Lovely conclusion to what has turned out to be one of my favorite series of 2025. This final installment brings the Forever Desert to a conclusion, but also leaves me with more questions than when I started it. Many times during the story, my jaw hit the floor or I wanted to cry.

I am eager to reread from the beginning and hit all three books together to gain a bit more understanding.

From the rooftops I will keep shouting READ THIS SERIES!

4.5 rounded to 5.

Don't let the size of the Forever Desert Series fool you. This is one of the best fantasy series I've read in a long time. Each book is around a hundred pages, and each of them packs such a gut punch.

The Memory of the Ogisi is the third installment in the Forever Desert Trilogy. This one takes place 500 years after The Truth of the Aleke and just over 1000 years after The Lies of the Ajungo.

In this one we follow Ethike, a scholar of Ogisi, who ventures out into the Forever Desert to find the Lost Tomb of Osi. What separates The Memory of the Ogisi from its predecessors is that we follow two narratives. I can't say more due to spoilers.

This was such a satisfying conclusion. There is so much to unpack about the cyclical nature of violence, power, and victors.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an advanced reader's copy of The Memory of the Ogisi.

The Memory of the Ogosi is such a lovely finale to this wonderful series. If you've not yet started it, it's quick and packs a big punch, and is wholly worthwhile. I won't say too much, since this is a series after all, but this conclusion is... well, it's certainly different to any I've ever read before, to leave it annoyingly vague (not sorry). The whole world and the stories therein feel almost parabolic, and its messages certainly reverberate a lot of our current society's problems- and, societies past and future, most likely. There's a lot of commentary on the human experience, but all told via a world and characters who are engaging and empathetic. For a person like me who enjoys a neatly tied ending, this didn't necessarily offer that, but I appreciate the route it took regardless. I wholly enjoyed this series, and am looking forward to whatever the author does next!

Bottom Line: A thought provoking finale to a series that should not be missed.

What a fantastic conclusion to a beautiful series. The Memory of the Ogisi is the final novella in the Forever Desert trilogy, and it wraps everything up in such a thoughtful, poetic way. In this last installment, we follow Ethike as he leaves the City of a Thousand Stories in search of the truth about their past and what he discovers isn’t at all what he expected.

Each of these novellas feels like its own little fairytale: atmospheric, layered, and packed with meaning despite their short length. This final story offers new perspective on the events of the previous books, especially around the idea of who gets to be remembered as a hero or a villain. It really drives home how history, when rewritten, can reshape everything we think we know.

As soon as I finished, all I wanted to do was pick up the first book and read the whole trilogy again, now knowing the ending (or is it really the beginning?). One of my favorite things about this series is that you can read it in any order, the themes are cyclical, and Utomi plays with the idea of history repeating itself so masterfully.

I’ve been putting off reading this because I knew as soon as I did the trilogy would be over. That would be it and I would be waiting to see what Utomi has next in store for me with bated breath. However, I did it, I finished this masterful tale and now I just want more. Utomi really embodies the “leave them wanting more” ideology for me. Each time I read something by him I constantly feel like it’s too short. Which probably means that it’s the perfect length because otherwise I’d be complaining that it could be trimmed as per usual. However, the fact that this series is going to be completed in just three slim volumes leaves my heart aching.

I’m trying to decide how much about the plot to discuss that isn’t already covered in the synopsis. Because these novellas cover a lot in such a short amount of pages and I don’t really want to give away too much. Let’s just say that this installment challenges who we view as heroes and villains, discusses things like propaganda and history repeating itself, and how governments don’t actually always have their peoples best interest at heart. It’s pretty relevant for the times. However, the thing that is going to really stick with me is how meticulously crafted this trilogy is.

I’m a little curious if Utomi had this all laid out from the beginning. Like I want to know if Tor bought it as a trilogy. If not, I would never know. It’s perfectly plotted out to really hammer home how history repeats itself and I’m wondering if, as a reader, they have to be read in order, or if you could go backwards or even mix them and have as powerful of an experience. Each story has it’s own primary plot, but the way they’re interlaced through history and themes makes me wonder if the series would be just as powerful in a different order. I may try reading them all together once in published order and then for my next reread in a different order and so on and so forth. I’ll report back with my findings in an edit at a later date.

Overall, all of these are highly successful for me. At this moment I would recommend reading them in order, but as I mentioned above that is subject to change. The full circle moment at the end had me grinning from ear to ear because of how amazing it was, but also hurt my heart because history is doomed to repeat itself. I’m psyched to pick this up as soon as I can, but when I went to my bookstore the other day I had to order it. I want these books to pick up traction so much so then they’re just readily available. I look forward to the next journey Utomi takes me on, but I can already feel like it isn’t going to be soon enough.

This isn’t a happy ending that wraps up the trilogy with a tidy bow and makes us all feel good about the characters as they come to the end of their journeys. Instead, it’s a paradigm shift that turns everything you thought you knew about the Forever Desert and its suffering kingdoms on its head and makes you reconsider everything and everyone you’ve met here. All of Ethike’s world—and the worlds of Tutu and Osi before him—are under scrutiny. The right things to say, hear, and see are no longer clear.

What is clear is that this series has some of the most beautiful writing in recent fantasy fiction. The prose is lyrical, philosophical, and beautifully wrought. It’s a joy to read this just for the flow of the language, and the story that unspools beneath Utomi’s pen is definitely worthy of the words that create it.

With The Memory of the Ogisi, Mose Ose Utomi brings his FOREVER DESERT trilogy to a fitting, surprising, and thought-provoking close with a dark ending that in many ways is the flip side to the writing style, which is lyrical, smooth, and easy-flowing — all qualities that belie the ugliness at the center of the plotting: the inhumanity of humanity.

As with the other two books, Utomi jumps far ahead in time, and so we get to see how history (or at least, this time’s version of it) has been twisted and bent and how what had been presented as “reality” in earlier books is transformed into myth and legend (as with Tutu and Osi, characters in the prior books). And we’re also witness to how history repeats cycles of deception, subjugation, and cruelty. In this particular case, Ethike, an ogisi in the (minor) Temple of Osi in the City of a Thousand Stories, has an epiphany that he believes will lead him to the fabled treasure of Obasa’s Tomb. So he sets out across the Forever Desert, eventually arriving at a destination where we soon afterward switch POVs to a young boy whom Ethike takes back to the city on his return. I don’t want to say anything else about plot beyond that so as not spoil important revelations and turns.

The book moves apace, speeding through months and years as needed for the larger story. The language is sparse, lyrical, poetic in spots, plainspoken in other. While it sometime retains the feel of parable the first two books had (book one especially), there’s a fullness or richness here that complicates the idea of a lesson to be learned. Though again, I don’t want to delve too much into that so as not to ruin the effect.

As with the prior books, while the novella is often introspective and philosophical, The Memory of the Ogisi is peppered with scenes of sharp, vivid, and often graphic violence. Given the theme of humanity’s tendency toward cruelty and inhumane acts, it would make little sense to gloss over the representative examples of such, and so the level of violence and detail is wholly appropriate (which of course makes it no less grim and depressing). Set against this violence and torture and subjugation are shining moments of kindness and gentleness: a hand reached out to help someone up, food offered, a home provided, a welcoming smile. While such instances complicate matters and show a more full picture, whether they can negate the darker acts of humanity, or can obscure the willing complicity if not active participation in said acts is a whole other question. One the characters and the book wrestle with, as will the reader, both during the reading and, if you’re like me, well afterward — the sign of a good book. Highly recommended and also strongly recommended that you read the three together or as close to each other as possible so as to better pick up on how they are in conversation with each other.

I am destroyed.

Moses Ose Utomi once again gifts us an easy-to-love guide through the Forever Desert in Ethike. He's hopefully optimistic and a refreshing splash of goodness in a world full of dehumanization and violence. Along Ethike's journey toward Osi's Tomb, he never ceases to trust generously and embrace humanity as he seeks the truth about his city's history. His discoveries there will challenge everyone back home (and readers alike) to question all preconceived notions of "history," "truth," and "justice".

The well-crafted Forever Desert saga comes to a surprising, if somewhat rushed, end in The Memory of Ogisi. These stories are vast, spanning centuries and horizons, yet they're grounded by Utomi's propulsive character-driven writing. The Memory of Ogisi is similar to its predecessors in this regard except in Part II where we speed through developments so quickly that we miss out on the opportunity to fully connect with the characters and follow their progression toward the decisions they come to. Still a phenomenal conclusion that employs callbacks to maximum effectiveness. This series is devastating in its tragedy, yet I finished feeling hopeful. Ethike embodies faith, hope, and trust so vividly, it's hard to leave this series feeling anything less than inspired by his outlook. I recommend reading the Acknowledgements for rewarding insights into how this series was crafted.

Thank you to the NetGalley team at Tor/Forge for providing an eARC for honest review! All opinions are my own.

And most importantly, thank you to Moses Ose Utomi for writing this series! I look forward to reading his future works.

This was an incredible conclusion to a series that I have loved reading from beginning to end. We get two new main characters to follow hundreds of years after the end of the last installment. They are unique and compelling individuals, but there are moments throughout their journeys that reflect moments of the previous books, everything becoming interconnected as our story unfolds. I loved going on this journey and seeing how everything changes and gradually relates, both within this book and within the series as a whole.

The writing in this book is so immersive and concise. Within the space of a novella, we see two characters that feel complete go on their own separate, but deeply connected, journeys within this world packed with history. We are still exploring the Forever Desert, but the city, once struggling, is now thriving. The people within are happy. However, there is still much unknown about how this place came to be and generally little desire to understand their history or place within the Forever Desert.

Ethike is a historian, thoughtful and studious. He values fact and truth while remaining hopeful and trusting. While his city is thriving, he believes that a bright future depends on understanding the past, even the bad parts. Halfway through the book we switch to Agba, a young boy from a place very different from Ethike's city, yet very closely connected. Agba also values learning, but he has a different goal. When their worlds come together, Agba learns about history and humanity, and that the line between villains and innocents can be impossible to define within a society. With seemingly simple goals, each of their stories grow into something much larger that may define the future of the city and the Forever Desert.

While this series may have ended, the story and the world will continue to go on endlessly. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/Tordotcom for access to the e-ARC of this book

In the third and final installment of the Forever Desert series, Moses Ose Utomi has a fine undertaking: how do you continue to advance a civilization that has undergone so much change within a thousand years? We started the series following Tutu, a young child seeking to save his mother from a drought that has cursed his city and who returns having learned the secret of the oppressive Ajungo—they’ve crafted a lie of scarcity to maintain their citizens oppressed and mutilate them for it. In the second installment, we’ve forwarded 500 years into the future, following Osi, a young soldier who’s been told that the Aleke is the real villain following the steps of the traitor Tutu, keeping the citizens scared within the city walls. Osi, however, discovers that Tutu’s story had been warped both by the people in power and the ones seeking to usurp them. Osi is an instrument through which we are told his story wasn’t one of heroism but of warning: when you trust those outside of the city all that it will bring is betrayal and ruin.

The Memory of the Ogisi purports to follow an archivist seeking to unveil the secrets that lurk underneath the sands of the Forever Desert. Once again, we are sent 500 years into the future, long after Osi has passed. Instead, we follow Ethike, a scholar, or “Ogisi,” who seeks to find out what exactly happened to Osi, who’s been relegated to the footnotes of history. No one knows of Tutu, of the group that was formed as a way to honor his legacy of standing up against the powerful. What follows is a story that is so burdened by the thousand-year-history that the author has built, and the shaky foundation upon which it stands. They say that history is written by the victors, and that remains true in Ethike’s world, as he finds his way to Osi’s final resting place. There, he finds what is left of the Aleke, a drunken leader who’s taken what’s supposed to be the remaining “Ajungo” population and enslaved them in the desert. However, deep within their compound (which the Aleke calls the City of Truth), is a grove of trees that the “Ajungo” have protected with their lives. Neither the Aleke nor the Ogisi who have found themselves lured to Osi’s resting place and remained there are allowed inside the grove. As Osi is disillusioned with his findings, he decides to return to his home city, when a monstrosity made of sand has destroyed the “City of Truth” and all its inhabitants.

This is where the final book in this series fully lost me. A series that has dedicated itself to showing that history is biased no matter what, that the pursuit of an absolute truth is impossible, posits: there IS an absolute truth, it’s just been thoroughly warped. Where the other books have had one POV to show us just one side of the whole story, this one brings in a different POV halfway through the book: that of Agba’s, the Real Ogisi. Agba has been raised with stories about the Ajungo being evil beings who have taken the Goddess’ gifts and defiled it. Agba was groomed to become their Last Ogisi, what remains of Tutu’s Children. We’re shown through Agba’s eyes this world’s Genesis: the Goddess created the world and gifted them with water, which also granted them special abilities to see into their past and protect themselves against the attacks of outsiders. As the population grew more advanced, so did their hostility towards each other. The Goddess punished them, but they didn’t want to listen or even pray to her. They took the water, and therefore the Godddess and her gifts, for granted. Agba, imbued with these god-like powers and some vast generational trauma, is set to destroy the real Ajungo: those who call themselves Ogisi and had forsaken him and his people in the desert to be subjugated by the Aleke.

