Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Joshua Uchenna Omenga

I would like to thank the authors for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publisher – Caezik SF & Fantasy in partnership with OD Ekpeki Presents

Published – Out Now

Price – £14.99 paperback £7.99 Kindle eBook

A captivating collection of original stories and essays by award-winning authors that celebrates the richness and complexity of African mysticism.

African literary scholars struggle to reconcile African mysticism with literary labels. Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology encapsulates the essence of African mysticism and dystopia through original stories.

Afropantheology explores various aspects of African mysticism and dystopia. ‘Mother's Love, Father's Place' and ‘02 Arena’ are examples. It acknowledges Africa's journey from its origins to the future.

‘The Deification of Igodo’ and ‘A Dance with the Ancestors’ are stories that showcase the complexity of African mysticism. ‘Land of the Awaiting Birth’ explores the link between the born and the unborn. .

Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology is a celebration of African mysticism. The collection highlights the richness and complexity of African culture and traditions. It is a must-read for anyone interested in African literature, culture, and history. 

No story exists in a vacuum. There are threads of older books, media, myths and cultures woven throughout the DNA of a story. But each story brings its own perspective and voice. It is part of the fun of reading gaining these insights and over time watching the connections. In Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Joshua Uchenna Omenga’s great Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology we explore as the authors point out in their preface the wider ‘essence and value of African mysticism and dystopia’ the non-monolithic African perspectives that storytelling with many forms has evolved into. It’s a fascinating world these authors now add their own spin too creating new stories with nods to the past they build upon

In this collection I really enjoyed the following

Introduction to Afropanthrology – Here the authors explain african cosmology; the concepts of the physical and spiritual world and what this means from a mythic fantasy and indeed science fictional perspective. They explain what various stories are in dialogue with and use this as a wider exploration of the history of these concepts and the way history has evolved them. It’s a powerful mission statement of what they want this collection to deliver. Importantly this is very much a collection focused with an African perspective.

The Witching Hour by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki – A really powerful one night of two magical beings that is actually the culmination of a very long magical battle between good and evil. This story creates a moment of high magical drama with shapeshifters, spiritual planes and evil witches but also cleverly explains a much bigger concept of magic, the forces aligned against each other and various beliefs about the power of the soul. A very impressive start.

The Mannequin Challenge by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki – This story is a delight with a mischievous sense of humour that becomes clear at the end. Our narrator Obaro is a young (some would say arrogant) student who crosses the wrong person and weird powers blossom in the result. The concept of a dark magic named jazz is used but the story has a clever reveal instore that pays off very humorously.

The City of the Dead by Joshua Uchenna Omenga – this story starts with a simple road accident and moves into a fascinating epic story revealing a secret history, a tormented king and an ultra-technology focused society that also falls back to the story about its final chapter. I loved the scale of the story that leaves you wanting to know what happened next.

The Phial of Oludumare by Joshua Uchenna Omenga – a similarly epic tale where the discovery of an underwater status with an unusual pendant which someone swipes. Then after a great airplane scene it quickly develops into a full-on origin tale of gods and humanity. This tale brings all this myth to life and then brings us back to the story’s conclusion hinting more stories will now come.

Ife-Iyoku by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki – I really enjoyed this tale that appears to have a classic fantasy feel especially as we watch hunters take on a clearly magical beats but then wee find ot a lot more about the history of the world from the views of the characters and the reader can then add their own understanding to what is going on. It creates a rich dense world that we realize where it actually is coming from and the next chapter of it starts here tantalisingly.

A Dance With The Ancestors by Joshua Uchenna Omenga – a very interesting longer story telling is the tale of a hunter Kambili who soon finds himself exiled from his people after being accused of murder. Omenga plunges us into a world of magic, spirits, ancient curses and he echoes of the current and past storylines. It’s a really interesting story full of surprises as our characters navigate their way through a complicate dsituation.

O2 Area by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki  - a dystopian SF tale of fighting matches that cleverly weaves into it thoughts on corruption, lack of access to medical care and even a world where oxygen is scarce. A powerful intriguing tale which has rightly achieved a lot of attention.

The Magazine of Horror by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki – A very funny tale of an author who is trying to get a story into a successful horror magazine, but the clauses of the contract suggest a higher price - clearly not possible! Or is it? I suspect those familiar with the joys of fiction markets will like this!

Destiny Delayed by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki – Really liked this story of a parent getting into a debt putting a high price on their children by using their kid’s soul to help wealth. It’s a smart metaphor about debt, loss of dreams and a lack of freedom which capitalist corrupt culture can easily create. The ending is sobering.

Insightful essays are also a key feature of the collection in the self-penned ‘Oghenechovwe Donald Ekepki’ the author explores the hostility and racism used against Africans whenever some success is achieved. It recalls the mangling of names at various award ceremonies which speaks volumes for a general ignorance in the wider community. Then in ‘A Different Kind of Show Not Tell’ Ekpeki explores the difficulty of how authors from different backgrounds face barriers via various media outlets who feel their work is not ‘mainstream’ enough to use which continues to exclude many talented authors. Then in ‘Too Dystopian for Whom? A Continental Nigerian Writer’s Perspective’ the way reality is interpreted depending on where you live is explored and a reminder that dystopias are not for many a fiction but actually are real-life experiences that their stories are exploring the consequences of and in some cases, fiction could not replicate the terror of. The power of the dystopian story is smartly explored and argued for

For readers who enjoy exploring how stories evolve with other cultures and mythologies I highly recommend this collection. Nort just for the fascinating and engaging interesting stores but also some good insights into the world these stories are exploring.