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Forever Desert #3
The Memory of the Ogisi
The epic conclusion to Moses Ose Utomi's critically acclaimed Forever Desert series, The Memory of the Ogisi shatters every truth, destroys every lie, and is a story of oppression no one shall ever forget.
Even deserts have a beginning. Even gardens have an end. Even water has a story.
One thousand years after Tutu and five hundred years after Osi the City of a Thousand Stories stands resolute on the edge of the Forever Desert. A teeming oasis, water flows into every mouth that thirsts and knowledge sprouts in every mind that hungers for it.
Ethike is an Ogisi, one of the City's many historians, who has devoted his life to studying a little-known figure named Osi. Unfortunately, the city has never approved any of his research papers and if he doesn’t find Osi’s story soon he will be stripped of his position.
Desperate to keep himself and his family from losing everything, Ethike ventures into the Forever Desert in search of the Lost Tomb of Osi. If he can find it, he will finally be able to prove his worth to the City’s elders and, more importantly, cement Osi’s role in history. But history is a tale told by those with power. What Ethike uncovers beneath the sand is far beyond anything he could have expected….and it is extremely angry.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Even deserts have a beginning. Even gardens have an end. Even water has a story.
One thousand years after Tutu and five hundred years after Osi the City of a Thousand Stories stands resolute on the edge of the Forever Desert. A teeming oasis, water flows into every mouth that thirsts and knowledge sprouts in every mind that hungers for it.
Ethike is an Ogisi, one of the City's many historians, who has devoted his life to studying a little-known figure named Osi. Unfortunately, the city has never approved any of his research papers and if he doesn’t find Osi’s story soon he will be stripped of his position.
Desperate to keep himself and his family from losing everything, Ethike ventures into the Forever Desert in search of the Lost Tomb of Osi. If he can find it, he will finally be able to prove his worth to the City’s elders and, more importantly, cement Osi’s role in history. But history is a tale told by those with power. What Ethike uncovers beneath the sand is far beyond anything he could have expected….and it is extremely angry.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2025
38 people are currently reading
1328 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
February 26, 2025
4.25. Satisfying conclusion to a brilliant trilogy in which the sum is greater than its parts.
July 12, 2025
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.
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.
July 21, 2025
“Even deserts have a beginning.
Even gardens have an end.
Even water has a story.”
These are the three Memento of the Ogisi; those who seek the truth.
One thousand years after Tutu and five hundred years after Osi, the City of a Thousand Stories stands resolute on the edge of the Forever Desert. A teeming oasis, water flows into every mouth that thirsts, and knowledge sprouts in every mind that hungers for it.
Yet even with those dedicated to finding the truth, the origin of the city remains unknown. Through Sight gifted to them by the Goddess, rather than Seeing a single story, each of the city's citizens See a past unique to them, as different from the others' visions as the swirls on their fingertips. Hence, the city earned its name: the City of a Thousand Stories.
We follow Ogisi Ethike whose heavy interest in Osi, the last Truthseeker, brings him closer to finding the truth of the city. His journey leads him into the heart of the Forever Desert.
“Of course you do not trust me. You think I am the monster from a garden in the desert. Yet, to me, it is you who is that monster. This cycle of death and oppression does not persist because we fail to learn from it. But because we are each of us monsters born into gardens, and we all fear being thrust into the harshness of the desert.”
It is truly impressive that a 128-page book made me tear up. What an amazing conclusion to an amazing series.
History tends to repeat itself and "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
“There is no mourning except for that which was beautiful.”
May 27, 2025
“Losing sight of another’s humanity was the seed from which all cruelty grew.”
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for the eARC.
This was a mixed read for me but my stumbling blocks were mostly subjective. I loved Book 1. It contained all the brilliance and catharsis of The Fifth Season but in only a fraction of the pages. Sadly, book 2 and now book 3 do not reach those heights for me.
This book has 2 main characters - Ethike and Agba and both of them do not endear to me as much as Tutu or Osi did in the earlier books. Tutu from book 1 was more likeable, Osi from book 2 was more real and had a bigger character arc than either Ethike or Agba. It also doesn’t feel like this book is bringing anything new from the first two books. The themes are being carried forward from the first book and the way how the world changes in 500 years was already explored in book 2. This is written as a prequel-sequel that could have occurred 500 years before book 1 or 500 years after book 2 and that leads me to my main complaint.
With the finale of a trilogy, there are certain expectations for me and this book did not fulfill it. It is purely a taste thing though, as this book is written purposefully to achieve something else. It is trying to show the cyclical nature of human history where history is just a story and that we are forever doomed to only repeat the mistakes of the past over and over again. It might be very realistic but I do not like that sentiment and that was my main undoing with this book. It is simply not satisfying the way an epic fantasy trilogy conclusion should be. It is a stark difference from Book 1’s end - the conclusion was explosive and satisfying in a way that the sequels just aren’t.
And building up to this cyclical ending is another reason why I wasn’t able to get into the book really. Everything becomes very predictable. It can be read without reading books 1 & 2 and I think I might have enjoyed it more that way. Since I have read books 1 & 2 though, I have seen exactly how the story plays out and where it is going to now. Instead of the narrative scope getting grander, it becomes repetitive. We cover the same events through two different POVs here as they’re members of the same party that are making the same journey. I understand the idea behind what the writing is trying to achieve with such a device - a fuller picture with how individual bias and experience shape the perception; the same event is very different when viewed through a different lens. But this device also comes with an inherent risk in my opinion - since it is the same event, there is a chance that it loses all intrigue and that pitfall is where this book has fallen into for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for the eARC.