The story then revolves around the central idea that people are inherently evil, as that’s how Agba has been raised and groomed to think. Therefore, the only way to make the people see that is by subjugating them. The story ends in a bleak point: history is bound to repeat itself if no one learns from their mistakes. What’s the point of learning history if it’s not being spread to the masses, if people choose to turn a blind eye to daily atrocities. Agba’s story ends where Tutu’s essentially began—he takes their water and all their resources and hides it from the general population, seeing as a democratized system of everyone having powers wasn’t making them kinder as the Goddess wanted. There’s no reasoning with a people who don’t want to be reasoned with.

However, something that I’ve struggled with through this whole series is the all-or-nothing attitude that the characters are forced into. There’s not a lot of space for nuance as Utomi begs for you to see these stories as sort of parables. But a parable is supposed to teach you something about the world, all I get is that there’s no coming back from being and enacting “evil.” Instead of merely eliminating the people in power and placing a more equitable mode of power, the characters are really incapable of living in the grey areas of life. There must always be punishment.

One could say that the series is a heavy-handed allegory to protecting the Earth’s resources, particularly with the rise of tech giants building computer generators for AI that are poisoning the water supplies and surrounding air in their nearest communities. One could also say that misinformation campaigns is another one of the stories’ themes. These are all bogged down by the characters’ mores and the authors’ warped world-building.

To conclude with one of the author’s favorite motifs (repetition of threes, like Holy Trinities of this world): I read the first one out of sheer interest, the second out of curiosity, and the third one because I might as well finish the series. It was a fine series, though one I won’t be rereading anytime soon.

There is a lot to The Memory of the Ogisi despite its 128-page length – stunning writing with a mythological feeling, messages that don’t feel didactic, compelling world-building, memorable characters, and an element of ambiguity and openness to interpretation that I appreciate. It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I’m very happy with it as a conclusion to the Forever Desert trilogy.

This book is structured in two parts: the first follows Ogisi Ethike as he leaves the city in search of the tomb of Osi, a little known historical figure. The second follows a young boy, Agba, whom Ethike finds in the desert and brings back to the city wit him. The perspectives feel distinctive, and I liked the author’s decision to structure the book this way rather than alternating between the POVs chapter by chapter – it allowed for feeling like being with each character for a longer time in ways that worked for me.

I will conclude my review by saying that this entire series is absolutely excellent, and possibly the best novella series I’ve read in the years that it has been released (2023-2025). I suspect in a few years, I’ll re-read it all in a row now that the entire series is available; I’ve read it in e-book format (as I do with most fiction) but if a nice box set or bind-up is released I will absolutely purchase it to have on my shelf. Recommended without reservations.

Thank you to Tor, NetGalley, & the author for providing me an ARC to review.

Content warnings: slavery, war, death, murder, gore (relatively minor), death of a parental figure, grief

You know when you read the first few lines of a book and you just get the feeling that it's going to amazing? OMG this book gave me that feeling and I'm happy to say it delivered!

Like the other books in this series, this was beautifully written. The world building is incredible, especially for being just a novella.. I really loved following all of the characters who each had their own motivations that made sense for their personalities. But my favorite thing about this book (and the series as a whole) is just the way the author carried the theme of storytelling, truth and lies, heroes and villains. So many lines had me pondering over their meanings and just highlighting them for quote purposes. It brought a level of depth to the story that I just loved reading and exploring my own thoughts about.

I will say that there was a certain magical element that I did not see coming. It wasn't a bad thing but when it was first introduced, it just felt a little off to me. Still, this is definitely a series I will be rereading and will probably take something new from it every time.

A stunning conclusion (or is it a beginning?) to The Forever Desert series! The Memory of the Ogisi is the final novella set in this desert world of myth and legend, and it offers an unexpected perspective on the oppression and lies we see in the first two books and nudges the reader to consider how propaganda and the rewriting of history can greatly impact who we see as villains and heroes.

Ethike is an ogisi from the City of Lies, and he embarks on journey to seek the tomb of Osi and uncover the truth of their past. While he does indeed find truth, it's not what he expected and perhaps more than he bargained for.

I love this series- the novellas read a bit like fables and the themes are subtly woven in, inviting the reader to ask questions and dig deeper. You could read them at a surface level as stories, but you would be missing a lot. I look forward to seeing what else this author writes in the future! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

The Memory of the Ogisi is the third and final book in Moses Ose Utomi’s debut book series, The Forever Desert, and just like the two previous installments this book is distilled mythological fantasy genius. All together, the trilogy as a whole is crystallized perfection. I’ve given each book five stars worth of well-deserved praise because every bit is well-deserved.

If you’re wondering if you can read this separately, no you can’t.

