3.5
Son of the Storm
ByPublisher Description
"Fantastical beasts and forgotten magic propel a story about ambition and conspiracy." —Fonda Lee
"Everything I love to see in a fantasy story. Masterful." —Jenn Lyons
"[A]mbition and intrigue cause surprises on nearly every page." ―NPR Books
From city streets where secrets are bartered for gold to forests teeming with fabled beasts, a sweeping epic unfolds in this richly drawn fantasy inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa.
In this world, there is no destiny but the one you make.
In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—except he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy.
When Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders—and the chaos left in the wake of his discovery could bring down an empire.
The Nameless Republic
Son of the Storm
"Everything I love to see in a fantasy story. Masterful." —Jenn Lyons
"[A]mbition and intrigue cause surprises on nearly every page." ―NPR Books
From city streets where secrets are bartered for gold to forests teeming with fabled beasts, a sweeping epic unfolds in this richly drawn fantasy inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa.
In this world, there is no destiny but the one you make.
In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—except he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy.
When Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders—and the chaos left in the wake of his discovery could bring down an empire.
The Nameless Republic
Son of the Storm
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesSon of the Storm Reviews
3.5
“This is a low fantasy book with a lot of politics. This definitely isn’t a story for everyone especially if you love high fantasy. I enjoyed the politics that were steeped in classism and race as they proved to be the battle ground for our characters for a good chunk of the story. The area that I felt needed more work was the inner dialogue for the characters. It felt too heavy handed and I wish the author was more short with it instead of fluffing sentences that didn’t need to be fluffed. There are two characters that I really enjoyed, so I will be picking up the next installment when I can.”
“I've always meant to come back to Son of the Storm, and I'm really glad I did. Okungbowa creates an immersive world in an epic fantasy West African empire. I love the world building, from the architecture in the wards to the Breathing Forest and giant bats. There is such a range of characters here, and not all of them fighters. Nem is ruthless, with her moves and countemoves. Who doesn't enjoy a fixer?! Lilong is a favourite, for her sword swing first, ask questions later. Danso is a softer, more gentle hero, and I feel for the lessons he learns. Esheme has the most impressive arc, pushing back against expectation and convention, with unrelenting determination. I'll definitely be reading the second one in the series, and the third is out this year too!”
“I did like this book but it did take a while for the story to really get going. There were also some times, after the story felt like it was finding its pacing, it would slow down again. As a result, though I did like it, it was not as much as I thought I would.
The first quarter of the book was just exposition. I do like world building in the stories I read but when it’s given all at once at the beginning, it makes the story drag on for me. Though I did find the explanation of the caste system and the social tension that is the result of it interesting and it does factor in quite a bit later on in the story.
I did like the characters, and the “magic” system was very interesting. It gives it a different feel from most fantasies that I have read. I would recommend it to those who want something different when it comes to fantasy and wouldn’t mind all the exposition happening in one go at the beginning.”
About Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Suyi Davies Okungbowa is the author of Son of the Storm (Orbit, May 2021), first in The Nameless Republic epic fantasy trilogy, and the godpunk novel, David Mogo, Godhunter (Abaddon, 2019). His shorter works have appeared internationally in periodicals like Tor.com, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, Fireside, and anthologies like Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda and Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy. He earned his MFA at the University of Arizona. He tweets at @IAmSuyiDavies and is @suyidavies on Instagram.
Other books by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
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