This was a mixed read for me but my stumbling blocks were mostly subjective. I loved Book 1. It contained all the brilliance and catharsis of The Fifth Season but in only a fraction of the pages. Sadly, book 2 and now book 3 do not reach those heights for me.
This book has 2 main characters - Ethike and Agba and both of them do not endear to me as much as Tutu or Osi did in the earlier books. Tutu from book 1 was more likeable, Osi from book 2 was more real and had a bigger character arc than either Ethike or Agba. It also doesn’t feel like this book is bringing anything new from the first two books. The themes are being carried forward from the first book and the way how the world changes in 500 years was already explored in book 2. This is written as a prequel-sequel that could have occurred 500 years before book 1 or 500 years after book 2 and that leads me to my main complaint.
With the finale of a trilogy, there are certain expectations for me and this book did not fulfill it. It is purely a taste thing though, as this book is written purposefully to achieve something else. It is trying to show the cyclical nature of human history where history is just a story and that we are forever doomed to only repeat the mistakes of the past over and over again. It might be very realistic but I do not like that sentiment and that was my main undoing with this book. It is simply not satisfying the way an epic fantasy trilogy conclusion should be. It is a stark difference from Book 1’s end - the conclusion was explosive and satisfying in a way that the sequels just aren’t.
And building up to this cyclical ending is another reason why I wasn’t able to get into the book really. Everything becomes very predictable. It can be read without reading books 1 & 2 and I think I might have enjoyed it more that way. Since I have read books 1 & 2 though, I have seen exactly how the story plays out and where it is going to now. Instead of the narrative scope getting grander, it becomes repetitive. We cover the same events through two different POVs here as they’re members of the same party that are making the same journey. I understand the idea behind what the writing is trying to achieve with such a device - a fuller picture with how individual bias and experience shape the perception; the same event is very different when viewed through a different lens. But this device also comes with an inherent risk in my opinion - since it is the same event, there is a chance that it loses all intrigue and that pitfall is where this book has fallen into for me.
August 31, 2025
Wow. The Forever Desert series has been something truly special from the very beginning, but somehow I was not prepared for this finale to blow me away the way that it did. I mean, The Memory of the Ogisi has to be one of the boldest and most unconventional endings I have ever read, and I admire it all the more for it.
Similarly to The Truth of the Aleke, this final instalment takes place another 500 years after the events of the last book... or does it? You'll have to read it to understand, but safe to say that Utomi pulled off something truly exceptional here.
We follow Ethike and Agba, two Ogisis (truthseekers) who have both been brought up to believe in a different version of history. Their journey is unexpected, as much to themselves as to the reader, and I loved the devastatingly realistic exploration of propaganda, morality, vengeance, rewriting of history, and the vicious cycle of hate and violence through their eyes.
I also continue to be impressed with Utomi's ability to capture that oral storytelling vibe of the old myths and legends, all while creating something wholly new and refreshing. And sure, there were some moments (especially during the more action-oriented sequences) where I felt disoriented and had a hard time grasping what exactly was going on or where we were in the timeline, but that might be more of a 'me-problem' rather than a flaw of Utomi's storytelling.
Each novella in this trilogy has more depth, nuance and impact than most, if not all, of the long epic (fantasy) books I have read, and I love how the power of these stories only intensifies now that the series is completed. One day, I want to re-read these novellas back to back to really catch all the connections that might have gone over my head on this first read spread out over years.
The Forever Desert is a true triumph of fantastical storytelling, and I honestly can't recommend it highly enough. What an important and outstanding story.
Similarly to The Truth of the Aleke, this final instalment takes place another 500 years after the events of the last book... or does it? You'll have to read it to understand, but safe to say that Utomi pulled off something truly exceptional here.
We follow Ethike and Agba, two Ogisis (truthseekers) who have both been brought up to believe in a different version of history. Their journey is unexpected, as much to themselves as to the reader, and I loved the devastatingly realistic exploration of propaganda, morality, vengeance, rewriting of history, and the vicious cycle of hate and violence through their eyes.
I also continue to be impressed with Utomi's ability to capture that oral storytelling vibe of the old myths and legends, all while creating something wholly new and refreshing. And sure, there were some moments (especially during the more action-oriented sequences) where I felt disoriented and had a hard time grasping what exactly was going on or where we were in the timeline, but that might be more of a 'me-problem' rather than a flaw of Utomi's storytelling.
Each novella in this trilogy has more depth, nuance and impact than most, if not all, of the long epic (fantasy) books I have read, and I love how the power of these stories only intensifies now that the series is completed. One day, I want to re-read these novellas back to back to really catch all the connections that might have gone over my head on this first read spread out over years.
The Forever Desert is a true triumph of fantastical storytelling, and I honestly can't recommend it highly enough. What an important and outstanding story.
October 29, 2025
Taken as a whole, this is simply one of the most powerful trilogies I have read in a long, long time. Simply amazing and head spinning, what the author is able to do in three novella sized narratives that deal with war and memory and the human condition. I love the overarching theme of the cyclical nature of history, of story telling, of the parallels to our own lives and countries. I was especially impressed with the creation myth of the Great Goddess falling from the sky like some meteorite and causing a near extinction-level event.
Very, very recommended. Read all three books together, as the sum is definitely greater than the parts.
Very, very recommended. Read all three books together, as the sum is definitely greater than the parts.
