Lost Ark Dreaming

by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

The brutally engineered class divisions of Snowpiercer meets Rivers Solomon’s The Deep in this high-octane post-climate disaster novella written 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 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.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, Novella, Post Apocalyptic, Africa

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2024

About the author

Also known as Suyi Davies

Suyi Davies Okungbowa is an award-winning author of fantasy, science fiction and general speculative work. His latest books include Lost Ark Dreaming and The Nameless Republic epic fantasy trilogy ( Son of the Storm and Warrior of the Wind ). His debut godpunk novel David Mogo, Godhunter won the 2020 Nommo Award for Best Novel. His shorter works have appeared in various periodicals and anthologies and have been nominated for various awards. He also writes for younger audiences as Suyi Davies. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa.

Reviews

[Rebecca Roanhorse]

I've been a fan of Okungbowa's longer epic fantasy series and was happy to pick up this science fantasy novella with a climate change premise that intrigues. It is a tale set in a near future Nigeria and told from 3 POVs and interspersed with short excerpts from (fictional) news stories that help flesh out the world quickly. I won't spoil anything, but it's a quick read with novel-sized tension and action and some lovely high concept ideas about immigration, class, and community. Overall, thought-provoking while maintaining the pacing and enjoyment of the action-adventure kind of book I would expect from Okungbowa. All told with a healthy dose of voice and character development. Best of all, it broke my monthslong reading slump. I see this one in the award conversations for 2024, and well-deserved.

I received a free ARC which in no way impacted my honest review.

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was a huge disappointment. The writing was incredibly dry and what should have been an interesting story was an utter bore.

At times the writing got all flowery but even then it was dry. Petals were falling all over the place.

Only good thing about this was that it was under 200 pages. Even that was too long though.

[The Speculative Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within the confines of its short page count, Suyi Davies Okunbowa deploys truly impressive economical worldbuilding to situate us right into this literal fish(creature)-out-of-water tale.

The narrative unfolds within a massive skyscraper that towers above the flooded African coast, where societal classes are physically stratified – akin to turning the train from Snowpiercer vertically – the higher class residing above and the lower class below the ever-rising sea level, a literal manifestation of social hierarchy.

What sets this novella apart are the deeply felt interludes scattered throughout. These reflections delve into the complexities of humanity, trauma, displacement, class, intergenerational oral tradition, immigration, and more. It's a tapestry of themes carefully woven throughout the narrative.

Lost Ark Dreaming is not only profound, but also approachable and exciting. It left me wanting more, and I look forward to seeing whatever Okungbowa writes next.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf and follow @specshelf on Twitter and @thespeculativeshelf on Instagram.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/csQk2BcJee4

This was such an interesting African speculative novel loosely inspired biblically by Noah's Ark. Other than the initial, premise this one has no religious overtones and instead takes the story to an futuristic other worldly place.

In a short number of pages, the author was able to build a complex and fascinating world. I was pleased to find that the story had a darker underbelly and didn’t share away from those realities. This story could have been written into a longer novel but I also thought it worked well at the published lengh.

I have read this author before and they are quickly rising to favourite author status. I love his ability to write imaginative worlds with morally complex characters and well plotted narratives. This would be a good place to start with this author.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Lost Ark Dreaming was just fantastic, and I didn't want it to end.

This post-apocalyptic dystopia novella takes place in the future, where survivors of rising water levels live inside five partially submerged towers known as 'the Fingers'. We follow three of these survivors whose world is turned upside down one day with the truth about these towers and the ocean-dwelling dangers surrounding it.

"In the silence that ensconced them all, Yekini experienced a true moment of the sublime, her mind racing upon contemplating the vastness of the ocean, the malleability of species, the inadequacy of the concept of humanity, the endless possibilities of being."

This short novella pulled off impressive world-building, West African mythology, and a dystopian tale, to convey a powerful message about climate change and humanity. I was hooked from the start and will be thinking about Lost Ark Dreaming for some time. 4.5 stars - I highly recommend to fans of the dystopia and post-apocalyptic genres.

