The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma | Book Review

The Fishermen focuses on the lives of four brothers - Ikenna, Boja, Obembe, and Benjamin - but it's also about the disintegration of a family of eight in Akure, a town in western Nigeria. Benjamin, the youngest of the four brothers, narrates their story as he looks back on their life together. The Fishermen begins with the family's reception of the news that Benjamin's dad had gotten transferred to Yola to work, and he was going to leave his family behind in Akure. While he's gone, Benjamin's mom finds it really hard to rein in four adolescent, headstrong boys, and thus begins the crumbling of their family unit. It starts slow at first and then it all goes south shockingly quick.

In The Fishermen, Chigozie weaves in events from Nigeria's history into this story, pegging his tale into a period of time we can all recognize. I liked the nostalgic references to Chinua Achebe, M.K.O. Abiola, Amokachi, and the lyrics from Onyeka Onwenu's famous "Iyogogo" song, among other things. I got a little frustrated early on and every now and then because The Fishermen felt clogged with detailed descriptions about things, areas, paths, locations... Details I honestly did not care about. Were they essential to the story? Probably. Probably not. It's not so bad but it's enough to warrant mentioning. About 60 pages from the end is when I finally begin to really, really feel something. A mounting dread that the worst wasn't over yet and that things were really about to fall apart for good. After I was done reading The Fishermen I realized that I had grossly underestimated this book and Chigozie's skill even though I had been rooting for his debut to be triumphant long before this book came to me in the mail. Chigozie's a good storyteller and without doubt someone we all need to watch in the future.
[Image via The Millions]

Epic Worlds - Inkitt's May Writing Contest

Inkitt's Writing Contest for May 2015 Has Begun!

Inkitt's newest writing contest is titled "Epic Worlds: A New Adventure" and they want you to submit your best fantasy stories. Submit your ancient tales about dragons and griffins, or tell your vision of the future through a science fantasy story. Unleash your imagination and write that truly unforgettable fantasy adventure. Write an adventure that Bilbo Baggins would envy, one that enchants, and excites, astounds and has everyone on the edge of their seats. 

Submission Details:

The contest began on May 6th and will close on June 3rd. The contest is free to enter and you can submit any fantasy story of up to 15,000 words. As always, authors who turn in entries will retain all rights to their work. 

How to Win: 

Collect the most community votes to get bumped into the top 10% of entries, from there the Inkitt staff will choose the Top 3!

Prizes:

1st place: $100 Cash and 5 printed-and-bound copies of story with cover created by Inkitt's designer

2nd place: $50 Cash

3rd place: $30 Cash

Get in on the adventure! ENTER the competition now and prepare to enter a world of fantastic fantasy where anything is possible! 

[Image and post content provided by Inkitt]

A Bit of Difference by Sefi Atta | Book Review

Deola Bello seems to be doing okay when we meet her. She's the Director of Internal Audits at the London office of LINK, an international charity foundation that monitors other charities and ensures that they use charity donations in the right way. At thirty-nine years old she's single and under a lot of pressure to get married. In true Nigerian fashion, her personal accomplishments are overlooked because she's unmarried. Deola travels to Nigeria on a business trip for LINK and there she meets Wale Adeniran, an attractive, equally accomplished widower. Meeting him causes her to reevaluate her life and her choices.

A Bit of Difference sat unread for the longest time because I just couldn't get past the first couple of pages every time I tried. Once I got past that I finished the book within a day. It's a really good read. There's still that love of Lagos and Sefi's picturesque descriptions that we've seen in her other novels. A Bit of Difference is not the most exciting book I've read but I really like this novel.
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READ:
Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta - My Thoughts
Swallow by Sefi Atta - My Thoughts
[Image via Amazon]

Echo of Another World - Inkitt's April Writing Contest

Inkitt's Writing Contest for April 2015 Has Begun!

Inkitt's April contest focuses on the sci-fi/fantasy genre this time. The theme is "Echo of Another World" and it's in honor of the late Terry Pratchett. Inkitt wants you to submit stories that will transport readers to another world the way the novels of the great Terry Pratchett did. You could transport readers to outer space, an enchanted castle, a forest filled with fairies - anything with fantastical or science-fictiony leanings is game. 

Submission Details

All fiction up to 15,000 words is eligible for entry. Novel excerpts are encouraged; fanfiction is not. The contest began on April 7th and will close on May 5th. It's FREE to enter, and you'll retain all rights to any work submitted. Collect the most community votes to be bumped into the top 10% of entries, from which the Inkitt staff will choose the winners. 

Prizes

Winners will receive Amazon gift cards ($40, $30 and $20). The first place winner will also get five printed copies of their story, with a custom cover created by Inkitt's designer!

Got fantasy in your finger-tips, sci-fi on the mind? Enter the competition now at http://www.inkitt.com/anotherworld and do the Discworld proud! 

[Images and post content provided by Inkitt]

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah | Book Review

In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah writes about his years as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. It's an incredible tale of children trudging through war torn Sierra Leone, armed to the teeth with assorted rifles, raiding villages, killing, and committing abominable atrocities. These kids have been torn away from everything they hold dear either because of the actions of rebel fighters or the actions of soldiers who should be protecting them. They are picked up along the way and trained to maim, loot, and kill. It's crazy. Even as Ishmael describes the horrors of war seen through the eyes of a child you begin to wonder if any child is wholly redeemable from a life this gory. How do you "fix" such children? How can you bring them back to a state of normalcy in all aspects of life? Ishmael Beah is a success story. His story is that of the lucky ones who survive, "successfully rehabilitate", find a passion, and are able to smile as happily, and uninhibitedly as Ishmael does for the photo on the back cover of this novel. For every Ishmael Beah there are countless more who undoubtedly had no choice but to rejoin the fighters and continue with the madness in Sierra Leone.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a standout tale. All the praise for this book is very well deserved. It's a memoir that should be on every shelf. It brings to mind Biyi Bandele's Burma Boy and Uzodinma Iweala's Beasts of No Nation (only because I read those two books first before reading Ishmael's) but as much, much lesser comparisons. All three books deal with protagonists who are child soldiers but neither Bandele nor Iweala were able to hit as hard as Ishmael did. Most likely because Ishmael Beah lived this life. This is his tale to tell and he does so magnificently. There's a lot of things A Long Way Gone does to you, one of which is remind you that there's a lot we all take for granted. No matter what our life story is there's a lot we should still be thankful for. This is an important story. Buy it. Read it. Share it.
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READ:
Burma Boy by Biyi Bandele - My Thoughts
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala - My Thoughts

[Image via Amazon]

Oil on Water by Helon Habila | Book Review

I expected Oil on Water to be a gripping tale about life in the oil rich areas in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. I expected that it would follow the life of a protagonist who lives in abject poverty while oil companies mine billions of dollars worth of oil from his ancestral land. I wanted a deep, gripping, soul-crushing story of dead dreams, dead fishes, and dead bodies of innocent villagers caught in crossfire between militants and government soldiers. This isn't that story. At least not really. Habila's tale covers that from a different, grossly underwhelming narrative angle. In Oil on Water a young ambitious journalist Rufus, volunteers to go on an assignment to the islands in the Niger Delta to report on the kidnapping of the caucasian wife of an oil company executive. Rufus signs up because his career hero Zaq, will be going on this assignment. Zaq is a renowned journalist who was very prominent back in Rufus college days but now he's a washed up, reclusive alcoholic. Rufus gets this chance because none of the more capable journalists at The Reporter want to risk their life pursuing this story. This kidnapping story could be the big break he needs to jumpstart his fledgling career. It's also helpful that the community where the militants are supposedly holding the white woman at ransom is similar to the community he was born and raised in. The one he left behind years ago in search of a better life in Port Harcourt. The journey of Zaq and Rufus form the rest of Oil on Water.

As I read Oil on Water I kept wondering if a Nigerian journalist would go to the lengths Rufus does in order to get the scoop on a story. Oil on Water is not unputdownable. It's just there. I admit that I approached this book with different expectations for the storyline but that doesn't change the reality of what this book is. I think Oil on Water was meant to be something weightier and complex in its tackling of Nigeria's big Niger Delta problem. If that's the case then I believe it falls short of achieving its full potential. This is my third Helon Habila novel and if I had to rank all three of them Oil on Water would be my least favorite.
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READ:
Measuring Time by Helon Habila - My Thoughts
Waiting for an Angel by Helon Habila - My Thoughts

[Image via Amazon]

Running Scared: The Most Terrifying Tale Ever Told!

 

Inkitt's "Running Scared" Horror Contest Starts TODAY!!

Inkitt is a free platform for writers to cultivate ideas and watch their stories grow. At Inkitt, writers and readers collaborate, giving each other feedback and improving their work. Inkitt wants to help writers get the exposure they deserve and the publishing deals they covet without suffering the frustrations and bias of traditional printing and self-publishing. 

The theme of Inkitt's March horror contest is "Running Scared: The Most Terrifying Tale Ever Told." In the tradition of classic horror flicks and monster movies, they want the freakiest, flashiest fables you can come up with. Make them scream! 

Inkitt is accepting all frightening fiction up to 15,000 words. The contest opens March 3rd and closes on March 31st. It's free to enter, and you'll retain all rights to any work submitted. By collecting the most community votes, the top 10% of entries will be bumped into judging by Inkitt's guest judges (horror authors J.D. Horn, Armand Rosamilia, and J. Thorn). They're pretty unshakeable guys, so pull out all the stops to get them quaking in their boots! 

Win and you'll receive a petrifying prize package, including Amazon gift cards and Inkitt custom mugs. The first place winner will also get a custom poster spotlighting their story! Readers, be on your toes too: there's an Amazon gift card up for grabs for one lucky reviewer! 

Got gore on your mind and fear in your heart? Enter the contest now at www.inkitt.com/runningscared for all the (literal) guts and glory!

Contest URL: www.inkitt.com/runningscared
Twitter Handle: @Inkitt
Hashtag: #RunningScared

[Images and post content provided by Inkitt]

Love Is Power or Something Like That by A. Igoni Barrett | Book Review

Love Is Power or Something Like That is a collection of nine riveting short stories filled with many spirited characters. The collection begins with The Worst Thing That Happened followed by Dream Chasers, The Shape of a Full Circle, Something Like That, My Smelling Mouth Problem, Trophy, The Little Girl with Budding Breasts and a Bubblegum Laugh, Godspeed and Perpetua, and finally A Nairobi Story of Comings and Goings. It's a varied collection of evocative short stories, lushly detailed and well narrated by A. Igoni Barrett as though he has lived all those lives.

I love the book cover art (pictured), I love the title of the collection, I love the author photograph on the inside of the back cover, and most importantly I love these nine stories. One of them made me somewhat uncomfortable because of the subject matter but I'll let you figure out which story that is. Two of my friends took one look at the book title and immediately mistook this to be some lovey-dovey book dripping with girly romance. It's not that kind of book. I'm really, really impressed by Love Is Power or Something Like That. You should read it.
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Here's my 2010 interview with A. Igoni Barrett: 13 Questions for A. Igoni Barrett

[Image via Amazon]

You're in the Darkest Place in the World

Inkitt's "Darkest Place" Horror Contest Starts TODAY!

What is Inkitt? 
Inkitt is a free platform for writers to cultivate ideas and watch their stories grow. Their site lets users collaborate with fellow writers and readers to give each other feedback and improve their work. Inkitt's vision is to help writers get the exposure they deserve and the publishing deals they covet without having to jump through the fiery hoops of traditional publishing, or wade in the shark-infested waters of self publishing.

What is the theme of the horror contest? 
"You are in the darkest place in the world." (This theme can be interpreted literally or figuratively.) We want writers who will submit their blood-curdlers, spine-tinglers, skin-crawlers, and hair-raisers: writers who will make it their duty to scare and shock their readers; writers who can really take us to the darkest place in the world.

What are the guidelines?
It's all about fiction: flashes and shorts up to 10,000 words, written from any point of view. Entries must be posted on the Inkitt contest page to be considered eligible.

The contest opens February 2nd and closes on February 28th. The contest is completely free to enter, and authors will retain all rights to any and all work submitted in the contest.

What are the prizes? 
All entrants will have the chance to show their work to a growing community of authors and readers hungry for high-quality fiction and win the following prizes:

1st Prize  $25 Amazon gift card, Inkitt custom mug, Inkitt custom notebook, custom cover design for the Inkitt story of their choice (created by Inkitt's designer).

2nd Prize  $20 Amazon gift card, Inkitt custom mug, Inkitt custom notebook.

3rd Prize   Inkitt custom mug, Inkitt custom notebook.

Contest URL - www.inkitt.com/darkestplace
Twitter Handle - @Inkitt
Hashtag - #DarkestPlace

[Images and post content provided by Inkitt]

Foreign Gods INC. by Okey Ndibe | Book Review

Ikechukwu Uzondu has been a New York City taxi driver for 13 years even though he graduated cum laude with a degree in Economics from Amherst College, Massachusetts. Initially, the major obstacle on his path to a financially rewarding career seemed to be his lack of a United States working permit. He gets married to Queen Bertha, an obnoxious, insatiable woman he meets in Baltimore, and he gets the coveted American green card, putting an end to all his immigration problems. His next obstacle to getting a "corporate job befitting his education" is his accent which all prospective employers deem a serious communication problem. Stumped and with no substantial source of income he becomes a taxi driver at the behest of his friend but Ikechukwu wants more and he truly deserves it. Along comes a feature story in New York magazine about the store Foreign Gods INC and its enterprising owner, Mark Gruels. Foreign Gods INC. sells foreign deities from all corners of the globe. Its patrons are the wealthy, and famous, willing to pay six figure sums, and sometimes millions of dollars for sculptures of exotic deities. At first Ikechukwu is irritated and repulsed by the idea of trading gods but as he gives it more thought his mind opens up to the possibilities. He's sure his village god Ngene back home in Enugu, Nigeria will command enough money to lift him out of penury, win him back respect, and help him support his mother and sister. Filled with ideas of grandeur Ikechukwu Uzondu steels himself and makes a trip back to his village in Nigeria.

Foreign Gods INC. is the BEST book I've read since I reviewed Taiye Selasi's Ghana Must Go in June of 2014. You won't forget this book. When I finished reading it I put my hands on my head thinking "Okey Ndibe has killed me...". I love the character Ikechukwu Uzondu and I kept rooting for him inspite of everything. I think being Igbo like Ikechukwu helped me understand and fully appreciate every little thing going on in Foreign Gods INC. but it's a universal tale that everyone will find relatable. I really, really, really love this story. Foreign Gods INC. should win awards. Foreign Gods INC. should be made into a movie. I saw Okey Ndibe when he came for the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) celebration of 50 years of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka almost 7 years ago. My good friends Eromo Egbejule and Onyeka Nwelue took photos with him but I hadn't read any of his works back then so I did not introduce myself. Now I'm a huge fan of Okey Ndibe. Foreign Gods INC. is moving, refreshing, and couldn't have been narrated any better. BUY Foreign Gods INC. Read it. Share it.

[Image via Goodreads]