Novellas like these two will always be my saving grace during slump reading periods.

If you’re looking for expansive world building but in a brutal, satisfying novella, then check out the Forever Desert books. I love the interconnected elements and myths between these two books, especially due to the political and social commentary done in Aleke. Five hundred years can change a society quite a lot, which was fascinating to see unfold in this sequel.

Much like The Lies of the Ajungo, the narrator in The Truth of the Aleke is faced with pains and horrors—even betrayals—he could never foresee. Both narrators are passionate and optimistic, looking at their leaders and idols with a love only the young can have. They haven’t been influenced by the harsher realities of life, and it’s not fun watching them come to terms with this. But again, even as I see the surprise coming, I wouldn’t want either narrator to face it alone.

I recommend these two books because within 100 or less pages, these two leads steal our hearts and the show. Moses Ose Utomi is able to create such a complicated, confounding world that I can’t get enough of it too. I WISH I could have an entire novel dedicated to these two stories, but Moses also writes enough to *mostly* satiate my curiosity/desire for more.. cause I’ll always want more of my favorite stories.

I can’t really go into more detail because of the novella’s length. Overall, The Lies of the Ajungo gave readers a more black and white ending to the story. Aleke, on the other hand, shows how the lead is easily manipulated in his search for truth that ultimately leads him to have a far more human and realistic ending.

Thank you to Tordotcom for the review copy. I devoured it in less than 24 hours, and I cannot WAIT for the third and final book!