Son of the Storm

In an African-based world where one's place is based upon their ethnic background and skin color, we begin the story in Bassa, following Danso. Danso is one who should be among the most favored of the people, but his lighter skin tone and mixed heritage mean he is still treated as an outsider. While he begins the story as a scholar at the university - and one who has more knowledge than his peers - he is quickly pushed out because of his background.His intended bride, Esheme, faces similar issues due to her mother coming from a lesser caste and her father being unknown. Despite that, Esheme's mother has clawed her way into a respected position, and Esheme benefits from that. While Danso and Esheme have similarities in how they are treated by the Bassai people, they respond to it differently. Danso tends to act the way he wants to, consequences be damned, while Esheme wants to gain as much power as she can and resents the current system.But both of their lives are thrown into chaos when Lilong, a yellowskin (referencing the lightest skin tone of all the peoples, representing albinos or very light-skinned people) woman of the Nameless Islands shows up in the city looking for a family heirloom that was stolen by Nem, Esheme's mother. The subsequent fight for the heirloom leads to one person being murdered, and Danso and his second, his indentured servant, Zaq escaping with Lilong.What follows is an amazing story that includes politics, magic, secrets, betrayals, and more. Even as I was getting to know the characters, helped by the alternating POVs that encompassed not only the three major characters of Danso, Lilong, and Esheme, but also Nem, Zaq, and others. The changing POV allows the reader to keep track of the many moving parts in this story, especially once Danso, Zaq, and Lilong flee Bassa. While it might seem overwhelming to have POVs from so many different characters, Okungbawa did a wonderful job with them and they add so much to the story, providing the various lens through which we can experience the story.One of the things I really liked about this story is the magic. Unlike many other fantasy novels, in which magic is something that is accessible to many and has a fun side to it, the magic in this novel is not fun. It is dangerous, and if not used appropriately and correctly, it can easily overtake the wielder and kill them.Though I'm not yet sure which character - if any of them - I am actually rooting for, I am definitely looking forward to continuing this series, and I hope that Okungbowa is able to publish the next book soon. For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Korey Jackson. This is the first book that I have listened to him narrate, but I have several others narrated by him in my TBR list. I enjoyed his narration of Son of the Storm, as he continued the way Okungbowa was able to give unique voices to each of the characters by bringing those characters fully to life. I hope that I get the chance to listen to the upcoming books, but I think that even if I were to read the next book, I would probably still hear Jackson's voice in my head. Whether you choose to read or listen to this book, though, you're in for quite the ride.

This was advertised as a sweeping fantasy inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa. That was true. I loved the setting and the world of Son of the Storm . It felt incredibly refreshing in a genre that tends to be heavily conflated with the same sets of fantasy tropes. It addressed issues of racism, colonialism, caste and class, and hierarchies of oppression - that is fabulous to read. Now, how does it do as a whole?Firstly, there are so many great ideas and concepts in this story. In the first act, through the eyes of the protagonist Danso, a naive and biracial university student, we witness Bassai (the main setting of the story) society and culture in action. We observe the casual racism that he endures being a part of a society that heavily discriminates against people who have light-brown skin, despite the fact that he is fiercely intelligent and avoids getting into trouble. In the second act, we often see a lot of discussions concerning the environment, how the practices of the great city of Bassa have exploited the surrounding lands, at the detriment of wildlife and other populations of people. There is a lot to love about the subject matter and themes that this book covers.It hurts me to say that I did not think they always landed.However, they did not land because the author failed to explore them in an appropriate manner. He extensively has characters converse with one another about these things, there are scenes where characters even acknowledge their own privileges as members of Bassa and recognize how they treat some people as second-class citizens. No, the themes did not fail to land due to thematic shallowness. While the ideas held a lot of potential, they were often undercut by technical writing decisions.Reading the first chapter alone, a reader can deduce that the book is not paced well. You can notice how exposition is spoon-fed and forced in between big paragraphs that are squished against brief snippets of dialogue. This ends up making scenes drag and the world-building becomes unexciting as a consequence of telling rather than showing. There were instances where a character would be referenced and brought up in conversation as influential in the city of Bassa, as a key ally to gain if you want to make a difference in politics because they have such a large pool of communal support. What happens? About less than half a dozen pages later, they would appear and assist one of the main characters to help them in a moment of need - convenient! Furthermore, never have I seen a more observable instance of a 'plot macguffin' than in this book. Items that appear at the most opportune moments and are explained exactly at the perfect point where a main character can work their protagonist powers. Convenient! I was not a fan.In addition, characters are not developed in efficient ways. There is something to how they were presented that makes them across as flat and difficult to become attached to. In the middle stage of the book, there was a lot of noticeable filler - characters were placed in an environment where nothing was really going on and there were a lot of excuses and conveniences that produced conflict and reciting of important information. This would lead to characters arguing and speaking about themselves, but it did not feel earned. It was just boring. These characters were not doing anything interested; other than what they said in conversations to another, the characters did not do many things that they demonstrated their motivations or what kind of people they were. For most of the book, they are caricatures and static. Everything felt artificial and forced as if the story was trying to convince you what kinds of characters they were, rather than showing you and having them develop organically. Esheme was the worst example of this, her character development heading into a direction that did not feel believable.I thought this was a solid fantasy debut and an enjoyable read with a lot of great ideas. But I also thought there was a lot keeping it back from fulfilling its full potential. Nonetheless, a solid read that manages to have its own flavor and not feel like traditional fantasy.

