WARRIOR OF THE WIND

As the world teeters on the brink of change, factions amass, lost magic beckons, and three young people continue their search for power.

In this sequel to Son of the Storm (2021), Danso and Lilong have journeyed into the world beyond Bassa. Lilong is still seeking the reason for her daa’s departure from their island home and the way his quest relates to the magical ibor, while Danso has turned to chronicling their journey and documenting the stories he hears—which may well be true. But the two cannot yet rest. Esheme, Danso’s one-time intended and now the Red Emperor, is still on their trail, using ibor to her own ends and drawing ever nearer. Ultimately, the three approach Lilong’s home in an archipelago shrouded in mystery and legend where revelations about ibor and their own personal quests may lie. Broad and imaginative in scope even as it’s firmly grounded in a West African setting, this installment surpasses the first as the characters’ world opens up and their motivations are explored more deeply. Though the pacing is still ponderous, the slow movement of the plot nevertheless pulls the characters along through increasingly tense and dangerous scenarios and allows room to explore their inner worlds and relationships with each other. From the heat of the savanna to the red eyes of a beast, there is much here to unspool and much still left to follow.

Slow-paced yet expansive, the book follows individual people to paint a much larger picture of empires as they rise and fall.