August 17, 2025
3.0/5
One of my most anticipated releases of the year and it came out as severely underwhelming.
While book 2 was a clear continuation of book 1, I don't know if this is a sequel, a prequel or a book in the same universe with two words connecting it to the other stories.
The story feels extremely similar to Lies of the Ajungo but without the gut punch and plot twist. I don't think this book delivers even half of the expectations the rest of the series promises. I don't see this as a good or even decent conclusion to the trilogy, as it doesn't even feel like a conclusion at all.
My rating should be lower, but I heavily enjoyed the mementos and I know I'll be using them.
One of my most anticipated releases of the year and it came out as severely underwhelming.
While book 2 was a clear continuation of book 1, I don't know if this is a sequel, a prequel or a book in the same universe with two words connecting it to the other stories.
The story feels extremely similar to Lies of the Ajungo but without the gut punch and plot twist. I don't think this book delivers even half of the expectations the rest of the series promises. I don't see this as a good or even decent conclusion to the trilogy, as it doesn't even feel like a conclusion at all.
My rating should be lower, but I heavily enjoyed the mementos and I know I'll be using them.
July 26, 2025
3.5/5
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March 3, 2025Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the e-arc.
If you can, I’d recommend reading this trilogy all together for the best reading experience. I’ll rate closer to publication, but I want to reread the first two books.
If you can, I’d recommend reading this trilogy all together for the best reading experience. I’ll rate closer to publication, but I want to reread the first two books.
April 17, 2025
What an amazing conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. Seriously, this book absolutely nails the ending; everything builds up to it. Moses Ose Utomi is just a BRILLIANT storyteller. All I'll say is that I will definitely be thinking about this series for years to come, particularly its characters and powerful messages. I genuinely couldn't recommend it more.
Thank you to the NetGalley team at Tor/Forge for an ARC!! 4.5 / 5.0 ⭐️
Thank you to the NetGalley team at Tor/Forge for an ARC!! 4.5 / 5.0 ⭐️
July 27, 2025
“But he’d come to learn that crying was the ultimate expression of gratitude: There is no mourning except for that which was beautiful. Perhaps, he thought, the reason it was so hard to sign and cry at the same time was because tears were meant to express what words could not.”
I wasn’t really expected this conclusion to be LIKE THIS, i honestly have mixed feelings about it but then i think it ends pretty much realistic and it also got this smart twist how it’s end the way like the story is a prequel not the ending 🤔 yeah i know it sounds confusing but you will understand when you finish this book
The story took hundreds years after the end of book 2, we followed 2 main characters: Ethike & Agba, both are Ogisis (someone who try to find the truth) but both coming from 2 different sides… Moses Ose Utomi once again can created character that felt relateable to his reader, written in beautiful writing style and engaging plot even for just a novella, the whole trilogy are
I really hope someday this author will write longer book! he is such a talented writer (please Moses sir if you read this! i know you read all of your reviews here 😆)
I wasn’t really expected this conclusion to be LIKE THIS, i honestly have mixed feelings about it but then i think it ends pretty much realistic and it also got this smart twist how it’s end the way like the story is a prequel not the ending 🤔 yeah i know it sounds confusing but you will understand when you finish this book
The story took hundreds years after the end of book 2, we followed 2 main characters: Ethike & Agba, both are Ogisis (someone who try to find the truth) but both coming from 2 different sides… Moses Ose Utomi once again can created character that felt relateable to his reader, written in beautiful writing style and engaging plot even for just a novella, the whole trilogy are
I really hope someday this author will write longer book! he is such a talented writer (please Moses sir if you read this! i know you read all of your reviews here 😆)
January 5, 2026
Eu gosto muito da premissa dessa série, mas senti que ela se perdeu um pouco e se tornou um pouco repetitiva conforme avançou.
Entendo que é um dos pontos da história, os ciclos da vida, e como a história tende a se repetir, principalmente quando não se existe conhecimento sobre o passado, mas os personagens vão se tornando cada vez menos carismáticos e a história não trás nova luz para os assuntos, de forma geral.
Os temas centrais da série envolvem o crescer, conhecer, amadurecer, fazem a gente pensar em colonialismo e opressão de povos, e o sentimento que fica no final é de desesperança. Não tem uma luz no fim do túnel, e as coisas não vão ficar bem.
O deserto não florece, só tenta ensinar a resistir.
Entendo que é um dos pontos da história, os ciclos da vida, e como a história tende a se repetir, principalmente quando não se existe conhecimento sobre o passado, mas os personagens vão se tornando cada vez menos carismáticos e a história não trás nova luz para os assuntos, de forma geral.
Os temas centrais da série envolvem o crescer, conhecer, amadurecer, fazem a gente pensar em colonialismo e opressão de povos, e o sentimento que fica no final é de desesperança. Não tem uma luz no fim do túnel, e as coisas não vão ficar bem.
O deserto não florece, só tenta ensinar a resistir.
December 31, 2025
I feel like this was the perfect ending to this series. The cyclical nature of history. Thought provoking as always, bleak and awe inspiring. Utomi is such a talented writer, can’t wait to read more of his work!
July 9, 2025
Holy sh*t WOW. Review to come.
September 2, 2025
so good that it made me throw the book when I saw where we were heading
October 5, 2025
Things I liked:
- The fact that this could be a sequel or prequel, which is a brilliant way of showcasing the cyclical nature of history and the patterns humanity is doomed to repeat unless they learn from their past mistakes.
