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The Future God of Love
The Future God of Love is a romance fantasy, set in an African world where stories are essential for the survival of humanity.
Jamaaro, a struggling storyteller, is the future god of love and must create a story every full moon for the prosperity of his town.
When he falls in love with a strange woman, having known loneliness all his life, he ignores the clues that she might not be what she seems.
Jamaaro, a struggling storyteller, is the future god of love and must create a story every full moon for the prosperity of his town.
When he falls in love with a strange woman, having known loneliness all his life, he ignores the clues that she might not be what she seems.
55 pages, ebook
First published February 22, 2021
1 person is currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Dilman Dila
35 books58 followersDilman Dila is a Ugandan writer and film maker.
In 2014, he was longlisted for the BBC Radio Playwriting Competition, and in 2013, he was shortlisted for the prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize and long listed for the Short Story Day Africa prize.
He was nominated for the 2008 Million Writers Awards for his short story, Homecoming.
He first appeared in print in The Sunday Vision in 2001. His works have since featured in several literary magazines and anthologies. His most recent works include the sci-fi, Lights on Water, published in The Short Anthology, the novelette, The Terminal Move, and the romance novella, Cranes Crest at Sunset, which are available on Amazon.
His films include the masterpiece, What Happened in Room 13 (2007), and the narrative feature, The Felistas Fable (2013), which was nominated for Best First Feature at AMAA 2014. More of his life and works is available at his website http://www.dilmandila.com.
In 2014, he was longlisted for the BBC Radio Playwriting Competition, and in 2013, he was shortlisted for the prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize and long listed for the Short Story Day Africa prize.
He was nominated for the 2008 Million Writers Awards for his short story, Homecoming.
He first appeared in print in The Sunday Vision in 2001. His works have since featured in several literary magazines and anthologies. His most recent works include the sci-fi, Lights on Water, published in The Short Anthology, the novelette, The Terminal Move, and the romance novella, Cranes Crest at Sunset, which are available on Amazon.
His films include the masterpiece, What Happened in Room 13 (2007), and the narrative feature, The Felistas Fable (2013), which was nominated for Best First Feature at AMAA 2014. More of his life and works is available at his website http://www.dilmandila.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 20, 2023
Full review: http://strangehorizons.com/non-fictio...
Jamaaro is in a bind. As the laboki of his village he has to come up with a new story every moon to keep his village alive and nourished. His last great story came to him many moons ago, transforming his entire village overnight and elevating him to the status of a living god, with a guaranteed spot in his people's pantheon. The only problem is that he hasn't been able to come up with a single good story since, and with heightened expectations from a living god, everyone - including humans AND spirits - is growing restless as their village withers away from a lack of nourishment. Then he meets Nyalisa, a gorgeous and intriguing young woman who seems to know more than she lets on, and who tantalizes him with the possibilities of a different kind of life - one filled with happiness and love and contentment, but which might come at the cost of his gift - sending him hurtling down a path towards a conclusion at once beautiful and terrible...
Welcome to the world of African fantasy fabulism. There's lot to like about Dilma Dilan's latest novel, particularly in that it is almost entirely devoid of clichés. A simple (though not simplistic) and haunting tale of a gifted but unhappy musician who falls in love with a mysterious lady, inspiring him to produce some of his best work, albeit at a terrible price, with an ending as satisfying as it is shocking.
Read it not just for the deceptively absorbing plot, nor the refreshing African cultural context, but for the fact that it effortlessly transports you away to a magical world far, far away that nonetheless feels very close to home.
Jamaaro is in a bind. As the laboki of his village he has to come up with a new story every moon to keep his village alive and nourished. His last great story came to him many moons ago, transforming his entire village overnight and elevating him to the status of a living god, with a guaranteed spot in his people's pantheon. The only problem is that he hasn't been able to come up with a single good story since, and with heightened expectations from a living god, everyone - including humans AND spirits - is growing restless as their village withers away from a lack of nourishment. Then he meets Nyalisa, a gorgeous and intriguing young woman who seems to know more than she lets on, and who tantalizes him with the possibilities of a different kind of life - one filled with happiness and love and contentment, but which might come at the cost of his gift - sending him hurtling down a path towards a conclusion at once beautiful and terrible...
