Set mainly in Mozambique in the 1890s, it’s the third in the Sands of the Emperor trilogy, which starts with The Woman of the Ashes and secondly The Sword and the Spear. It’s not necessary to read these volumes first, although I think it helps, but there’s an introductory note which summarises those earlier books for any reader who hasn’t. In this third book of the series, we read of the final downfall of the kingdom of Gaza. Ngungunyane, the last ruler of this independent kingdom, which had resolutely resisted European colonisation, is finally conquered by the Portuguese. With his son Godido and seven of his wives he is carried into exile to the Azores. Accompanying him is Imani, a fluent Portuguese speaker, to serve as translator and interpreter. It is she who tells the story, and her narration is supported by letters, primarily from Germano, the Portuguese with whom she has had a relationship and by whom she is now pregnant. That is the bare bones of the plot, but it’s a multi-layered and complex novel, a portrait of the politics and history of the place and time, of the brutality and inequities of colonialism, and its impact on the native populations. Based on true events, it’s a tragic tale, which opens up a little known episode in Portuguese ad African history, and from that point of view I very much enjoyed it. But the characterisation is fairly one-dimensional and I couldn’t really relate to the characters, in spite of their painful trajectory. Allegory, folklore and animism abound, but this is well integrated into the more realistic aspects of the narrative. It’s a vivid evocation of the era, with its misunderstandings and clashes of culture. For example, Ngungunyane feels that as a king he is equal in status to the King of Portugal, an assumption that ignores the assumed superiority of western peoples. He has a sad awakening. All in all, I found it a more than worthwhile read and I don’t hesitate to recommend it – as well as the earlier volumes.

Lyrical and poetic, this is the third book in the series, Sands of the Emperor, Mia Couto’s historical fiction about Mozambique at the end of the nineteenth century. The Drinker of Horizons is the fictional account of how the Emperor of Gaza, Ngungunyane, is forced into exile, eventually ending up in the Azores.

The story is told mostly from the perspective of Imani, a young woman who is taken on the ocean voyage into exile because she is fluent in Portuguese, and is able to serve as a translator and spy. Along with Imani on the ship are other women, seven of Ngungunyane’s three hundred wives, and three of Zixaxa’s, Ngungunyane’s enemy who has also been captured and is on the voyage. Imani is treated differently from the other women, not being held with them and given some freedoms, but her situation is, in the end, just as dire. In addition, Imani is pregnant by a Portuguese soldier she hopes to eventually be reunited with.

The once-proud and ruthless Ngungunyane descends into illness, stripped of dignity and power. The Portuguese soldiers, his captors, are cruel and inhumane; but even they have their motives and justifications, and, at times, some show glimmers of—if not kindness, at least a tiny bit of fellow feeling for the captives. The overall story, however, is bleak; these captives lose land and home, identity, and their connection to their own people, mostly never to be restored.

I had the privilege of visiting the Fortress of Maputo in 2022. I learnt, there, about Ngungunyane’s exile and death, about his many wives, saw a reproduction of his coffin, and learnt about the attempts to resurrect his memory in post-Independence Mozambique—a reminder that, as Baldwin says, history is not the past.

Although I have not read the previous two books in the series yet, The Drinker of Horizons worked well as a standalone book.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and to NetGalley for this ARC.

This is for those who have read the earlier books, which I have not. It's the story of colonialism, oppression, and love all bound up in a pregnant woman forced to sail on a steamship from Maputo to Lisbon. It also helps I think to have some knowledge of the region and the history of Portugal's colonial activity. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While I felt lost, I'm sure others will enjoy it. I would have urged the publisher to package all three parts of this story in volume.

Couto’s Sands of the Emperor trilogy explores the destruction of a nation and subjugation of its people. This third book relates a journey of individuals crushed by the Portuguese military takeover of Mozambique in 1895. It takes place on a steamship sailing from Maputo to Lisbon. Amongst others on board the vast iron coffin, ironically named África, is the vanquished warrior king, Ngungunyane—once the oppressor, now the oppressed—and seven of his 300 wives. Leaving her white lover, Germano, in Africa, the pregnant Imani is forced to travel as interpreter and spy serving the Portuguese crown. Ngungunyane sinks into delusions as his hopes of recognition by Dom Carlos I as a fellow king are dashed.

The voyage has varied meaning for all who embark upon it—the imprisoned Blacks journey to the ends of the earth; Imani sails to eternity, through her unborn child; all trudge barefoot and humiliated towards total submission. The narrative is timeless, poetic, often conveying more than the words say. Queen Dabondi, a nyamosoro who hears the dead, tells of the origins of wind, rain, river and sea, suffusing the novel with a dreamlike quality.

I was entranced by the diversity of people immersed in the hellish conditions aboard ship, loving the lush vibrancy of an innocent Africa. This is not a standalone, but is so heartbreakingly tragic, I believe readers will return to the beginning. Germano’s letters to Imani, relayed through a third party and remaining just out of her reach, poignantly foreshadow later events. The ending is unusual, as though the full impact can only truly resonate with those who have read all three books. The Mozambiquan author writes with heartfelt tenderness about his country’s brutal history and has crafted a powerful story of humanity and survival that resonates long beyond its pages.