I fell in love with the story and the worldbuilding while not necessarily loving everything about the world that was built. This was a great story that pulled me through page by page despite my disappointment in what was portrayed such as the caste system and colorism. Despite that I truly think this is a great book and I look forward to the second. Outstanding work Suyi!

I can't get enough of African-inspired fantasies as a Black man, which is why I pre-ordered this book. And boyo, it did not disappoint.This novel is about a genius but somewhat reckless young scholar in the nation of Bassa who is nevertheless subject to racism due to the fact that he is biracial and has light-brown skin compared to the darker Black skin of the majority of the Bassai populace. Danso has a sharp memory and can remember whatever he reads, which gives him a spot high in society despite his ethnicity. He is engaged to a woman named Esheme, a skilled woman from the counsel guild of mainland law. Their relationship is very terse and not quite loving, although they get along fairly enough since both have suffered discrimination with Esheme's mother being from a lower caste.Throughout the novel, Danso will discover that obscure notions of magic written about by a previous Emperor who was known as a madman were not all false, and that there are people out there willing to commit torture and murder if that is what it takes to secure the artifacts to use this forgotten magic. It will change his life and that of his family forever, and Danso's strength and level of perseverance will be tested to its limits.This is a must-read book for Fantasy lovers, and for lovers of Black fantasy fiction in general. Five stars, all the way.

My rating: 4.5 of 5 starsIn the ancient city of Bassa, an outsider with pale skin arrives with a magic that most believe to be no more than a myth. For the young scholar Danso, the outsider represents a way to escape the limitations of the life planned out for him, while for Danso’s intended, Esheme, and her mother Nem, the magic that the outsider brings represents a path to a power greater than she ever imagined possible. But there is more at stake than any of them realise, and before long the very fabric of Bassai society begins to unravel.This is not your typical western fantasy novel, based as it is in a West-Africa inspired setting. While there are elements of the Bassai culture and society that might seem familiar to most readers, the core of the book, and the way in which the different castes and groups interact with each other, and the stratification of the society as a whole, makes for an intensely different experience to the traditional fantasy tale most of us have grown up with. And honestly, this alone makes Son of the Storm one of the best new fantasy books I’ve read in a long time.The setting is remarkably well established, bringing in elements of ecological collapse, colonialism, and colourism that might not necessarily make it into a more western-based work. It also has one of the most intriguing magic systems I’ve come across in a long time, with very clearly defined consequences for the magic users, as well as set rules on who can use the magic, and how. That said, the magic itself only plays a minor role in the story, with most of the narrative being centred on the characters, their interactions with each other, and the way their individual journeys are inextricably linked.Written in a style that carries more than a hint of the author’s Nigerian heritage, the narrative starts off quite slowly, but once the action starts to heat up, the flow of the story increases, and before long you’re being pulled along at a crazy pace. You feel Danso’s awe and wonder as he begins to learn the truth of outsider Lilong’s origins and abilities, but you also feel Lilong’s fear of the potential for upheaval Danso and the rest of the Bassani represent. With Esheme and Nem, you are drawn along by their need to master the power that has dropped in their hands, though you are never left in any doubt that should they succeed, the outcome will be bad for everyone else. Even the ostensibly secondary characters, such as Zaq and Biemwensé are given their full measure of development along the way, and voices of their own which stand out in the narrative. If this is any indication of the sort of writing we can expect from Okungbowa going forward then I am genuinely excited to see more.If you want to read something new and different, then this is one I’d strongly recommend. I’m not quite ready to give it a full five stars just yet, but it’s not far off. A decent four-and-a-half stars, and strong desire to read the next part of this truly remarkable story.

A perfectly ok reading with a few weak points.I like finding fantasy books written for older than YA and that don't build their worlds based on medieval Europe. This ticked all those boxes, save maybe erring a little towards Y'er A's. The story of a hitherto exiled and pronounced lost race resurfacing was pleasantly tantalising.Points off for a little too much rambling prose and somewhat weakly distinguished characters (their personalities were brute-force spelled out more than defined by their actions and the way others saw them).Overall, sometimes I felt as if I was hearing the author's voice rather than the characters' voices.Ok read, not amazing but far from terrible.

I had the pleasure of reading a digital ARC via #netgalley and throughly enjoyed immersing myself in this new world inspired by African folklore. Son of the Storm has all the right elements, spun together into a rich and compelling story: brilliant and intricate world building, a cast of complex characters, a flawed political system, the stirring of a revolution and ancient powerful magic. I enjoyed following the three main characters, and watching their paths converge.My physical copy of the book arrived today - testament to how much I enjoyed this first installment in The Nameless Republic series. I am already waiting for the next book...#netgalley #sonofthestorm

I enjoyed 'Son of the Storm' on the whole. The author has clearly invested a lot into the creation of his world, which feels rich and complex without being overbearing in detail. This was executed well.Characters were generally consistent and made sense in their own internal logics.Some aspects of writing reduced the impact at certain points, however. Over use of 'He wasn't going to be (verbed) by some random (noun)' negated the impact of some pivotal points. But otherwise, writing style was generally engaging.

By the end of the novel, you'll find Son of the Storm unique in its setting, culture and characters yet be disinterested by the limited stakes.  Aside from the spoilers, this is largely a character-driven novel, with each character going through dynamic changes - but that's it. Unless you are invested in the characters, the plot never appears to hold and hook you, which isn't always a bad thing. The characters are well-developed, and their culture is well-integrated into their beliefs and behaviours. However, the plot, while intriguing, does not entice you to flip the page to learn more. This novel is well worth reading, even if only for a change of pace from standard fantasy.