Welcome to the world of African fantasy fabulism. There's lot to like about Dilma Dilan's latest novel, particularly in that it is almost entirely devoid of clichés. A simple (though not simplistic) and haunting tale of a gifted but unhappy musician who falls in love with a mysterious lady, inspiring him to produce some of his best work, albeit at a terrible price, with an ending as satisfying as it is shocking.
Read it not just for the deceptively absorbing plot, nor the refreshing African cultural context, but for the fact that it effortlessly transports you away to a magical world far, far away that nonetheless feels very close to home.
September 5, 2022
🖤
"Yours is a lonely fate...To be a kwaro of love, your heart must be free for everyone. You can't lock it up by loving only one person"
This story spins a tale of a world where stories are consumed. Literally!
For a town to prosper, a story teller or what this book refers to as a laboki has to tell stories (good ones) that people could consume.
Stories shaped the way of life. Stories could end wars, stories could change beliefs. A lack of stories meant the end of life, prosperity as a town would know it.
I definitely enjoyed the way the author shapes stories in this book as something truly powerful and literal.
Stories aren't just words, people speak and forget, stories are powerful, stories are life.
🖤🖤
Jamaaro is a future god of love who desires love for himself above all else but has a hard time finding it and when he does cannot just seem to hold on to it.
The constant search for love- one that is just for him- has left an indelible mark on his creativity. To create good stories, he feels he must have love. A love just for him.
Jamaaro's quest for love leads him to quite literally, a strange woman. Is she the one who finally fulfills and ends this miserable quest for love?
While I truly enjoyed the story, I did find the incessant woe is me, I have no love, I want to find love absolutely tiring.
Definitely a good thing this was a novella.
Either ways, good story nonetheless.
Sidenote: I would have appreciated a glossary of the non-English words. While my first point of call when I read books with words in languages other than English, is to always search for translations of those words on the internet, some languages are just unfortunately, harder to find translations of than others. Still worked out though.
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May 7, 2023Jamaaro is a laboki, or story teller, and future god of love. He falls short on both posts though: one for societal reasons (suffering from a writer's block he is unable to provide the stories the town needs to thrive) and one for personal reasons (he has never known love himself). Both problems are solved simultaneously when a mysterious bearded woman arrives in town.
Reading this story I wondered which characters sprouted solely from Dila's imagination and which were based on (Ugandan) folk tales. But whatever the source, this book contains many wildly interesting characters such as the spirit town sweepers that reflect the village's level of prosperity.
Another fascinating ingredient of this tale is the power the lobokis have over their town, its people, and even society as a whole, bringing peace and love. Thus I was slightly disappointed the book ended before Jamaaro returned to his village to try and fulfill his calling again, altough I did appreciate the final joke that woke me from the trance a story can (and did) bring about.
All in all, Dila is a great laboki, whom I hope will bring lots of peace and love to our society:).
Reading this story I wondered which characters sprouted solely from Dila's imagination and which were based on (Ugandan) folk tales. But whatever the source, this book contains many wildly interesting characters such as the spirit town sweepers that reflect the village's level of prosperity.
Another fascinating ingredient of this tale is the power the lobokis have over their town, its people, and even society as a whole, bringing peace and love. Thus I was slightly disappointed the book ended before Jamaaro returned to his village to try and fulfill his calling again, altough I did appreciate the final joke that woke me from the trance a story can (and did) bring about.
All in all, Dila is a great laboki, whom I hope will bring lots of peace and love to our society:).
February 10, 2026
The Future God of Love is a short novella following Jamaaro, a renowned storyteller who has not been able to write another story.