Side note: I can't believe I haven't read anything by this author before and am really looking forward to trying his fantasy series in the future. (I'm also very much hoping for more sci fi like this novella!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Zana · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some missing, important details made this a bit hand wavy (pay no attention to major evolution in just a few generations) but I liked the future world, I liked the setup of a very believable tiered socio-economic building. It had a very Snowpiercer(the movie) feel.

I like the author and will read another either in this world or his other trilogy.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when I thought it was going one way, it took a hard 180...and then did it again.

Fascinating world building with a lot to say on generational trauma, climate crisis, immigration and classism in not a whole lot of pages. Where it succeeds in myth, I felt that it faltered in the ending. Mostly because I'm not the biggest fan of ambiguous endings, and this was a very blank space at the end.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[ReneeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.
Pub Date: 5/21/24

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A novella with an amazing amount of depth and thematic resonance, Lost Arc Dreaming is an absolute tour de force.

This book reminded me quite a bit of the movie/show Snowpiercer, due to the structure of the tower - which you heard in the jacket copy - and the focus on classism. While Snowpeircer was entirely about that, this novel goes further, using its plot and setting to dig into themes of climate change, elitism, and historical debt.

Yet, despite all these complex topics, the story is also entirely entertaining and exciting. Once the book starts, it doesn’t stop when it comes to action and pacing, moving at a breakneck speed that suited the story and maintained great tension. There are three character points of view, though the one main character, Yekini, gets the most attention. We are given just enough backstory on the characters to give them motivations and goals that make sense, as well as depth. We have a skeptical government worker, a devoted tower manager, and a grieving engineer; their personalities and plans worked well with and against one another to create an engaging dynamic between the three. I loved seeing them work and fight with one another.

The setting is simple yet effective. It’s one of those books where I didn’t care how feasible the setting was, because it’s an allegory. To be clear, the setting made sense as a setting, but certain infrastructure questions I had regarding the entropy of technology and even structural concerns were not addressed. YET, the tower setting is not meant to be a hyper-realistic exposition of what it would be like living in such a closed system. It's an allegory for not only classism in general, but how certain countries or cultures are being left behind (or, most likely, will be left behind) as climate change claims more and more coastlines. As such, there is enough explained or fleshed out to make the story make sense and extrapolate on these themes in a way that felt organic and not didactic.

I can’t say too much else about it without going into spoilers, but Lost Arc Dreaming is utterly entrancing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I’d read it at another time when I felt like I could really focus. This year hasn’t been great for my reading mindset, I’m all around just very distracted, kinda anxious.

There was a lot here for me to like. I liked the SnowPiercer vibes, it’s also very reminiscent of Hugh Howey’s Wool. It draws heavy inspiration from Nigerian folklore (I believe, I am so sorry if that’s not correct) and also reminded me of River Solomon’s The Deep. (Because the other book is focused on similar mythology.)

I liked the characters. I thought their voices were distinct. Ngozi was someone I started out disliking and ended up feeling incredibly sympathetic towards in the end, which I found to be pretty impressive.

I also enjoyed the commentary propaganda and classism.

However.

The poetry and the parts written to the All-Infinite and some of the Queen Conch stories went right over my head. It’s not the books fault. Poetry is just not my thing. It just makes me think of that subreddit I’m 13 and this is deep. This is true of most poetry not just the author’s so that’s squarely on me.

I am also not really sure I understood the Conch and what its purpose was and what it did. lol. Could be me? I don’t know.

Not bad. It was quick, I think it could have given more time to worldbuilding and such if it had skipped the poetry bits.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Lost Ark Dreaming on the library sci-fi shelf and borrowed it as the concept looked intriguing. The novella is set an ambiguous amount of time in the future, on a massive skyscraper built offshore from Lagos. By the time the story begins, massive sea level rise has completely submerged both Lagos and the lower levels of the tower. The blurb likens this setup to Snowpiercer, as the skyscraper is socially stratified by the floor someone lives and works upon. The wealthiest are of course at the top, while the poorest languish in the underwater levels with no access to natural light. The plot follows three people from the top, middle, and lower strata of the tower, thrown together by their jobs. They investigate a seemingly minor safety alert that turns out to be much more than it seems.

I very much liked the tower setting and the way the three protagonists were forced to work together. The tone for more than half of the book is that of a dystopian thriller, pushing the plot forward speedily while establishing the stifling hierarchy of the tower. What's going on outside the tower is framed as mysterious, unknown, and dangerous. Once the outside world intrudes, the tone takes an abrupt shift into the mythological. I'm not sure that the combination really gelled. I absolutely adored the mythological style of The Spear Cuts Through Water, for example, but here it didn't have much space to develop. Mythology doesn't work so well when rushed. Thus I found the ending a bit anticlimactic, but I still enjoyed Lost Ark Dreaming. It has an interesting setting and good action scenes. I think I'd prefer a longer novel in the same setting, as that would enable more world-building and character development. I'll look out for more sci-fi by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nicely done.

A slender volume, something that could easily be read quickly, but chock full of passages worth savoring, re-reading, and pausing to consider. An unfamiliar voice narrating in a post-climate crisis setting at the other end of the environmental justice spectrum (which, in and of itself, makes me want to recommend it). Sparse but elegant, poignant and propulsive (it started fast and never really slowed down for me), brutal and evocative without being ponderous.... And, ultimately, quite novel.

The author acknowledges influences from, among others, two (seemingly popular) books (or, more accurately, like this work, novellas), neither of which I loved, but that -in my mind - animate and bound the world building: Ballard's High-Rise and Rivers Solomon/Daveed Diggs' The Deep, and ... to my surprise ... I found this more gratifying than either of (or the combination of) those two. And, sure, there's plenty of Snowpiercer here too, but this is Goodreads not Rotten Tomatoes, and I only saw the movie.

In terms of other dystopias and stuff in my head, I kept thinking back to Paolo Bacigalupi, but I'm not sure the analogy would, excuse the pun, hold water.

Overall, it worked for me, and I strongly recommend it.

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

This is an interesting and unusual post-climate disaster novella written by Nigerian author Suyi Davies Okungbowa and set off the West coast of Africa. This is something of a creature feature, but not in the usual sense. The reader explores the post-apocalyptic word featuring five partially submerged, semi-segregated, kilometer-high tower refuges by following three characters: Yekini, an earnest, mid-level rookie analyst; Tuoyo, an undersea mechanic mourning the loss of a spouse; and Ngozi, an egotistical bureaucrat from the highest levels of governance. There are also those left for dead, who seek vengeance...
A fast-paced, compelling and complex little novel.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lost Ark Dreaming" is a brilliant novella. Correctly stated, the blurb describes this as a blend of the social engineering of Snowpiercer: Transperceneige and Rivers Solomon's The Deep. I loved the story telling and I wished it were longer!

[Edwin Priest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost Ark Dreaming is a short dystopian novel with a strong African slant that is not short on creativity. It centers on climate change and how it has affected a future West Africa, and takes place in a huge tower off the Nigerian coast, reminiscent of Hugh Howey’s Silo. The premise is quite interesting and the author uses this world and the building construct to explore race and social relations, again much as Hugh Howey did.

Unfortunately, what didn’t especially work for me were the surreal and fantastical elements of a mysterious aquatic species with its own poorly characterized religion and ethos that Okungbowa incorporates. It added a mysterious drama to the story, but felt dichotomous and disharmonious with the whole hard dystopian theme.

So, I will call this one OK and give it 3 stars.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a few things by Suyi Davies Okungbowa in anthologies, and enjoyed them. This novella is the first thing I’ve read from him longer than a short story. Okungbowa is Nigerian, and as I’m always a sucker for books that draw on cultures I’m unfamiliar with, I was happy to snap this one up.

It’s set in the not-too-distant future, post climate collapse. The entire book takes place in the Pinnacle, an arcology (not a word used within the novella, but it's what the Pinnacle is) that had been built off the coast of Lagos before the seas rose. Life in the Pinnacle is strictly hierarchical; everyone lives on their assigned level, and is only permitted to travel to a different one if their job requires it. The elite, the Uppers, live on the top floors of the tower; the Midders live between the Uppers and the waterline; the Lowers live on the levels that are underwater. No one leaves the Pinnacle. The status of the not-flooded lands are never addressed in one way or the other, and there are stories of strange creatures in the water, evolved out of the wreck of the old world.

