Lost Ark Dreaming
by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted March 23, 2025
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A finalist for the Nebula as Best Novella, although I am pretty sure it is just barely short of being novel length. Still, as with the last novella I read, I wish it had been longer, plus the ending is vague. Perhaps I'm not perceptive enough, but even after re-reading the last chapter I wasn't sure what was happening to the main character. Set in a transformed Lagos about twenty or so years in the future, when the rising waters have destroyed much of the city. Several towers had been constructed, colloquially known as the Fingers, but four of them have already degraded and been abandoned. The remaining tower is the Pinnacle, and as it has been with most societies, there is a class structure. The Uppers are the ruling class, with the Midders the administrators, the Lowers the oppressed workers.
Yekini lives on Level 57, but works on 66, for COPOF, the Commission for the Protection of the Fingers. She is often late for work but has still managed to complete her tasks and avoid reprimands. Yet one morning, just after signing in one minute late, she gets an assignment that startles her. She is to go to the Lowers to investigate a problem. She is to partner with Ngozi, who works a few floors above her in the Office of Pinnacle Leadership. He is not only surprised by the assignment, he is furious, thinking it far below his stature to be relegated to the Lowers. Level 9 is actually below sea level by this time, but has been fortified to withstand the pressure. Something has happened to damage one of the air/water locks, used to exit the tower for repairs, and for scientific explorations. Yekini and Ngozi join with Tuoyo, a Level 9 engineer, to investigate. They find a crack in the exterior wall and oversee its repair, but Yekini later uses an ultraviolet light to detect the imprint of hands on either side of the new welded seam.
At this point the story pivots from futuristic climate fiction to fantasy/supernatural. Beliefs in the Orisha gods are still strong among many. Yemoja is considered both Mother of Fishes and Mother of Man. The Children of Yemoja are similar in some ways to mermaids, human-like, but sea dwellers. It is believed the Children cannot survive out of the water, but is it possible one has managed to come inside the Pinnacle? Interspersed between the 'current' story, there are flashbacks to the creation of the towers by the Diekara Atlantic Community, with Diekara Prime believed to be the head of Pinnacle leadership, the several generations descendant of the original corporate head, although some think they don't actually exist, rather being an AI creation they occasionally see on their screens. Other details about how the towers came to be are compared to previous Nigerian government actions, such as the Biafran genocide that began in 1967, and the Otodo Gbame forced evictions of 2016. Each of the main characters came to the Pinnacle from previously harsher conditions, and all have lost loved ones along the way; Yekini her parents, Ngozi his sister, and Tuoyo her wife.
Once found, the Child speaks to them telepathically. They give Yekini a conch shell, the Queen Conch, from which she gains information from Yemoja and her Children. She is convinced they must take the information back to the Uppers, in order to spread the news throughout the Pinnacle. Ngozi objects at first, but later relents because of actions he becomes convinced were directed from Diekara Prime. Their trek back up the tower is perilous, and they must separate to complete the task, both Ngozi and Tuoyo initiating diversions to allow Yekini to get back to her office. Again, I have to say I am not positive what happens to her, but I think she was able to transfer the information from the Queen Conch throughout the tower, but before doing that she had also added information to the Conch about what had occurred on Level 9, something Diekara Prime would not want anyone else to know. I can recommend this, although it is another short book I wish was longer. I am hoping there will be a follow-up to see what happens next.
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