The Lies of the Ajungo

October 1, 2022

There is no water in the City of Lies, and inhabitants have their tongue wrenched from their mouths when they turn 13 so that the monstrous Ajungo Empire will continue sending water. Soon to be 13, Tutu strikes a bargain: if he's given water for his mother, dying of thirst, he will venture into the desert to find water for the entire city. A debut writer from Nigerian American Utomi; his YA debut, Daughters of Oduma, also appears in spring 2023.

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Starred review from January 16, 2023
Utomi perfectly blends fantasy and fable in his mesmerizing debut novella. In the vast Forever Desert lies the City of Lies, a town with no water. To survive, the city struck a deal with the fierce Ajungo Empire, trading the severed tongues of all citizens aged 13 and older for water. Tutu is days away from his 13th birthday when his mother falls gravely ill from dehydration. Desperate to save her, Tutu asks the city’s leader, Oba Ijefi, permission to go search the desert for water. Along the way, he befriends fellow travelers from other cities where lives have also been destroyed by the Ajungo demanding various body parts. All decide to band together to seek out the Ajungo and put a stop to their endless cycles of greed—a quest that leads them to a deadly secret that will change the lives of Tutu and his people forever. Utomi does a fantastic job pacing Tutu’s coming-of-age as his experiences in the desert challenge his ingrained beliefs. The simple yet effective plot draws readers into a harsh and beautiful world where nothing is as it seems. Fantasy fans will want to keep an eye on this up-and-coming author.

January 1, 2023
Once upon a time, the City of Lies had a different name and plentiful water, but when drought and fever brought the City low, the citizens turned to the Ajungo Empire for help. The cruel Ajungo demanded the tongues of every citizen aged 13 and older in exchange for water, and for generations, the devil's bargain has held. Yet the Ajungo's water is never enough, and death from dehydration is common. To save his dying mother, twelve-year-old Tutu bargains with the City's oba: she will provide for his mother while he journeys into the Forever Desert to find water, a quest many have undertaken, but from which none have returned. Tutu weathers many dangers in this harshly beautiful, post-apocalyptic landscape, but he also finds people from other oppressed cities. Together, they abandon their individual quests to search for the true source of their troubles. Utomi's searing novella is as lean and tight as a fable, with a profound message about the devastation of lies and the power of knowledge that lingers far beyond its heartbreaking, hopeful end. An exceptional debut.

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Starred review from December 1, 2022

DEBUT The City of Lies has no water. They only survive by the grace of the Ajungo Empire, who trade them a trickle of water in return for the tongues of the people. But one young boy named Tutu leaves the city just before his cutting to search for water in the Forever Desert. He is doomed to fail but determined to try. When he is forced by hard and desperate lessons to see what he has been taught is itself a lie, he is finally able to find not just water but freedom. This is a story at the intersection of fable and fantasy. The Forever Desert is a setting that could hold multiple myths--and does. Through Tutu's eyes, readers experience this desert world in all its stark beauty. They also experience the grit of his loss of innocence, as the scales that have blinded him fall from his eyes. VERDICT This short but deeply affecting parable will unveil new perspectives to readers long after it's done. Highly recommended.--Marlene Harris

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.