The story addresses such themes as class divides, responsibility for climate change, coping with climate change, and valuing indigenous cultures. On the whole, I enjoyed it - it was creative and compelling, and (as implied above) I love getting a window into a different culture. But it also felt lacking to me, like it was trying to do too much in too few pages. I felt like it tried to do too much, at the cost of not doing enough of anything. So it left me rather unsatisfied. It left me more interested in Okungbowa’s novels - I’d like to see what he can do in a longer form.

My blog

[Kay West · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 - A dystopic eco-sci-fi thriller, but with stunning prose interludes that transcend genre convention.

On the surface this is a fast-paced, eco-dystopia story about class, survival and sea monsters. But as soon as we dive below the surface of the story, the importance of memories, the impact of stories and the depth of grief stare back at us through watery eyes.

In the future, humanity takes refuge in tall towers, built to withstand the ever-rising sea levels making life on land uninhabitable. Society is divided into those who live at the top, middle and bottom (under the water level). We're following two 'midders' and a 'lower' as they investigate a leak on a bottom level, only to realize that a sea monster may have infiltrated the building.

Suyi Davies Okungbowa cleverly plays with ideas of privilege, power and identity as our characters move throughout the levels of the building to overcome each new obstacle in their way. This book is perfectly paced coming in at 200 pages. I like the forward momentum of the action juxtaposed with short/in-complete flashbacks that build our characters into fully-rounded and flawed humans.

What elevates this book for me are the interludes and alt chapters spread throughout the book. They're used to provide background outside of the immediate storyline we're following, and a meditation on it's themes. It gives the reader space to sit with the story, and I loved it.

This book is best read while fishing on a boat. If you fall asleep, you'll dream of running through darkened hallways towards the light. Don't forget to breathe.

[PlotTrysts · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this near-future dystopian SF, we learn about one of the remaining bastions of humanity, "The Pinnacle." This is a huge skyscraper in the middle of the ocean (used to be off the coast of Lagos until climate change flooded the city and changed coastlines worldwide). The main plot of the novella revolves around Yakini, a civil servant in the Pinnacle, who is asked to take on a mission to "The Lowers," the portion of the skyscraper that remains completely underwater. Yakini is a "Midder," and she is escorting an "Upper," Ngozi, part of the ruling class. Yes, social stratification literally reflects our slightly more metaphorical lower/middle/upper class structure: the Lowers do the menial work of keeping the Pinnacle working; the Midders make up civil servants and bureaucrats; the Uppers make decisions about how the whole is to be run.

Yakini will soon realize that one of the "Children," humanoid/amphibion creatures with gills, has infiltrated the Pinnacle. She will have to decide whether maintaining the status quo of the Pinnacle, that at least keeps people alive, is worth suppressing the truth about the world around them.

The book is structured with the meat of the story and characters taking us on the journey of the plot, while the worldbuilding is communicated in old news stories and other "found footage"-like interludes. The whole is written with poetic language, and the ending is an ambitious and ambiguous take on a revolution. I'm still not 100% sure what happens in the end. I quite enjoyed the first parts, but the final two chapters are abrupt. I think this could have benefited from a longer treatment. It is a good way to try out Okungbowa's prose, and I think I'll be checking out his novels in future!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.

[Yev · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella's cover says, "A surreal fusion of African politics, climate fiction, and mythology in the tongue of poetry and philosophy" - Tlotlo Tsamaase. As can also be seen on the cover, there are five towers, called fingers, that were built off the coast of Nigeria in the shape of a hand. Only one of them is still habitable, the middle finger, called the Pinnacle. How metaphorical. For its political allegory it uses the standard economic model. The upper floors rule everything, live in luxury, and do nothing productive. The middle floors are the professional class and the undersea floors are the underclass. Everyone outside the tower must be the enemy. The climate fiction is that the sea levels rose and now an unknown amount of the world is underwater. Although lip service is given to world mythologies, the mythology of the Yoruba people takes precedence. This was by far the weakest part for me. There wasn't anything that I found to be strong.