If second book in this series (The Truth of the Aleke) took place a nebulous amount of centuries after the events of the first book (The Lies of the Ajungo), then The Memory of the Ogisi takes place an even more nebulous time after the events of The Truth of the Aleke. It could be decades, centuries, maybe even thousands of years. It’s irrelevant, really, because the truth of the matter is those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it and revenge is a dish best served cold.

These books are filled with so many deep philosophical, moral, and ethical quandaries that make you think about what might be right, wrong, or just necessary. These stories are a reminder there’s a difference between need, want, and desire and a stark contrast between expectation and reality. The two main characters in this book, Ethike and Agba, come from two diametrically opposed ways of life and each have to confront truths about their beliefs, their missions, their truths, and how far they’re willing to go in the pursuit of their goals.

If you haven’t picked up this series yet I highly recommend it. Moses Ose Utomi is only getting started and I can’t wait to see what he writes next. 5⭐️



I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Folk Fantasy/Historical Fantasy/OwnVoices

The ways in which Utomi uses power and knowledge in this series as a means of control and dominance is very well done and thought out. The characters and their resulting endeavors in these structures is what kept me reading. However some narrative choices were made that had me confused in this latest one and affected my experience.

I’m completely in awe of how this trilogy got concluded. I thought after books 1 and 2 I had enough experience to get the message of this book (which I did) but I STILL could have never predicted this conclusion. There is so much packed in this ~100 pages it’s absolutely incredible. I feel like this whole trilogy is especially relevant right now and really everyone should read this.

In The Memory of the Ogisi, a historian ventures into the Forever Desert in search of the lost Tomb of Osi and makes an unexpected discovery. The characters are masterfully written as complex and flawed, which can be difficult to achieve in a novella. The different societies continue to be darkly intriguing, and the storytelling is nicely familiar to the series. This installment's finale is not as grand as expected, but this series is phenomenal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the e-ARC.

This was an excellent conclusion to a though provoking series. I suspect that these characters and lessons will stay with me for a long time.

Just finished The Memory of the Ogisi, the final installment in the Forever Desert trilogy.

Moses Ose Utomi has crafted something quite ingenious with the series.
Admittedly, some of it has gone over my head - particularly in this third one.
Definitely need to re-read the series now. :D These stories are short but there's quite a bit to unpack with each and together, there's even more.
Utomi gives us a mirror to our own humanity, our history as conquerors and the conquered. The storytelling within the storytelling pulled me in and is an effective device to immerse the reader into the world of the Forever Desert.
I know I'm being a bit vague with it all and it's because I really think people should go into the series knowing very little. Trust the author. Enjoy the journey. Ask the questions that arise and be patient if the answers don't emerge right away. Be prepared to still walk away with questions even after reading the third book. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It likely means you're thinking critically and acknowledging that sometimes, the answers aren't black and white.
The Memory of the Ogisi builds upon the stories that came before and makes you re-think what you previously read or thought. Be sure to read the acknowledgements at the end. And be ready to start the series again. :)

A challenging and somewhat confusing ending to a standout fantasy trilogy written by a Black author that is probably one of the most relevant social commentaries available. While I’m not sure I found MEMORY satisfying, per se, it gives readers a lot to think about!

In MEMORY, the ogisi are the educated thinkers and leaders of the city. One of them, Ethike, is determined to find out more about the stories told about Osi, also known as the last Truthseeker. He journeys into the Forever Desert in search of Osi’s tomb, but what happens next is far beyond anything Ethike could have imagined.

MEMORY returns to the kind of mystical, fable-like feel of the first book (The Lies of the Ajungo) that went away a bit in the second (The Truth of the Aleke)—albeit more clunkily. It’s much clearer that in MEMORY the characters exist to represent certain different points of view about power, leadership, and the future of humanity. Secondary characters in particular seem to appear, disappear, and reappear without much consideration for their continued existence off-page: we don’t learn the fates of certain characters presumed dead by the middle of the book, and previously introduced characters can be brought back without so much as a “Here’s what they’ve been up to to get them to this point!”

Whether or not you’ll like the conclusion of MEMORY depends on the extent to which you appreciate ambiguous endings. There is a certain poetry to not knowing if this book is a sequel or a prequel, reflecting the way in which history (disappointingly) repeats itself. At the same time, the ending can make you sad/mad if you, like me, or absolutely sick of history repeating itself.

While I would have liked more character development across the trilogy, as well as a clearer theme in Book 3 (maybe? I’m still undecided), overall I really liked this trilogy and its creative messaging and delivery. Now that the trilogy is complete, I can see it making a nice gift for perhaps a younger reader or someone newer to reading fantasy. There are certain lots of great and important things to discuss coming out of the Forever Desert.