- Ethike and Agba’s characters. They suited me much better than Osi’s which made this book more enjoyable to read.
- The writing as always conveys so much in a short span of time and Moses does it beautifully.
Things I didn’t like: (THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE. SKIP AHEAD)
- Ethike’s naivety got a bit annoying sometimes
- The fact that Ethike told Agba that a “nonviolent” solution was better than killing everyone, and that alternative is to subject every person to extreme drought by taking up all the water and letting them live like that in a freaking desert, and if anyone objects they’ll have their hands and/or tongues cut out. Huh??? How is that a “nonviolent solution”??? And how is that going to look in the long term?? We’ve basically seen that everyone in the city is irredeemable, and you know that one day someone will rise up to end this cruelty, but you still insist on this anyway? I firmly believe that if you’re going to do something this life-altering, go all in. Otherwise, the cycle WILL repeat itself- HAS repeated itself. The desert cities should all have been destroyed.
- How is damming up the water going to help the goddess? If this book can be a prequel, then we know that even 500 years from now, the water is still dammed up and it’s likely that the goddess hasn’t regained enough power to reascend. So is she stuck in the earth forever? Can she never regain her power? And if she can’t be helped, then how is keeping the people from water solving anything? She’ll die anyway, and the people will also die without water. Why draw out their suffering? Just kill them all and be done with it.
- I still highly doubt people subjected to these severe conditions can survive for centuries. I doubt they’d last more than a few years without water even if they had water stores, meaning the Agba gang will have to give them water to survive, which ???? Wasn’t the point not to give people water? - What about the people’s powers? Won’t they still have them? If they killed all the soldiers, how will they keep an entire city in check? They’re only 3 people. If the citizens learn they have water, they will most certainly fight back to get it. And even if they don’t, managing a city isn’t like managing a village. You need people to help you, and I really doubt the citizens would help maim each other in the short run without water when they could easily turn against their oppressors since they have the overwhelming numbers. It’s possible but, knowing how resistant people are to change, very unlikely. Power shifts and takeovers are not this clean and easy. Even with entire armies there will be resistance, whether their leaders are alive or not. I wish this had been thought out and explained more, but I suppose that wasn't the point of the book so I just have to sigh and move on.
(END OF SPOILERS)
As I’ve found with Utomi’s books, there is a mix of brilliant storytelling and gaping plot holes. This is one of those books where you need to reread and dissect and think about a lot to get a full grasp of what was happening and what the author was going for. There are a lot of conversations that can be had with the themes in this book. Those conversations and discussions will help unearth some elements in the book much deeper, especially surrounding culture, indigenous voices, manipulation of truth, prevalence of lies, deprivation of autonomy and the loss of our identities, which all mirror the colonial reality of our reality today. I’m also struggling with what lens I should read this book, as a pure fantasy or an oral tale. Oral narratives were very crucial in traditional African society and they always had elements of the fantastical. If I look at the book from that perspective, I can maybe glance over the blatant impossibility of people living in a desert without any water whatsoever for 500+years. Oral narratives were meant to give a lesson; they were always intentional. Again, that’s where the conversation comes in to explore all the intents and choices of the author. I’ll have to do my homework on this. But if I look at it from the fantasy book perspective, the plot holes become an itch I can’t scratch. I don't believe that the oral history perspective should excuse the plot holes in the story. You can do both well simultaneously without creating discrepancies.
Usually when I like a book but I have a number of fundamental problems with it as well, I’d give it 3 stars. But I love how despite the annoyances I have with this series, I still feel called to read it again, to reenter this impossible and cruel world and watch everything unfold. I would have done it even if book 3 had been conclusive and decisive, but its here-there nature only doubles the need for a reread. Hopefully when I do I’ll have some clearer thoughts on the series as a whole. For now, I’m definitely glad I read the series. 4 stars.
- The fact that this could be a sequel or prequel, which is a brilliant way of showcasing the cyclical nature of history and the patterns humanity is doomed to repeat unless they learn from their past mistakes.
- Ethike and Agba’s characters. They suited me much better than Osi’s which made this book more enjoyable to read.
- The writing as always conveys so much in a short span of time and Moses does it beautifully.
Things I didn’t like: (THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE. SKIP AHEAD)
- Ethike’s naivety got a bit annoying sometimes
- The fact that Ethike told Agba that a “nonviolent” solution was better than killing everyone, and that alternative is to subject every person to extreme drought by taking up all the water and letting them live like that in a freaking desert, and if anyone objects they’ll have their hands and/or tongues cut out. Huh??? How is that a “nonviolent solution”??? And how is that going to look in the long term?? We’ve basically seen that everyone in the city is irredeemable, and you know that one day someone will rise up to end this cruelty, but you still insist on this anyway? I firmly believe that if you’re going to do something this life-altering, go all in. Otherwise, the cycle WILL repeat itself- HAS repeated itself. The desert cities should all have been destroyed.
- How is damming up the water going to help the goddess? If this book can be a prequel, then we know that even 500 years from now, the water is still dammed up and it’s likely that the goddess hasn’t regained enough power to reascend. So is she stuck in the earth forever? Can she never regain her power? And if she can’t be helped, then how is keeping the people from water solving anything? She’ll die anyway, and the people will also die without water. Why draw out their suffering? Just kill them all and be done with it.
