Lost Ark Dreaming

“Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a scholar of place and a master of worlds.” —Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

ADULT | SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY

The brutally engineered class divisions of Snowpiercer meets Rivers Solomon’s The Deep in this high-octane post-climate disaster novella by Nommo Award-winning author Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

Off the coast of West Africa, decades after the dangerous rise of the Atlantic Ocean, the region’s survivors live inside five partially submerged, kilometers-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.

There are also those who were left for dead in the Atlantic, only to be reawakened by an ancient power, and who seek vengeance on those who offered them up to the waves.

Three lives within the towers are pulled to the fore of this conflict: 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 will need to work together if there is to be any hope of a future that is worth living—for everyone.

 Praise

“Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a scholar of place and a master of worlds—his grasp of how we are shaped by the spaces we occupy makes him one of the most exciting authors writing in SFF. Lost Ark Dreaming is both an imaginative work of climate fiction and a shrewd condemnation of contemporary sociopolitical institutions. In that sense, Lost Ark Dreaming is truly the best of its genre—cautionary, humanizing, and reflective all at once.”
—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

“A quick read with novel-sized tension and action and some lovely high-concept ideas about immigration, class, and community.”
—Rebecca Roanhorse, NYT Bestselling author of Black Sun

“Lost Ark Dreaming reads like a locked-room-styled dystopia slick as a fast-paced horror with the tones of social commentary. A surreal fusion of African politics, climate fiction, and mythology in the tongue of poetry and philosophy.”
—Tlotlo Tsamaase, author of Womb City

“Prepare to be swept away by this epic-on-the-inside novella that will immerse you deeply and immediately with its intensity, pace and vision. Absolutely unputdownable!”
—Samit Basu, author of The City Inside

“The strength of Lost Ark Dreaming lies in Okungbowa’s careful attention to the details. . .The story of three characters from different social classes learning to work together remains compelling.”—The Washington Post

“Okungbowa offers readers an amazing, character-driven story set in a vivid, dystopian world.”—Library Journal, starred review

“For fans of genre benders, dystopia, and stories of great humanity, Lost Ark Dreaming is a feast of meaning.”—Shelf Awareness

“Okungbowa successfully layers POVs to pull off a very big story in a small amount of time, a tale of a future that seems all too possible given the pace of gentrification and climate change. Lost Ark Dreaming simply cannot be missed.”—Reactor

“Seriously well-worth reading.”—Lightspeed

“Okungbowa’s clear-eyed look at present dangers and the compassion and conviction of his characters as they come to confront the dark realities of their society lend the tale a memorable and even heroic resonance.”—Locus

“Lost Ark Dreaming dares us to imagine an alternative future – if we can but find the language for it.”—Interzone

“Beautifully written, paced, and imagined, Lost Ark Dreaming is a novella I hope every fan of dystopian post-apocalyptic fiction picks up and tries out.”—Grimdark Magazine

“Okungbowa's latest is action packed and bold, a Mami Wata folklore–inspired story of capitalist, green-washing corruption and of postapocalyptic revolution, reminiscent of Rivers Solomon and Ursula K. Le Guin. This novella is thought provoking and will spur readers to challenge their own complicities and take action. while also featuring a fast pace and a compelling narrative.” —Booklist

”Okungbowa skillfully probes the trio’s immediate distrust of each other, exposing their prejudices and ignorance, while ramping up the action to almost Dune-like intensity. . . .Where the writing really shines, however, is in the small details, like the orange-peel necklace Ngozi wears in memory of his lost sister. Readers will be gratified.”—Publishers Weekly

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Publishers & Special Issues

  • Print: Tordotcom (Tor/Forge, Macmillan) | Hardcover, ebook (US, UK)

  • Audio: Audible

  • Subrights: Masobe Books (Nigeria; alternate cover)

  • Special/Limited Issues: TBA