With so many experts its a wonder why planes are falling out of the skies suddenly. Or that waters are rising quicker than expected. And humanity might find itself going right down the drain. Lost Ark Dreaming is a science fiction novella of a future that seems to be coming closer day by day, written by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

Five towers like a hand reaching up for the last time rise out of is not a part of the Atlantic Ocean. An ocean that rose years ago, covering parts of Africa and driving survivors out into a new world of water, and coming to this place that was supposed to be a wonderland for the rich. There towers are home to thousands of survivors, who live in a caste system, based on importance. Those with power live on the top floors, basking in the sun, and high away from problems. The mids are a sort of bureaucracy, they keep the power, the police, the secret police, the analysts who try to keep problems stifled. And the lowers, who live below the water line, in deep in the dark, dealing with leaks. Levels are strictly monitored, and not meant to be mixed. A routine crack sends a senior official, Ngozi, and a rookie analyst, Yekini, deep into the Lowers, to see if it could become a problem. There they met Tuoyo, an engineer who once lived in the upper floors, but found her way lower after a tragedy. Upon seeing the crack, they notice something wrong, hand prints, showing that something has come in. Something they all fear, and something that could change everything.

Some people have the ability to write in a novella a story that would in ordinary hands need five books to cover. This is a real gift that Okungbowa has, to introduce a world, a past for his three characters, a hierarchy to the world, a religion, and a threat, and come in at less than 200 pages. Okungbowa tells the story in alternating chapters focusing on the point of view of the three characters, all who are different, and very unique. One knows where another character begins, even if one misses the name at the top of the chapter. This allows a lot of the world, and how it is run to be told organically, through the characters, and not infodumped. Which is both clever and a very good trick for other writers to learn. In addition in between sections are poems explaining what creatures are out in the sea, news reports about the towers and climate change, and little bits to fill out the world. One could say the story is a set-up for a bigger tale, and fine, but this one is pretty contained story, and if there are more, I am more that happy to read them. Okungbowa has a really nice writing style, and I was pretty much into the story by the end of the opening chapter.

Recommended for people who like dystopian science fiction, opened ended stories ripe for interpretation, and really good storytelling. This is the first book I have read by Suyi Davies Okungbowa but I look forward to reading more by him, and hopefully more about these characters. A novella hits harder than most series adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor.com for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions contained within are my own.

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Right away, I notice the evocative quality of Okuongbowa’s writing, and how adept he is at conveying information to the reader. Within even the first few paragraphs, I know that our primary protagonist is not religious, but that many of Earth’s old religions survive, passed on to her generation. I know that this is a post-apocalyptic Earth rather than a secondary world. I know a little of the protagonist’s family history. But most importantly, the information conveyed flows, tied together into a single stream, and does not feel like an info dump.

Between front-story chapters, we get poetic interludes and news clippings, articles, etc., from a pre-flood world. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for fictional epigraphs, so these are a great tool for drawing me right in while providing both atmosphere and further information. These were also the parts of the story which set it most specifically and immersively in Lagos, Nigeria, which I deeply appreciated and wanted more of.

These epigraphs are also used to highlight the handling of a theme I want to commend here, namely the intersection of a climate disaster story and class warfare. I hate to say it (that’s a lie,) but environmentalist fiction can be a hotbed of eco-fascist ideology. (If you see a book blaming ‘overpopulation’ for the death of the environment, or the phrase ‘humans are the real virus,’ or some similar shit, fucking run.) Okungbowa’s themes, however, couldn’t fall farther from it. Instead, he showcases the way the powerful shortsightedly throw people and environment alike under the bus, with a clear understanding that those living in poverty have the least control over what happens to their world.

Going back to the front-story, however, there are three focus characters. Yekini, a safety analyst, is our everywoman. Her POV gets the lion’s share of the page count, but she’s the least memorable of the three. Ngozi, a bureaucrat, starts out obnoxious, but proves to have a surprising amount of depth and capacity for character growth. Lastly, we have Tuoyo, the engineer who discovered the breach in the tower’s foundation which serves as this book’s inciting incident. Tuoyo also has the most personal connection to what’s going on in the plot, having previously lost her wife to an attack by the so called ‘Yemoja’s Children’ - humanoid, water-dwelling, mysterious, and deeply feared.

Do I think the story could have been improved by any of these characters starting with a driving need or goal and making the plot happen rather than serving as its instrument? Absolutely. But the stakes rise quickly, and the characters likewise rise quickly to the challenge, so it doesn’t feel like they have no agency.

The world building is high-concept, with the haves atop the Pinnacle and the have-nots at the below-water bottom, but the social interactions remain believable enough to avoid it becoming didactic cheese. The attitudes of the Lowers toward the Midders do a lot of the heavy lifting here. The obvious cliche would be to present the Lowers as innocent and downtrodden, beaten down for the least dissent - or as an unruly mob seconds away from murdering those more privileged than them. Instead, the Lowers are presented (chiefly in the character of Tuoyo) as believable people trying to do their jobs, who resent (but don’t hate) the Midder bureaucracy and see no reason to humor interlopers when they’re being dumb. Those potential cliches are even lampshaded in the subverted expectations of the two Midders, neither of whom had ever set foot in the lower levels before.

As I read, I wound up jotting down some questions about the world building. Where does the food the characters eat come from? Why do two of the three main characters seem immune to the Pinnacle’s pervasive propaganda? (Try saying that five times fast.) Subpar past reading experience and my own cranky nature led me to assume those questions would never be answered, so I was pleasantly surprised when Okungbowa addressed both. He didn’t dwell on either issue, but yes, there’s an agricultural level, which uses manure. And yes, Yekini’s grandmother specifically taught her to look beyond the party line. So yay not getting sloppy. Faith restored and all that.