- I still highly doubt people subjected to these severe conditions can survive for centuries. I doubt they’d last more than a few years without water even if they had water stores, meaning the Agba gang will have to give them water to survive, which ???? Wasn’t the point not to give people water? - What about the people’s powers? Won’t they still have them? If they killed all the soldiers, how will they keep an entire city in check? They’re only 3 people. If the citizens learn they have water, they will most certainly fight back to get it. And even if they don’t, managing a city isn’t like managing a village. You need people to help you, and I really doubt the citizens would help maim each other in the short run without water when they could easily turn against their oppressors since they have the overwhelming numbers. It’s possible but, knowing how resistant people are to change, very unlikely. Power shifts and takeovers are not this clean and easy. Even with entire armies there will be resistance, whether their leaders are alive or not. I wish this had been thought out and explained more, but I suppose that wasn't the point of the book so I just have to sigh and move on.
(END OF SPOILERS)
As I’ve found with Utomi’s books, there is a mix of brilliant storytelling and gaping plot holes. This is one of those books where you need to reread and dissect and think about a lot to get a full grasp of what was happening and what the author was going for. There are a lot of conversations that can be had with the themes in this book. Those conversations and discussions will help unearth some elements in the book much deeper, especially surrounding culture, indigenous voices, manipulation of truth, prevalence of lies, deprivation of autonomy and the loss of our identities, which all mirror the colonial reality of our reality today. I’m also struggling with what lens I should read this book, as a pure fantasy or an oral tale. Oral narratives were very crucial in traditional African society and they always had elements of the fantastical. If I look at the book from that perspective, I can maybe glance over the blatant impossibility of people living in a desert without any water whatsoever for 500+years. Oral narratives were meant to give a lesson; they were always intentional. Again, that’s where the conversation comes in to explore all the intents and choices of the author. I’ll have to do my homework on this. But if I look at it from the fantasy book perspective, the plot holes become an itch I can’t scratch. I don't believe that the oral history perspective should excuse the plot holes in the story. You can do both well simultaneously without creating discrepancies.
Usually when I like a book but I have a number of fundamental problems with it as well, I’d give it 3 stars. But I love how despite the annoyances I have with this series, I still feel called to read it again, to reenter this impossible and cruel world and watch everything unfold. I would have done it even if book 3 had been conclusive and decisive, but its here-there nature only doubles the need for a reread. Hopefully when I do I’ll have some clearer thoughts on the series as a whole. For now, I’m definitely glad I read the series. 4 stars.
July 14, 2025
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
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
April 25, 2025
This book brings together all we’ve learned from the previous novellas and the span of time the author is able to cover in these novellas astonishes me. This book really hammers home how history is bound to repeat itself and in the political climate we are currently living in, it was quite a difficult read. The foreshadowing in this book is unbelievable. Everything is connected and this book, unlike the others you get two different viewpoints from opposing sides. This author is absolutely incredible. The prose is very well written without being overly flowery, and the impact he is able to make in such short novellas is truly astonishing. Will be picking up anything from this author!
January 31, 2025
i really think this is one of the best and most meticulously crafted trilogies i’ve read in a long time and i’m going to be thinking about these books for months to come.
thank you to tordotcom for the arc. 5/5
thank you to tordotcom for the arc. 5/5
August 11, 2025
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.
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.
Read
August 12, 2025When the stories one is told conflict with the world one knows, what other choice is there but to seek out other stories? Stories that could make sense of a senseless world.
These two sentences came midway in Moses Ose Utomi’s last installment of his novella trilogy, The Memory of the Ogisi. And for me, they capture the spirit of the story that revolves around Ethike, an ogisi, who has devoted himself to studying a historical figure named Osi. Osi’s story was told in the second novella of the trilogy, The Truth of the Aleke. Ethike learns how stories can shape a narrative that keeps society’s elite in power and oppresses those under their rule.
Ethike is granted permission to travel to the Forever Desert in search of Osi’s tomb. The journey will transform him, making him understand that finding the truth can be hazardous.
Utomi draws upon his West African heritage to craft a story that is gentle on the surface but treacherous and heartbreaking underneath it. The Memory of the Ogisi wraps a trilogy of novellas that are a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. I have always believed that the novella is the perfect length to tell a story in prose fiction. I came across an article recently by the author Ian McEwan, who feels the same way. Utomi’s trilogy inspired a hope in me that more authors will create novella series, proving that this type of storytelling is well-suited to our modern era.
The Memory of the Ogisi provided a satisfying ending to the Forever Desert Trilogy, and I would recommend readers read the first two books of the trilogy, The Lies of the Ajungo and The Truth of the Aleke first. Bravo, Moses Ose Utomi!
These two sentences came midway in Moses Ose Utomi’s last installment of his novella trilogy, The Memory of the Ogisi. And for me, they capture the spirit of the story that revolves around Ethike, an ogisi, who has devoted himself to studying a historical figure named Osi. Osi’s story was told in the second novella of the trilogy, The Truth of the Aleke. Ethike learns how stories can shape a narrative that keeps society’s elite in power and oppresses those under their rule.
Ethike is granted permission to travel to the Forever Desert in search of Osi’s tomb. The journey will transform him, making him understand that finding the truth can be hazardous.
Utomi draws upon his West African heritage to craft a story that is gentle on the surface but treacherous and heartbreaking underneath it. The Memory of the Ogisi wraps a trilogy of novellas that are a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. I have always believed that the novella is the perfect length to tell a story in prose fiction. I came across an article recently by the author Ian McEwan, who feels the same way. Utomi’s trilogy inspired a hope in me that more authors will create novella series, proving that this type of storytelling is well-suited to our modern era.