Yekini is a mid-level analyst for the government, which she'd rather not be, but it's a living. She dreams of saving people and making the ark/tower a better place for all. Ngozi is a mid-level administrator with great ambitions who dreams of becoming an upper because it's what he deserves. Everyone else matters not. Tuoyo lost her wife at sea to outsiders and now only seeks to live in peace while overseeing her undersea level. These three viewpoints who meet up right away provide clashing views of class conflict and different perspectives of life in the Pinnacle. One other viewpoint and archived materials make up the rest of the chapters. I didn't care about any of the characters, which was at least somewhat because of they were too much caricatures of what they went meant to represent. As to the story itself, I found it to be a rather generic take on government corruption, solidarity, and outside intervention. I especially didn't like how it ended.

It was my mistake for not considering how allegorical this was going to be. For me this an another example of how impenetrable allegories can be if you don't have the relevant cultural knowledge to understand them. This has also been the case for a lot of the translated allegorical short fiction I've read, mostly Chinese. I don't know if it's the Black African authors I've come across, mostly Nigerian, or if it's something else, but their works baffle me almost every time. I'm continually unable to tell if there's some deeper meaning and/or if I simply don't like what's presented. I tried reading Son of the Storm, one of Okungbowa's novels, and didn't get far because of what a peculiarly uncomfortable experience it was and wrote as such, before removing everything I wrote about the stuff I hadn't finished. I didn't like this because the allegory is put above everything else to where questioning anything about the story is irrelevant because that's not what matters.

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

Wow did this little story pack a punch! I could not put it down, and frankly, I could use all the stories set in this world with these characters. Basically, the situation is this: climate change has wreaked havoc, and now almost all of humanity has to live in unconventional places. For instance, this giant tower that we see on the cover of the book. There is no leaving; anyone going outside would be swept away. Two of our main characters are currently in "middle" levels- not the lower, least fortunate levels, but not in the upper echelon of the elite, either. Another is from the lower levels and has the most knowledgeable about what is happening. And fun fact, it's nothing good!


Basically (and this is the part that did confuse me a bit) there are some undersea entities that I guess maybe evolved from humans, but regardless, they're not exactly coming into the tower for a dinner date. This is a huge danger to the entirety of the tower, but those at the top don't actually care- and they certainly don't care about the lives of the individuals who live there, nor the three workers sent to handle the problem. The commentary was incredible, especially given the very entertaining nature of the story. It's full of excitement, but still manages character development in a very minimal number of pages. And like I said, I didn't fully understand the mythical creature part, but it wasn't a big issue at the end of the day. Even if I couldn't quite wrap my head around the concept, I still understood the general idea, and certainly what the author was trying to say through the mythological parts.

Bottom Line: So much awesome in so few pages! Cannot wait to read more from this author (and I would absolutely take a follow up to this world, please and thank you)!

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

[Becs]

What a fantastic story! This book has skyrocketed up my list of best books I’ve read and is in contention for my best book of the year. I knew from chapter one that I was going to love the story, and the rest of the book didn’t disappoint. It’s perfection.

The short chapters really set the pace, and build the tension as our characters realize they are not alone in the tower, and a vengeful water demon is hiding in the shadows. Not only that, but the higher ups think they are overreacting. Everything in this story felt so real. So painfully, beautifully human.

We follow three very different characters on the day that their lives are completely upended and changed forever. We learn about their hopes, dreams, and fears as they try to navigate the chaos. They don’t like each other, and never come to like each other, but they agree to work together to survive.

A major theme throughout the story is the human capacity for working together for good, and for turning on each other and hurting other humans, especially those who are a little different. There are no easy answers here, and the story mostly asks questions, all while providing a trilling, suspenseful tale.

The climax of the story was truly beautiful. I’m getting chills just thinking about it again. It’s an open ending, and I absolutely love it.