The plot takes some dips and turns, ending up somewhere both expected and not. I was surprised how late in the story the nature of the Children was revealed, given that it’s right there in the synopsis. Once the Queen Conch came into play… I get what Okungbowa was getting at, but I found the more abstracted nature of those sections distancing. That said, I did like the ambiguity of the ending. Anything too cut and dry - either too cynical or too idealistic - would have irked me. So let the camera iris out, fade to black, and end on a powerful moment.

3.5 stars overall, and I think I will round this one up.

Lost Ark Dreaming mixes a suspenseful, adrenaline-filled story with at times poetic, Yoruba-inspired mythology, and direct commentary on exploitation, capitalism, and social stratification. The pace makes for a very engaging novella, but also for some abrupt character development that detracted from how powerful some of its messages could have been. Suyi Davies Okungbowa does a lot of interesting things in this story, and I loved the influence of Nigerian culture and tradition to an otherwise familiar dystopian setup. I was left enjoying the read overall, but with mixed results on how much of a lasting impression it made on me.

This is a post-climate disaster, near-future dystopia where people seek refuge from rising sea levels in towers on the Nigerian coast. The Pinnacle tower is a symbol of exploitative capitalism, both in its construction as a luxury living community for the privileged turned into a reluctant host for refugees, and in its hierarchical social order split between the Lowers, Midders, and Uppers, depending on which level folks live on. Within the tower, we follow three characters from different backgrounds who are put together to investigate a tower infrastructure issue that quickly escalates into discovering bigger secrets being kept and a bit of fantasy/monster horror.

There were moments that were great for me when reading. The author does some interesting things with form, switching between traditionally delivered plot, poetic interludes, and articles conveying some of the history and context of the world building. In particular, the interludes slowed things down and were more effective at delivering powerful commentary and themes of memory, sacrifice, and loss. But like some of the abrupt character development, this made for abrupt shifts in tone and pace, that left things feeling a little looser than I had hoped.

This story is in some ways a very familiar setup of a tower-based dystopia akin to Silo, and delivers on that plot really well. The African influence makes this stand out as approachable but new, and I appreciate the exposure to less represented cultures and traditions. Suyi Davies Okungbowa shows flashes of creativity and inspiration that excite me to check out more of his work. Lost Ark Dreaming was a fast, engaging read, and for the length and break-neck pace alone I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, but it is not a new favorite.

It took me a while to get into this book, but when I did I couldn't put it down. 4 stars

I love the main character and the way she went about things. She had some hard times. And the world was so immersive. This is my frist book from Suyi and I will definitely be reading from him again.

Lost Ark Dreaming is absolutely brilliant!

Okungbowa is able to create such a richly detailed post-apocalyptic world in so few pages. This book is pitched as a combination of Snowpiercer and The Deep by Rivers Solomon and that description is absolutely spot on. There is a high stakes mystery/conspiracy plot guiding the novel forward while the characters' personal histories and the interludes provide a glimpse into the near and distant past.

If you are a fan of climate science fiction and post-apocalyptic stories, you must check this out! I think that science fiction and fantasy readers will both find the plot exciting and engaging.

4.5/5 stars!

LOST ARK DREAMING grew on me. At first, it seemed like your typical YA dystopia with the classic “oh-no-the-government-is-evil-and-has-been-secretly-hiding-something-from-us” trope, mixed with the Snowpiercer-esque blunt metaphor of people from different physical “layers” of a train/ship/skyscraper being different classes (a trope I also recently encountered in AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS)—and it very much can be distilled to those two tropes, but a unique part of this novella can be found in its interludes.

Sometimes poetry, sometimes newspaper articles, or general reflections related to the novel’s themes, it’s an interesting way of adding a little extra to the book. I’m not sure if it always worked for me. It’s nice because it feels different, yet it also sometimes took me out of the story because there are a *lot* of interludes for such a short story.

Nearing the end, it reminded me the most of an obscure little Polish film, “O-bi, O-ba: The End of Civilization”, in which a post-apocalyptic society has as its only hope a mythical vessel which is said to come to rescue them some day. It’s a common trope in these hopeless generation ship stories, but it works quite well here, but I won’t say too much else about it because that would spoil things.

Overall, it’s at the very least an interesting work and a great example of a novella done well.

Decades after the rise of the Atlantic Ocean, the deluge survivors live in partially submerged towers off the coast of what used to be Lagos. The tower's inhabitants are divided into classes, with the most affluent living at the top and the rest crammed into the bottom.

Lost Ark Dreaming follows three characters: Yekini, a rookie analyst; Tuoyo, an engineer; and Ngozi, an insufferable government official. A crack is discovered in the tower, and the three must work together to fix it.

For a novella, the three protagonists in the story were expertly developed. For a book this short, the writer did a great job of telling the story, giving us back stories of the characters and intricately weaving the world they lived in. It took me a while to get into the story, but I flew through it once I got a hang of it.

My only complaint about the book was its length and ending. I wasn’t a big fan, and it left me with more questions than answers. The author tells us about life in the tower, but I itched to know more about life outside the tower. Aside from these, I recommend this book if you’re looking for a good African SFF.

PS. This book was so good I dreamt about life in the tower, probably because I couldn’t stop thinking about it.