The Memory of the Ogisi provided a satisfying ending to the Forever Desert Trilogy, and I would recommend readers read the first two books of the trilogy, The Lies of the Ajungo and The Truth of the Aleke first. Bravo, Moses Ose Utomi!
June 15, 2025
Thank you tordotcom for the complimentary drc.
I enjoyed the first book, and the second book was good until the end when too much happened and I found it confusing. Unfortunately I struggled to get into this one at all. The pace was so slow and meandering and for such a short book it took me over a week to finish it because it just didn't hold my attention. When I was reading, I found i had to reread sections to really understand what was being said or what had just happened. Lastly, it was also really repetitive at times. This one is just not for me I'm afraid.
I enjoyed the first book, and the second book was good until the end when too much happened and I found it confusing. Unfortunately I struggled to get into this one at all. The pace was so slow and meandering and for such a short book it took me over a week to finish it because it just didn't hold my attention. When I was reading, I found i had to reread sections to really understand what was being said or what had just happened. Lastly, it was also really repetitive at times. This one is just not for me I'm afraid.
September 11, 2025
I have the same problem with this that I do with 1984. I believe in hope. I believe we have to have hope. We need to be more like Ethike.
August 28, 2025
And so concludes the lovely, fable-like trilogy of novellas called The Forever Desert. These are bittersweet books, so full of hope and yet so full of despair. Not all the characters' arcs are triumphant and not all are tragic, but each one is, in its own way, heartbreaking.
Where to focus this review? With the characters and their poignant arcs? With the unique and imaginative world? With the mythopoetic power of these tales to awe and transport?
How about theme? Fables are often thick with theme. They teach lessons that purport to be timeless and universal. They tell us how the world has been and will be, how people are, and why.
As befits a fable, one theme of this trilogy is that of never-ending struggle (against cruelty and injustice) and eternal return. Utomi tells us that this struggle will never be complete. Any apparent triumphs (or defeats) are but milestones or changes in direction.
Another cluster of themes is around power. How people manipulate truths and falsehoods to achieve and sustain power. How the powerful cruelly oppress some segment of society almost invariably.
And then there is a cluster of themes around knowledge, truth, lies, beliefs, and story. The powerful may use stories — true or false — to maintain their power, but common people also rely upon stories to remind them of who they are and who their community is. They may believe false stories knowingly or unknowingly, if the lies help them to survive or serve their self-interest in some other way. In fact, in the Forever Desert, belief is completely orthogonal to truth or falsehood. Most people believe what they need or want to believe, and that is all. Truth is hardly relevant. Genuine truth-seekers are rare, and neither society nor the world are kind to them.
The Memory of the Ogisi illustrates this latter message with a pointed analogy to the Internet. In the City of a Thousand Stories, a.k.a. the City of Lies, each citizen possesses the gift of divine Sight. They can use the Sight to seek explanations or confirmations of stories and claims to truth. But what each individual sees is a version of truth personalized to them. They do not all have access to an absolute, objective truth. So they simply believe the stories their own Sight shows them.
Meanwhile, the city's scholars, the so-called ogisi, rely not upon Sight but rather upon exhaustively notated documentary evidence to compile their authoritative histories. While they are respected by their fellow citizens, they aren't always believed or taken seriously, since every citizen can simply use Sight to form their own, preferred versions of history.
Sometimes the analogy to our own society cuts deep:
The "cruelty" mentioned in this passage late in the book is a callback to a much earlier one:
And this gets at another theme: that of individual and collective responsibility. To what degree is each of us responsible for cruelties and exploitation committed by far-flung entities in a system simply because we, too, participate in that system? For those of us who would protest that we have little choice but to participate, have we merely ceded responsibility by conveniently ceding our own agency? We may be constrained, but it's rare that we truly have no choice at all.
One truth we do learn about the Forever Desert is this: suffering never ends. And, we are told, "Suffering always birthed aspiring heroes who sought to relieve it."
And so it goes.
Where to focus this review? With the characters and their poignant arcs? With the unique and imaginative world? With the mythopoetic power of these tales to awe and transport?
How about theme? Fables are often thick with theme. They teach lessons that purport to be timeless and universal. They tell us how the world has been and will be, how people are, and why.
As befits a fable, one theme of this trilogy is that of never-ending struggle (against cruelty and injustice) and eternal return. Utomi tells us that this struggle will never be complete. Any apparent triumphs (or defeats) are but milestones or changes in direction.
Another cluster of themes is around power. How people manipulate truths and falsehoods to achieve and sustain power. How the powerful cruelly oppress some segment of society almost invariably.
And then there is a cluster of themes around knowledge, truth, lies, beliefs, and story. The powerful may use stories — true or false — to maintain their power, but common people also rely upon stories to remind them of who they are and who their community is. They may believe false stories knowingly or unknowingly, if the lies help them to survive or serve their self-interest in some other way. In fact, in the Forever Desert, belief is completely orthogonal to truth or falsehood. Most people believe what they need or want to believe, and that is all. Truth is hardly relevant. Genuine truth-seekers are rare, and neither society nor the world are kind to them.
"The truth is no camel, Heretic," the beggar continued. "Nobody owns it. All you have is a story. They get to decide if it’s true or not."
The Memory of the Ogisi illustrates this latter message with a pointed analogy to the Internet. In the City of a Thousand Stories, a.k.a. the City of Lies, each citizen possesses the gift of divine Sight. They can use the Sight to seek explanations or confirmations of stories and claims to truth. But what each individual sees is a version of truth personalized to them. They do not all have access to an absolute, objective truth. So they simply believe the stories their own Sight shows them.
Meanwhile, the city's scholars, the so-called ogisi, rely not upon Sight but rather upon exhaustively notated documentary evidence to compile their authoritative histories. While they are respected by their fellow citizens, they aren't always believed or taken seriously, since every citizen can simply use Sight to form their own, preferred versions of history.
Sometimes the analogy to our own society cuts deep:
Often, someone’s eyes would go distant and their skin would sparkle. There was much of that. People lying in bed with skin sparkling when they could have been sleeping. Parents lost in the power... while their children played recklessly before them.
In his observing the city, Agba came to see the deep contradictions in the hearts of her people. They considered themselves good, yet not a second of their days was spent wondering about the evils committed in their name. They revered the dead king Obasa for his wisdom, yet few of them sought wisdom for themselves. They called themselves a city of stories, yet they cut away their ears so that they could not hear the stories of others.
They were capable of great love and mercy, the people of the City of Lies.... Yet they were also capable of a unique and terrible cruelty that they weren’t even aware of. A cruelty, in fact, that only survived through their inability to see it.
The "cruelty" mentioned in this passage late in the book is a callback to a much earlier one:
This was the cruelty of forgotten transgressions. The cruelty of children absolved of the sins of their parents but never disinherited from their plunders. This cruelty was an evil inscribed into history, so that those who came afterward would know nothing else.
And this gets at another theme: that of individual and collective responsibility. To what degree is each of us responsible for cruelties and exploitation committed by far-flung entities in a system simply because we, too, participate in that system? For those of us who would protest that we have little choice but to participate, have we merely ceded responsibility by conveniently ceding our own agency? We may be constrained, but it's rare that we truly have no choice at all.
One truth we do learn about the Forever Desert is this: suffering never ends. And, we are told, "Suffering always birthed aspiring heroes who sought to relieve it."
And so it goes.
June 20, 2025
While I was eagerly awaiting to pick up this concluding novella of the Forever Desert trilogy, I think the big mistake I did is not rereading the first two. So despite enjoying this a lot, I think I missed some of the Easter eggs and foreshadowing because I don’t have detailed memories of books 1 and 2.
The writing is still stunning, with the author crafting a world full of interesting lore, real and empathetic characters and messages interspersed throughout which will make you think - all within just about 100 pages. This takes a special type of skill and the author proves with this trilogy why he is a master storyteller. For a change, it was cool to see two POVs, of characters from (technically) opposing sides, and realize that we make monsters out of those whom we don’t understand and heap cruelty on them while thinking ourselves the good guys. I was curious to see how it would ultimately end, and it felt both surprising and inevitable that the author’s message of how history is a cycle that keeps repeating itself lends into such a conclusion. This is a story where monsters of myth come alive and force humanity to reckon with their inhumane choices; but whether this reckoning will lead to any better outcomes, or will humanity still keep living in denial of their true histories and believe what suits them best, remains to be contemplated by the reader.
Overall, I think the best way to enjoy this trilogy is to read them together. There’s just too many nods to characters and phrases and histories, and reading back to back will help retain them all in memory and be in awe of these books as they truly deserve. I will definitely reread them someday and I’m already looking forward to what the author will write next.
The writing is still stunning, with the author crafting a world full of interesting lore, real and empathetic characters and messages interspersed throughout which will make you think - all within just about 100 pages. This takes a special type of skill and the author proves with this trilogy why he is a master storyteller. For a change, it was cool to see two POVs, of characters from (technically) opposing sides, and realize that we make monsters out of those whom we don’t understand and heap cruelty on them while thinking ourselves the good guys. I was curious to see how it would ultimately end, and it felt both surprising and inevitable that the author’s message of how history is a cycle that keeps repeating itself lends into such a conclusion. This is a story where monsters of myth come alive and force humanity to reckon with their inhumane choices; but whether this reckoning will lead to any better outcomes, or will humanity still keep living in denial of their true histories and believe what suits them best, remains to be contemplated by the reader.
Overall, I think the best way to enjoy this trilogy is to read them together. There’s just too many nods to characters and phrases and histories, and reading back to back will help retain them all in memory and be in awe of these books as they truly deserve. I will definitely reread them someday and I’m already looking forward to what the author will write next.
December 23, 2025
"Remember us...remember me," Odysseus cries as he defeats the Cyclops Polyphemus and yet secures his own doom.
This is what The Memory of the Ogisi feels like: a vicious taste of finality that's not without hope for the future--or maybe redemption of the past?
Once again, Ogisi is set 500 years after (????) the previous book The Truth of the Aleke, and we follow Ethike, an old scribe, as he travels to find Osi's tomb, a faded memento beneath the shadow of the Wise Obasa.
Ethike reminds me of Tutu and yet he's a character all his own. I loved his sincerity and his bond with Uwi (which of course, inevitably gets more complicated), and his desire to redeem the lost child he finds in the desert. Little does he know...
Okay, major spoiler warning below!
The second half of the novel does something surprising and follows a different character, Agba, through whose perspective we see the events of the first half of the novella in another light. I love having a second narrator change the reality of how events are perceived, and Agba is no different. At first I was like, what?! Giant sand monster? Where did that come from? But then you see Agba's journey into the Water; he finds the Ogisi Herself and suddenly the threads click together.