It’s been several days since I read this book, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I will definitely be rereading it, and I have a feeling it will stick with me for a long time.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

For more thoughts, see my review on youtube

I also have a reading vlog for this book

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an SF novella by a Nigerian author. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for April 2025 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group. The book was nominated for the Nebula in 2025, and the Group read it in an attempt to cover all nominees.

This is a story set in the future of Lagos, the capital of Nigeria. After the event titled ‘the Second Deluge’ (the first one supposedly from the Bible), there are only several skyscrapers, partially underwater, that remain standing. Within them, a new strictly stratified society emerged, the higher you live the higher is your status. Five buildings referred to as ‘fingers’, the highest is a kilometer-long Pinnacle, where action takes place.

The story is split into chapters, each following one of three characters: Yekini, an analyst, who asked for some field work and ended up as an assistant/guard to Ngozi Nwafor, a career-obsessed man; finally, Tuoyo Odili, a supervisor for Security. They investigate a possible infiltration of a being from the outside – these semi-mythical Children supposedly live in waters outside.

Both the setting and characters have potential, but the author doesn’t care about plausibility much; his skyscrapers are an engineering nightmare, they may work well as a metaphor of a stratified society, but neither the construction as described nor numbers ‘thrown-in’ as an afterthought don’t add up. And while errors aren’t uncommon in SF, e.g., award-winning Ringworld – such a construction cannot have a stable orbit. However, here they are so glaring that for me the story was destroyed.

[Goran Lowie · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOST ARK DREAMING grew on me. At first, it seemed like your typical YA dystopia with the classic “oh-no-the-government-is-evil-and-has-been-secretly-hiding-something-from-us” trope, mixed with the Snowpiercer-esque blunt metaphor of people from different physical “layers” of a train/ship/skyscraper being different classes (a trope I also recently encountered in AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS)—and it very much can be distilled to those two tropes, but a unique part of this novella can be found in its interludes.

Sometimes poetry, sometimes newspaper articles, or general reflections related to the novel’s themes, it’s an interesting way of adding a little extra to the book. I’m not sure if it always worked for me. It’s nice because it feels different, yet it also sometimes took me out of the story because there are a *lot* of interludes for such a short story.

Nearing the end, it reminded me the most of an obscure little Polish film, “O-bi, O-ba: The End of Civilization”, in which a post-apocalyptic society has as its only hope a mythical vessel which is said to come to rescue them some day. It’s a common trope in these hopeless generation ship stories, but it works quite well here, but I won’t say too much else about it because that would spoil things.

Overall, it’s at the very least an interesting work and a great example of a novella done well.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[hiba · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really liked the post-climate disaster, dystopian concepts of a world in which humans are crammed into half-submerged towers after the dangerous rise of sea levels. the portrayal of a strict hierarchical society with an oppressed lower strata is par for the course in any speculative novel but i liked how it was explored within a tower where people were restricted from moving above or below their level and how that worked as a metaphor for borders and migration. i do feel like these concepts were a bit too ambitious for a novella and i wish the ending wasn't quite so vague and open-ended.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the biggest compliments i can give a speculative work written by a man is that the whole time reading it i assumed it was written by a woman. the comparisons to snowpiercer and the deep are apt, with a dose of silo for good measure. if any of those appeal to you even a little, give this a shot, it absolutely rules, i couldn't put it down and am now writing this after staying up way past my bedtime to finish. maybe a better review to come, maybe not, but just go read it ok.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars, rounded up.

If only this had been a full-length novel and not a novella. Fascinating story with great world-building, engagingly told, but its novella length made some key aspects of the story feel rushed and underexplored.

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. It had amazing reflections on how community, identity and history, ensures our own humanity. The sci-fi and dystopian elements still did not remove this far from how gentrification and corporate exploitation kills.

It's important that we all take account to how our own land is eroding beneath us for future generations.

[Rachel Ashera Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superficially, this is Snowpiercer but it's a high-rise, but this novella has so much to say about colonialism, class, the climate crisis, and generational trauma. The worldbuilding is strong and pulls no punches, and the prose is gorgeous. As I work my way through the Nebula shortlist, so far this is the one to beat.