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"This mystical coming-of-age tale...is sure to please fans of thought-provoking speculative fiction."
—Publishers Weekly
"A River Called Time is a masterful reimagining of the African diaspora's influence on England, and on the world. It's a grand tale and still an intimate portrait of loss and love. What glory and influence would Africa enjoy if colonialism had never occurred? Courttia Newland reshapes our vision of the past, present and future by taking this one question seriously. The result is something truly special. No other way to put it, this book is true Black magic."
—Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling
"Courttia Newland's writing is rich with passion and humanity. He manages to convey great depth without ever losing his lightness of touch. A rare feat only reserved for the few."
—Steve McQueen, Academy Award–winning film director
The Ark was built to save the lives of the many, but rapidly became a refuge for the elite, the entrance closed without warning.
Years after the Ark was cut off from the world—a world much like our own, but in which slavery has never existed—a chance of survival within the Ark's confines is granted to a select few who can prove their worth. Among their number is Markriss Denny, whose path to future excellence is marred only by a closely guarded secret: without warning, his spirit leaves his body, allowing him to see and experience a world far beyond his physical limitations.
Once inside the Ark, Denny learns of another with the same power, whose existence could spell catastrophe for humanity. He is forced into a desperate race to understand his abilities, and in doing so uncovers the truth about the Ark, himself, and the people he thought he once knew.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 6, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593458914
- File size: 527122 KB
- Duration: 18:18:10
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 4, 2021
Set in a dystopian London separated into haves and have nots, this mystical coming-of-age tale from Newland (The Gospel According to Cane) offers its protagonist a view into myriad alternate worlds. Markriss Denny, a young resident of a poor district in the Outer City of Londinium with the unusual ability to astral project, aspires to earn his Excellence certification and gain entry to the monolithic Ark, home to the elite Inner City. But once he’s in, he learns that the working poor within the Ark suffer inhumane conditions, and, in his new job as a reporter, Markriss must choose whether to lie for the corporate rulers or to tell the truth of the disenfranchised. Fighting against the pods that give the Ark’s inhabitants artificial dreams, Markriss uses his power to embark on a dream quest that brings him into different versions of Londinium (one of which is present-day London), allowing him to meet the repentant inventor of the pods, to find (and lose) his soulmates, and to uncover the truth of his unusual power and stratified world. Newland smoothly incorporates elements of Egyptian mythology into his layered, multicultural world, and though the climax feels somewhat unearned, the fragmented timelines and multiple versions of Markriss are skillfully handled. This is sure to please fans of thought-provoking speculative fiction. -
Narrator Michael Obiora shows off his talent in this time- and space- bending work of speculative fiction. The prose is exposition heavy in parts. Obiora delivers those sections with such passion that listeners will believe the fantastical aspects of the story are fact. When dialogue does appear, it is often in the middle of a long passage of exposition. Obiora slips into character voices with such ease that listeners will have to check to make sure the speaking parts are not done by another narrator. Occasionally, the timelines in this audiobook reset to the beginning, making for a complex story. Obiora's steadfast narration creates a welcome guide, making for a superior listening experience. A.R.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
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