What worked for me: the world-building is complex and compelling and, despite the short page count, I got a good feeling for the world/society and its dynamics. The themes of storytelling, and the ways that new stories keep societies alive and thriving in this world, were interesting to think about. I would say the writing style, overall, worked for me as well.
What didn’t work for me: the representation of women. Female characters were one-dimensional stereotypes and seemed to only exist in relation to the male main character, either to illuminate some part of his past or to keep what was ultimately his story moving along. I enjoyed the beginning and the setup of the premise much more than the latter half in large part due to this.
Note: as a non-African, non-Ugandan reader, I am not 100% sure on which elements of the story are mythologically inspired and which are wholly created by the author for this story. I would encourage seeking out reviews from readers better positioned to discuss these elements of the story than I am.
Content warnings:
What worked for me: the world-building is complex and compelling and, despite the short page count, I got a good feeling for the world/society and its dynamics. The themes of storytelling, and the ways that new stories keep societies alive and thriving in this world, were interesting to think about. I would say the writing style, overall, worked for me as well.
What didn’t work for me: the representation of women. Female characters were one-dimensional stereotypes and seemed to only exist in relation to the male main character, either to illuminate some part of his past or to keep what was ultimately his story moving along. I enjoyed the beginning and the setup of the premise much more than the latter half in large part due to this.
Note: as a non-African, non-Ugandan reader, I am not 100% sure on which elements of the story are mythologically inspired and which are wholly created by the author for this story. I would encourage seeking out reviews from readers better positioned to discuss these elements of the story than I am.
Content warnings:
July 30, 2021
Dila is a multi-talented writer/director from Uganda. he has a channel of SF shorts he make, which are really cool. Books or movies, he stays true to his African culture, and manages to blend SFF and traditional customs really well.
Looking forward to read more from him.
Looking forward to read more from him.
February 28, 2021
Very refreshing and expertly told tale of gods, monsters and the power of stories
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
February 23, 2022
This tiny book took me for a wild (bruka) ride. The style is deceptively simple, the worldbuilding and narrative are anything but, and I never knew which it would go. I kinda want more, but I also like the ending as it is? Strange and horrifying and relatable. The reflection on stories as fuel/matter for consumption and the complex, abusive dynamics between storytellers and listeners was fascinating, and made me think about Rowland's A Choir of Lies (just theme-wise). Nyalisa's final fate is reminiscent of a...pretty misogynistic sci-fi trope, but at least here Jamaaro's motivation is solely self-preservation. I still would have preferred the female characters to step out of the care/seduction dichotomy, ideally, and especially if the book were longer. Oywetch was my favorite character, both in concept and in personality.
October 1, 2022
I loved the story and the world built in this novella and even more so the writing style. But the protagonist was just so whiny about being lonely. I mean, it's part of the story but it got on my nerves. I should have easily read this in one sitting but there was only so much I could take at one time. That said, though, the story, the world, and the writing style easily bring this within rounding range of 4 stars.
February 7, 2023
Hmm. The story is well-crafted, and pleasingly imagined, but it just didn't grab me. Perhaps because the POV character wastes so much energy in self-pity? Anyway, it was a pleasant enough read, but I will not seek out more of this world nor this author.
April 9, 2022
So this was different
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April 10, 20223 and a half stars. a wild fantasy novella about the creative impulse.
June 8, 2022
Short but packs a punch. this was a good read!
January 2, 2023
A perfect novella to start 2023 with about how enchanting and awful love is. One of my favorite reads as of late.
August 18, 2025
I do so love these novellas from Luna Press. This one's a dark little love story with a strong African flavour that gets inside your head and stays there until you've finished it. Gorgeous.
August 10, 2022
Fundamentally, this is a story about stories - how and why they have meaning and value, but it was the main character who instantly hooked me. A stunning work, and if you aren’t familiar with African spec fic, this is a great starting point.
Also, I had no idea that this was part of a series. It definitely worked as a standalone.
Also, I had no idea that this was part of a series. It definitely worked as a standalone.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews