In The Palace of Flowers
From £3,000.00Sex and friendship, ambition and political intrigue, secrets and betrayal will set the fate of two slaves— Jamīla and Abimelech—in this ground-breaking debut novel.
Inspired by the only existing first-person narrative of an Abyssinian slave in Iran, Jamīla Habashī, In the Palace of Flowers recreates the opulent Persian royal court of the Qajars at the end of the nineteenth century. This is a precarious time of growing public dissent, foreign interference from the Russians and British, and the problem of an aging ruler and his unsuitable heir.
Torn away from their families, Jamila, a concubine, and Abimelech, a eunuch, now serve at the whims of the royal family, only too aware of their own insignificance in the eyes of their masters. Abimelech and Jamila’s quest to take control over their lives and find meaning leads to them navigating the dangerous politics of the royal court, and to the radicals that lie beyond its walls.
Richly textured and elegantly written, at its heart In The Palace of Flowers is a novel about the fear of being forgotten.
A Man Who Is Not A Man
From £2,400.00A Man Who Is Not A Man recounts the personal trauma of a young Xhosa initiate after a rite-of-passage circumcision goes wrong. With frankness and courage, this powerful novel details the pain and lifelong shame this protagonist experiences as a result not only of the physical trauma, but the social ostracism from being labeled ‘a failed man.’ He decodes the mysteries of this long-standing cultural tradition and calls to account the elders for the disintegrating support systems that allow such tragic outcomes. But it is also through this life-changing experience that the protagonist is forced to find his strength and humanity and reassess what it really means to be a man.
The Whispering Trees
From £2,400.00The magical tales in The Whispering Trees capture the essence of life, death and coincidence in Northern Nigeria. Myth and reality intertwine in stories featuring cat-eyed English witches, political agitators, newly-wedded widows, and the tormented whirlwind, Kyakkyawa. The two medicine men of Mazade battle against their egos, an epidemic and an enigmatic witch. And who is Okhiwo, whose arrival is heralded by a pair of little white butterflies?
Unbury Our Dead With Song
From £0.00Unbury our Dead With Song is a novel about four talented Ethiopian musicians – The Diva, The Corporal, the Taliban Man and Miriam, who are competing to see who can sing the best Tizita (popularly referred to as Ethiopian blues). Taking place in an illegal boxing hall in Nairobi, Kenya, the competition is covered by a US educated Kenyan journalist, John Thandi Manfredi, who writes for a popular tabloid, The National Inquisitor. He follows the musicians back to Ethiopia in order to learn more about the Tizita and their lives. As he learns more about the Tizita and the multiple meanings of beauty, he uncovers that behind each of the musicians, there are layered lives and secrets. Ultimately, the novel is a love letter to African music, beauty and imagination.
Nights of the Creaking Bed
From £2,000.00Nights of the Creaking Bed is full of colourful characters involved in affecting dramas: a girl who is rejected in love because she has three brothers to look after; a middle aged housewife who finds love again but has an impossible decision to make; a young man who can’t get the image of his naked, beautiful mother out of his mind; a child so poor he has to hawk onions on Christmas day – and many others. Some, initially full of hope, find their lives blighted by the cruelty of others, or by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or by just not knowing the “right” people.
Corruption, religious intolerance, gratuitous violence, the irresponsible attitudes of some men to their offspring and the importance of joy are some of the big themes that underlie this memorable collection.
What Sunny Saw in the Flames
From £7.99What Sunny Saw in the Flames transports the reader to a magical place where nothing is quite as it seems. Born in New York, but living in Aba, Nigeria, thirteen-year-old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino. Her eyes are so sensitive to the sun that she has to wait until evening to play football. Apart from being good at the beautiful game, she has a special gift: she can see into the future. At school, she soon becomes part of a special quartet with unique powers. Together, Sunny, Orlu, Chichi and Sasha explore this exciting realm of strange creatures and dark secrets. The good news is that in this world, your worst defect is actually your greatest asset. But there’s a catch. Someone is kidnapping children and maiming or killing them. The group is asked to help track down the criminal. Will Sunny be able to overcome the killer with powers stronger than her own, or will the future she saw in the flames come to reality?
Nnedi Okorafor’s novel is an absorbing coming-of-age fantasy novel, ideal for young teenagers.
Author: Nnedi Okorafor | Print ISBN: 978-9785023855 | Format: Paperback | No of Pages: 229 | Pubication Date: November 2013
The Hidden Star
From £1,600.00Nolitye lives in a shack with her mother Thembi in Phola, a dusty township on the edge of Jo’burg. She is good at maths and likes collecting stones, which she places in a bucket under her bed. She also has unusual powers: she can communicate with dogs. Nolitye has two close friends, Bheki, who is overweight, and the bespectacled Four Eyes. The girls’ lives are made miserable by Rotten Nellie and her gang of Spoilers.
Author: K. Sello Duiker | Print ISBN: 978-1911115434| E-Book ISBN: 978-1911115441 | Format: Paperback | No of Pages: 210 | Publication Date: 7th November 2017
Last Days at Forcados High
The Last Days at Forcados High tells the story of Jimi Solade, the most popular boy at the elite Forcados High School. As he begins his final year in senior secondary together with his friends, the sweet-hearted and devout Nene and Ansa, the nerdy art genius, he’s determined it’s going to be his best year yet. But Jimi’s rogue brother, Wole, is back – which means trouble can’t be far behind. Then there’s Efua, the beautiful and mysterious new girl in class who seems to have no time for boys – including Jimi. But when Jimi’s mother falls ill, he realizes that things are about to change – and not necessarily in a good way.
A funny and honest book about self-discovery, family, friendship, tolerance and the highs and lows of life as a modern Nigerian teenager. Told in straightforward language, A.H. Mohammed never talks down to readers. Instead, Last Days stands out with its realistic situations, original characters and deft storytelling. It is at once entertaining and deadly serious, tackling a range of difficult issues including drug abuse, discrimination and loss, with intelligence and great writing.
Author: A.H. Mohammed| Print ISBN: 978-0718157807 | Format: Paperback | No of Pages: 89 | Pub Date: 30th September 2013
Soldiers Of Fortune
“This book is the story of Nigeria’s political journey between January 1, 1984 and August 27, 1993. This is the story of how things fell apart.”
The years between 1984 and 1993 were momentous for Nigeria. Military rule crafted the conditions and character of today’s society, forcing cataclysmic changes on the political, economic and religious landscape that nearly tore the country apart on several occasions.
Soldiers of Fortune is a fast-paced, thrilling yet objective analysis of the major events of the Buhari and Babangida eras. It reveals the true story behind past controversies such as the annulment of the June 12 election, the execution of Mamman Vatsa, the foiled kidnapping of Umaru Dikko, the Orkar coups and the assassination of Dele Giwa.
Historian and lawyer Max Siollun gives an intimate, fly-on-the-wall portrait of the major events and dramatis personae of the period. Soldiers of Fortune is a must-read for all Nigerians and Nigeria- watchers. Its dramatic narrative style will engage casual or academic readers alike.
Author: Max Siollun | Print ISBN: 978-9785023824 | Format: Hardback | No of Pages: 336 | Pub Date: 2013
The Secret of the Purple Lake
From £1,200.00A long time ago, during the days of the Ghana Empire, there lived a girl named Ajuba whose house was by the sea…
Ajuba, the Fisherman’s daughter, has to retrieve her dead father’s bones from the bottom of the sea in order to bring harmony back to her seaside village. In fulfilling her task, she must evade the clutches of The Fish-man of the Purple Lake, a monstrous creature who guards the lake with a sword made of a thousand shark’s teeth. But the Fish-man, once a beautiful boy called Musa has his own story about how he came to dwell alone, underwater, cast into the sea by a golden eagle as punishment for a treacherous deed.
Travel the world in this enchanting collection of interlinked stories, from Ghana to Orkney, and from Spain to Norway and Thailand. Learn how Musa escaped the wrath of Imoro the magic elephant. Meet Leo of the Norselands, who left his home to find a wife and was transformed into a Walrus Prince. And listen to the story of the Wild Princesses of Rousay, a tale of long ago, when mermaids swam beyond the coast of Scotland.
Author: Yaba Badoe | Print ISBN: 978-1911115311 | E-Book ISBN: 978-1911115328 | Format: Paperback with illustrations | No. of Pages: 132 | Pub. Date: 6th October 2017