I received a free e-arc from NetGalley for this one and I honestly almost didn't request it, because of it being sci-fi (cli-fi, technically) and also a novella. Two things that aren't often my cup of tea. But: Suyi Davies Okungowa. An author that I tend to enjoy. And the premise sounded intriguing, for sure!

However, I should have trusted my gut instinct that it wouldn't be my cup of tea.

I absolutely think a LOT of people will really enjoy this or truly love it. But for me it was a little too technical-leaning and too abridged feeling. Also the writing style in this was different from Okunbgowa's typical writing style, in my opinion. Much more cryptic and hand-waving, which makes sense I suppose due to this story leaning more heavily on mythology and folklore. But it's not a style of storytelling that does much for me as a reader.

I am also not someone who loves severely open-ended endings that leave A LOT of questions unanswered.

So, I didn't have a terrible time with this, and I truly do see there being a large audience of people who will connect with this story and enjoy it more... but it ended up just being "fine" for me personally.

I found this book to be engaging and very well-written. The premise is set around a dystopian future after a climate change event and an unlikely group working together to uncover a conspiracy. Though the book is short, it's a novella, the world-building is rich and deep and the characters are realistic with interesting backstories. The way this story unfolds is very satisfying and I immediately wanted to read more from Suyi Davies Okungbowa after finishing.

One Sentence Review: A well-constructed and engaging climate fiction novella that attempts to blend science and mythology but falls into the trap of privileging one over the other in advocating for a posthuman vision of the future.

Lost Ark Dreaming is sent in the Pinnacle, the tallest and only remaining tower from The Fingers, a five-tower complex built off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria, on an artificially constructed island in the closing days of Earth’s ability to sustain our current way of life. Built to withstand inevitable flooding, people from Lagos flee to The Fingers, but each of the other four towers is abandoned as they become uninhabitable. Many people are left to die in the waters, and our main characters are haunted by this very recent history. The tower itself is divided into a fairly strict class hierarchy—literally. The richest and most privileged lived at the top of the tower (with the founder’s descendent, the nominal ruler of the tower, living at the very top), and each level decreased in status, wealth, and power. Our main characters are Ngozi, a fairly high-level bureaucrat, Tuoyo, a mid-level analyst, and Yekini, a low-level foreman. Ngozi and Tuoyo are summoned to Yekini’s level to deal with a breach, a situation that could prove catastrophic. Ngozi strongly and obviously does not want to be there and comes burdened with stereotypes, privilege, and ego; Tuoyo has significantly more mixed feelings but quickly sides with Yekini against Ngozi’s arrogant attitude. The first half of the novella focuses on figuring out what caused the breach, and the second half focuses on the secrets the tower leadership is keeping and their disregard for the lower levels/classes.

In the one-sentence review, I mentioned the inclusion of mythology in this book, and I can’t get more into how mythology enters the book without giving away the twist so just trust me that it is there in the rest of the discussion. A lot of climate fiction has the technofix problem, i.e., if we find the right technology, then all our problems will be solved, and we won’t have to give up too much of our accustomed way of life. I call this a problem because (at least in my opinion) this is a fairly delusional way of thinking as it allows the reader to escape any critical examination of our contemporary behavior. Lost Ark Dreaming does not fully fall into the technofix trap: the world has dramatically changed from what we recognize in some ways, but it still heavily relies on the idea that our salvation will come through the timely appearance of some quasi-magic invention. The only people who are saved are the ones who are able to get to The Pinnacle somehow.
The intrusion into the book of the mythological elements presents a counterpoint to the above observation about the technological elements. And I mean that very literally. It is not just a philosophical difference (although it is that) but one of direct conflict. This is what makes this not a solarpunk novel. Instead of thinking through the implication of intertwining traditional beliefs with the necessity of lifestyle and civilization change separates this from that tradition. The book does end with a gesture to a better future that could embrace the posthuman and confront problematic past choices, but nothing is done with that promise.

The strongest aspect of this novella is the characters. All three of the central characters are narrators with POV chapters that cycle through each person. Each character expresses a lot of their interiority, so the readers get a good look into how each character’s perspectives and beliefs shift through the book as they encounter new information. The plot is well-paced with information reveals given at the right time for character development.The world building did take some shortcuts in the form of relying on the reader already agreeing with the author on some element (i.e., those in power inherently bad) without giving the reader too much information about why. There is no main villain besides a vague power that be. This made the excellent character construction and development of the protagonists fall a little flat at the end.

I love a found documents book and while this isn’t directly a found documents book, there are interstitial chapters which are found documents and this was definitely a personal highlight to get some of the world building and history of this world. I love this kind of
This has nothing to do with the book because the author doesn’t write their own blurbs, but: I think the blurb for this book does it a huge disservice. It is described as being “high-octane” and also implies that all five of the towers are still intact and occupied. The blurb seems to have been written from a synopsis of the book not the actual book.

If you are interested in climate fiction either as an already established connoisseur or someone who is looking to get into the genre, I would recommend this book. I don’t think it is the strongest entry in the genre, but it does present many of the core conflicts and tensions of the genre. The African setting is a welcome breath of fresh air in the American publishing scene as well.

I loved this little book that packs a big punch! I have not read Okungbowa's adult fantasy novels yet, though they have been on my TBR for a while, and I will DEFINITELY be seeking out more of his work.

One great thing about this novella is Okungbowa's ability to cram a lot of characterization and world building into such a few pages. These characters were absolutely fantastic. Yekini, Ngozi, and Tuoyo are complex, flawed, and compelling characters. I love when short fiction is still able to get me hooked on characters, and this one definitely did. I was rooting for them, and I felt real fear for their safety.

The story is such a seamless blend of mythology and climate disaster fiction. I loved how Okungbowa wove Yoruba culture into the story. He also turns his lense on generational trauma, class division, and entitlement in a way that is both poignant AND entertaining. I am telling you - this little book is doing the most with its 192 pages.

Highly recommend.

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.