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Waking the Warriors
When the world ends, only the underground mysteries will save us…
A great wall is rising on the horizon and a foreign army is massing on the borders of the small country of Nevereach. As invaders prepare to smash the last of the resistance, three unlikely heroes emerge from the exhausted populace.
Mel, Rosa and Apibus, driven by the loss of loved ones, inspired by old stories and guided by a mysterious star, set out to save their world by rousing the sleeping warriors. But before they can do that, they must find the witch who alone knows how to wake these mythical figures.
Travelling across a perilous landscape, encountering challenge after challenge, this could be called a cautionary tale for the three, and the reader, but it’s more than that – it’s a journey, a revelation and an inspiration.
Brilliantly conjured from the unique imagination of the poet, novelist, and activist Ben Okri, you will find here a world where the greatest enemy is not the tyrant forcing his soldiers on, but the dark forces draining people’s will to resist.
A great wall is rising on the horizon and a foreign army is massing on the borders of the small country of Nevereach. As invaders prepare to smash the last of the resistance, three unlikely heroes emerge from the exhausted populace.
Mel, Rosa and Apibus, driven by the loss of loved ones, inspired by old stories and guided by a mysterious star, set out to save their world by rousing the sleeping warriors. But before they can do that, they must find the witch who alone knows how to wake these mythical figures.
Travelling across a perilous landscape, encountering challenge after challenge, this could be called a cautionary tale for the three, and the reader, but it’s more than that – it’s a journey, a revelation and an inspiration.
Brilliantly conjured from the unique imagination of the poet, novelist, and activist Ben Okri, you will find here a world where the greatest enemy is not the tyrant forcing his soldiers on, but the dark forces draining people’s will to resist.
- GenresFantasy
Hardcover
About the author
Ben Okri
89 books1,015 followersPoet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 31, 2026
??? 😳
July 27, 2026
Beautifully Written, But More Allegory Than Adventure
I started Waking the Warriors expecting an epic fantasy, but it’s much more of a philosophical fable than a conventional adventure. Ben Okri’s writing is undeniably beautiful, full of poetic imagery and thought-provoking ideas about hope, oppression and the power of stories. There are passages that are genuinely striking and linger long after you’ve finished reading.
That said, I struggled to connect with the narrative. The journey of Mel, Rosa and Apibus felt more symbolic than emotional, and because the characters often serve as ideas rather than fully developed people, I found it difficult to become invested in their quest. The pacing is also quite slow, with long stretches of reflection outweighing the action.
I can appreciate what Okri was trying to achieve, and I think readers who enjoy literary fiction, magical realism and allegorical storytelling will get much more out of it than I did. For me, though, the balance tipped too far towards symbolism at the expense of plot and character development.
Overall, this is an ambitious and beautifully written novel with important themes, but it wasn’t quite the reading experience I was hoping for.
I started Waking the Warriors expecting an epic fantasy, but it’s much more of a philosophical fable than a conventional adventure. Ben Okri’s writing is undeniably beautiful, full of poetic imagery and thought-provoking ideas about hope, oppression and the power of stories. There are passages that are genuinely striking and linger long after you’ve finished reading.
That said, I struggled to connect with the narrative. The journey of Mel, Rosa and Apibus felt more symbolic than emotional, and because the characters often serve as ideas rather than fully developed people, I found it difficult to become invested in their quest. The pacing is also quite slow, with long stretches of reflection outweighing the action.
I can appreciate what Okri was trying to achieve, and I think readers who enjoy literary fiction, magical realism and allegorical storytelling will get much more out of it than I did. For me, though, the balance tipped too far towards symbolism at the expense of plot and character development.
Overall, this is an ambitious and beautifully written novel with important themes, but it wasn’t quite the reading experience I was hoping for.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A fascinating subversive genre-bending tale set in a timeless but futuristic world. Is it fantasy? Is it poetry? Is it fable? I still don’t know. We meet three travelers with their own lives and complications who are called on a journey of revolt and despair. A tyrannical king is controlling his people with seemingly supernatural powers and those with power are unwilling to stop him. A foretold witch could be the solution if only our travelers can put aside their own lives to find her.
The prose is unlike anything typical of this type of book; jumping between scenes and stories as we traverse the characters of the tale. It’s a hard read in its obscurity, sometimes confounding but filled with moments of profound clarity.
I’m not sure what I learnt, or what I was meant to learn, and that question will plague for days and weeks to come. Maybe that was the point. But it was unlike anything I’ve read in a long time.
The prose is unlike anything typical of this type of book; jumping between scenes and stories as we traverse the characters of the tale. It’s a hard read in its obscurity, sometimes confounding but filled with moments of profound clarity.
I’m not sure what I learnt, or what I was meant to learn, and that question will plague for days and weeks to come. Maybe that was the point. But it was unlike anything I’ve read in a long time.
August 9, 2026
I like the journey Ben Okri takes us on in all of his books including this one. It doesn’t have the ending I expected but it’s more about reflecting about the journey itself and is there similarities in today’s life.
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July 26, 2026I love his books and disappear for hours into the world he has created. He has a magic way with words . . .
July 29, 2026
The writing style threw me off and although felt quick to read initially, it just began to feel like bullet points and less like a story, just wasn't for me. DNFd at 49 pages.
August 8, 2026
2.75⭐️
literally some of the worst dialogue i have ever read…overall just a massive insult to the reader
literally some of the worst dialogue i have ever read…overall just a massive insult to the reader
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews