''Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

writer Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. It was first published ''Selene Quarterly'' in August 2019, and republished in '' Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction From Africa and the African Diaspora'' anthology which was published by Aurelia Leo in 2020. The novella received critical reviews.

Plot summary

The novella is set in a post-apocalyptic world particularly after one of the world wars. After the war, the remains of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

settled in Ife-Iyoku, a place in the Oyo Empire.

Reception

It was nominated for the

Nebula Award for Best Novella The Nebula Award for Best Novella is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novellas. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novella if it is between 17,500 and 40 ...

. it was also shortlisted for Theodore Sturgeon Award It was also nominated for the

BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

. It won the 2020 Otherwise Award and the 2021

Nommo Award The Nommo Award is a literary award presented by ''The African Speculative Fiction Society''. The award is named after the Nommo. The awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magi ...

for Best Novella.

References

2020 Nigerian novels Nigerian fantasy novels Nigerian speculative fiction novels James Tiptree Jr. Award-winning works Nommo Award winners Novellas {{Nigeria-novel-stub