Barzakh: The Land In-Between
"From the sands of the Sahara to a dystopian future, one man’s ancient memory holds the key to humanity’s fate. Gara awakens dying atop a desert mountain, his final memories encoded like fossils in crystal. Sold into slavery by his father, he survives the merciless salt caravans and the slave markets of medieval Awdaghost until alKhadir—the Green One—offers an irreversible gift: leap forward through time in search of a better humanity. Each jump hurls him into new eras of bondage and revolt—slave rebellions, colonial violence, and, at last, a dystopian regime where his own descendant, Tangalla, rules a toxic empire that turns the Sahara into the world’s dumping ground. Across lifetimes he is bound to Vala, a love that flickers through the dark like a desert wellspring, as Gara grapples with memory and trauma, slavery and resistance, the fates of slaves and masters, and whether the cycle of power can ever be broken. Blending historical realism with visionary speculation, Barzakh: The Land In-Between channels the metaphysical intensity of African folklore and the stark poetry of a world unraveling—literary fiction about slavery reimagined through time travel, archaeology, and cosmic reckoning. Readers who come to the page for time travel romance books will find a fierce, tender thread between Gara and Vala; readers of dystopian and slavery books will recognize a chilling mirror in Barzakh’s environmental collapse and tyrannies across centuries. For readers of Octavia Butler books—Kindred; Parable of the Sower; —as well as Nnedi Okorafor books (Binti Trilogy) and Connie Willis; fans of Beverly Jenkins books who enjoy sweeping historical fiction with high stakes and heart; and anyone browsing top 10 historical fiction books lists. If you’ve searched for terms like books on slavery in america, the modern British slave trade, history of slavery, slave, slaves, or slavery, this visionary, crosstemporal epic belongs on your shelf. Key themes explored: *Medieval-to-future sweep: salt caravans, Awdaghost, rebellions, and a high-tech dystopia. *Big themes with high stakes: slavery, oppression, ecological collapse, memory, resistance. *For comp readers: Octavia Butler (Kindred, Parable of the Sower), Nnedi Okorafor (Binti trilogy), Connie Willis. *Emotional core: a crosscentury bond between Gara and Vala that will appeal to time travel romance books readers. *Smart and atmospheric: a desert epic blending history, metaphysics, and thriller tension."
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The landscape of Barzakh is ethereal and alien [...] I left the book feeling unsure, but also satisfied. Curious about what I had been missing. Ready to go searching through a new world.
Hmm the way this book was written reminded me very much of how albert Camus wrote, the kind of melody of the narrative…yeah you’ll need to try this out… you’ll need to enjoy a kind of poetic narrative just like Albert Camus used to write.
Presented as a transcript of the stream of consciousness translated from the remains of a skeleton found at the top of a mountain in Ghallawiya… a story told mostly with fragments of journeys across what is now Mauritania, it is an ambitious premise for an ultimately dystopian vision.
Barzakh is a fascinating snapshot of the past and future of a fictional Mauritanian desert region. Framed by the story of future scientists discovering his remains, narrator Gara jumps between three eras--the distant past, the recent past, and the distant future.… I especially enjoyed the future section of this novel, which depicts space-age life and technology (and poverty and corruption) from the perspective of those it's left behind--in this case, desert nomads and prison laborers in the nuclear containment facilities turning Earth into a wasteland. I was also delighted by the brief appearance of a far-future psychic vampire alien--this book has a lot in it!
A trippy journey through the Sahara and time, Barzakh: The Land In-Between begins with archeologists excavating Gara's memories... The story includes flashbacks of his life as an enslaved boy and his disillusioning quest for a better humanity. I love African SFF for its unique perspectives... Barzakh tackles themes of slavery and racism while exploring fascinating sci-fi concepts like memory extraction. Ould Ebnou’s meditative style enhances the experience. Recommended for those seeking unusual SF; you won't find many books like this."
"The writing style reminded me of Albert Camus... It might shine more as an audiobook. Readers seeking traditional sci-fi may be disappointed; the time traveler struggles with memory loss. The story unfolds in three parts, focusing on his choice to escape a slave revolt and a jinx's offer to travel to the future. This leans more towards speculative fiction with a poetic narrative... Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC; this is my honest opinion."
I can't read Arabic, but I can read French and this one is worth reading
"I received a complimentary copy from the publisher; all opinions are my own. This is my first book by Sylva Nze Ifedigbo, and it follows Ifenna, an ambitious journalist reporting on a megachurch in Lagos while investigating a pastor's mysterious death. The book balances humor, mystery, and culture well, with great pacing and character development."