Perhaps the most brilliant thing about this novella is the fact that it's either an ending, or a beginning, or the start of another cycle of violence, heroism, and deliverance all its own. I love that you can't pin it down because it makes the Forever Desert feel even more expansive. It also makes the themes of the series feel inevitable: no matter what, even when we try to secure peace, we reach violence.
I'm bummed the series is over, and yet it feels like I could return to Tutu's story and slip seamlessly back into the world. This world is better for having these novellas in it, and I treasure my copies! Go read these! Go journey through the Forever Desert!
(Just make sure you're ready for a somewhat infuriating epic mind-bender. Thanks a lot Moses!)
This is what The Memory of the Ogisi feels like: a vicious taste of finality that's not without hope for the future--or maybe redemption of the past?
Once again, Ogisi is set 500 years after (????) the previous book The Truth of the Aleke, and we follow Ethike, an old scribe, as he travels to find Osi's tomb, a faded memento beneath the shadow of the Wise Obasa.
Ethike reminds me of Tutu and yet he's a character all his own. I loved his sincerity and his bond with Uwi (which of course, inevitably gets more complicated), and his desire to redeem the lost child he finds in the desert. Little does he know...
Okay, major spoiler warning below!
The second half of the novel does something surprising and follows a different character, Agba, through whose perspective we see the events of the first half of the novella in another light. I love having a second narrator change the reality of how events are perceived, and Agba is no different. At first I was like, what?! Giant sand monster? Where did that come from? But then you see Agba's journey into the Water; he finds the Ogisi Herself and suddenly the threads click together.
Perhaps the most brilliant thing about this novella is the fact that it's either an ending, or a beginning, or the start of another cycle of violence, heroism, and deliverance all its own. I love that you can't pin it down because it makes the Forever Desert feel even more expansive. It also makes the themes of the series feel inevitable: no matter what, even when we try to secure peace, we reach violence.
I'm bummed the series is over, and yet it feels like I could return to Tutu's story and slip seamlessly back into the world. This world is better for having these novellas in it, and I treasure my copies! Go read these! Go journey through the Forever Desert!
(Just make sure you're ready for a somewhat infuriating epic mind-bender. Thanks a lot Moses!)
November 25, 2025
4.5 stars
Man I am so glad I pressed on with this series to finish. I am so bad at actually finishing series and am a chronic 2/3 book reader 😅😅 But I am incredibly grateful to all my Worlds Beyond the Margins buddies for keeping me going!
I found so many bits and pieces throughout this series to be deeply thoughtful and I have definitely spent so much time thinking about what was said. I already know there are several quotes that I will keep on hand for future use because they really stuck with me. Definitely a series to consume with deliberation as it sticks with you. That is a very good thing and I will be recommending this to all.
Now on this book specifically, though it took me a while to get going on it since it has a slower first half, overall I much preferred it to the second book. I came to the end and was deeply sated. I found the story of Agba to provide the closure I needed and is well worth the confusion to the purpose of Ethike's tale. Just what a unique series.
Man I am so glad I pressed on with this series to finish. I am so bad at actually finishing series and am a chronic 2/3 book reader 😅😅 But I am incredibly grateful to all my Worlds Beyond the Margins buddies for keeping me going!
I found so many bits and pieces throughout this series to be deeply thoughtful and I have definitely spent so much time thinking about what was said. I already know there are several quotes that I will keep on hand for future use because they really stuck with me. Definitely a series to consume with deliberation as it sticks with you. That is a very good thing and I will be recommending this to all.
Now on this book specifically, though it took me a while to get going on it since it has a slower first half, overall I much preferred it to the second book. I came to the end and was deeply sated. I found the story of Agba to provide the closure I needed and is well worth the confusion to the purpose of Ethike's tale. Just what a unique series.
June 19, 2025
This 100-some page novella had a more profound impact on me than a lot of full length novels have had - I had to sit with it for a few days before I could write a sufficient review and I'm still not sure I'm satisfied.
Moses Ose Utomi hits exactly what a novella should be, meaning if this was any longer I'm not sure it would have been as successful. He weaves an interesting world, incredible characters, and stunning lore and plot into less than 100 pages and leaves the readers feeling....something. For me, that feeling was contemplative with a bit of discomfort and unrest, and I mean that in the best way.
This fable, for that's really what I believe it is, hit on topics that required me to think and turn inward and I hope it does the same for you.
Moses Ose Utomi hits exactly what a novella should be, meaning if this was any longer I'm not sure it would have been as successful. He weaves an interesting world, incredible characters, and stunning lore and plot into less than 100 pages and leaves the readers feeling....something. For me, that feeling was contemplative with a bit of discomfort and unrest, and I mean that in the best way.
This fable, for that's really what I believe it is, hit on topics that required me to think and turn inward and I hope it does the same for you.
August 14, 2025
enquanto eu lia isso eu ficava pensando, triste eu não lembrar muito das novellas anteriores pois se passa depois delas e mais pro final eu pensei aaaah na verdade se passa antes de tudo? e fiquei nessa dúvida e dai eu li os agradecimentos e foi de propósito, é CÍCLICO, antes ou depois não importa, a história se repete e achei isso muito legal, o livro por si só estava interessante e dai mais esse jogada terminou a trilogia perfeitamente pra mim
moses ose utomi, não se preocupe, você fez as escolhas certas
"Losing sight of others’ humanity was the seed from which all cruelty grew."
moses ose utomi, não se preocupe, você fez as escolhas certas
"Losing sight of others’ humanity was the seed from which all cruelty grew."
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