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Harmattan Season
Award-winning author Tochi Onyebuchi’s new standalone novel is hardboiled fantasy Raymond Chandler meets P. Djèlí Clark in a postcolonial West Africa
Fortune always left whatever room I walked into, which is why I don’t leave my place much these days.
Veteran and private eye Boubacar doesn’t need much—least of all trouble—but trouble always seems to find him. Work has dried up, and he’d rather be left alone to deal with his bills as the Harmattan rolls in to coat the city in dust, but Bouba is a down on his luck deux fois, suspended between two cultures and two worlds.
When a bleeding woman stumbles onto his doorway, only to vanish just as quickly, Bouba reluctantly finds himself enmeshed in the secrets of a city boiling on the brink of violence. The French occupiers are keen to keep the peace at any cost, and the indigenous dugulen have long been shattered into restless factions vying for a chance to reclaim their lost heritage and abilities. As each hard-won clue reveals horrifying new truths, Bouba may have to carve out parts of himself he’s long kept hidden, and decide what he’s willing to offer next.
From the visionary author of Riot Baby and Goliath, Harmattan Season is a gripping fantasy noir in the tradition of Chandler, Hammond, and Christie that will have you by the throat—both dryly funny and unforgettably evocative.
Fortune always left whatever room I walked into, which is why I don’t leave my place much these days.
Veteran and private eye Boubacar doesn’t need much—least of all trouble—but trouble always seems to find him. Work has dried up, and he’d rather be left alone to deal with his bills as the Harmattan rolls in to coat the city in dust, but Bouba is a down on his luck deux fois, suspended between two cultures and two worlds.
When a bleeding woman stumbles onto his doorway, only to vanish just as quickly, Bouba reluctantly finds himself enmeshed in the secrets of a city boiling on the brink of violence. The French occupiers are keen to keep the peace at any cost, and the indigenous dugulen have long been shattered into restless factions vying for a chance to reclaim their lost heritage and abilities. As each hard-won clue reveals horrifying new truths, Bouba may have to carve out parts of himself he’s long kept hidden, and decide what he’s willing to offer next.
From the visionary author of Riot Baby and Goliath, Harmattan Season is a gripping fantasy noir in the tradition of Chandler, Hammond, and Christie that will have you by the throat—both dryly funny and unforgettably evocative.
231 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 2025
94 people are currently reading
6426 people want to read
About the author
Tochi Onyebuchi
91 books1,347 followersTochi Onyebuchi is the author of Beasts Made of Night, its sequel Crown of Thunder, War Girls, and Riot Baby, published by Tor.com in January 2020. He has graduated from Yale University, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia Law School, and L’institut d’études politiques with a Masters degree in Global Business Law.
His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Omenana, Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, and elsewhere. His non-fiction has appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Nowhere Magazine, Tor.com and the Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. He is the winner of the Ilube Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel by an African and has appeared in Locus Magazine's Recommended Reading list.
Born in Massachusetts and raised in Connecticut, Tochi is a consummate New Englander, preferring the way the tree leaves turn the color of fire on I-84 to mosquitoes and being able to boil eggs on pavement. He has worked in criminal justice, the tech industry, and immigration law, and prays every day for a new album from System of a Down.
His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Omenana, Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, and elsewhere. His non-fiction has appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Nowhere Magazine, Tor.com and the Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. He is the winner of the Ilube Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel by an African and has appeared in Locus Magazine's Recommended Reading list.
Born in Massachusetts and raised in Connecticut, Tochi is a consummate New Englander, preferring the way the tree leaves turn the color of fire on I-84 to mosquitoes and being able to boil eggs on pavement. He has worked in criminal justice, the tech industry, and immigration law, and prays every day for a new album from System of a Down.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
April 6, 2025
3.5 Stars
I appreciated the themes of colonialism explored within this novel. However I didn't not necessarily connect with the story. I found that the narrative kept me at a distance and I struggled to get immersed in this one. I find these kinds of stories important so I wished it has worked better for me.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I appreciated the themes of colonialism explored within this novel. However I didn't not necessarily connect with the story. I found that the narrative kept me at a distance and I struggled to get immersed in this one. I find these kinds of stories important so I wished it has worked better for me.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
July 1, 2025
⭐️ 4.25 ⭐️
For fans of Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The writing/voice takes a second to get used to, but the story is sensational and worth the read.
For fans of Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The writing/voice takes a second to get used to, but the story is sensational and worth the read.
Read
May 30, 2025Harmattan Season is a noir-style fantasy set in French-colonial Africa. It follows a jaded investigator who is shaken by the appearance of a bleeding young woman on his doorstep, who is later found dead and suspended in mid-air. It has themes of colonialism and the harm that comes with it and is stylized in a noir sort of way, but with some speculative elements added in. It's doing something interesting, though the characters feel rather arms-length which might be a challenge for character-driven readers. The audiobook is very well done and immersive to the place and culture. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
did-not-finish
May 31, 2025dnfing at 25%. Im just not interested in anything that's been happening and I'm not gonna force myself to finish it.
May 30, 2025
The nitty-gritty: Tochi Onyebuchi's latest melds hard boiled noir and fantasy in a perfectly paced story with humor and heart.
“The français are a Harmattan that never ends.”
Harmattan Season is a tautly written crime story with magical overtones, set in a fantasy version of postcolonial West Africa. This is a slow-burn mystery told from the first person POV of private detective Boubacar, a man caught between the worlds of the “dugulen,” the native West Africans, and the “français,” the French who have colonized his country. While I enjoyed the mystery, it was Bouba’s character and personality that left a lasting impression.
Bouba is a “chercher,” someone who finds missing people or objects. Business has been bad lately, but despite his lack of income, Bouba’s debts keep piling up, thanks to the new French regime. Even though he’s good friends with a cop named Moussa, Bouba finds himself in trouble more often than not. And things are about to get worse. Bouba opens the door to his apartment one day and finds a bleeding woman on his doorstep, who implores him to “hide her.”
Bouba stashes the dying woman in his closet, right before cops burst into the apartment. But when he returns later in the day after being questioned about the incident, the woman is gone and only a smear of blood remains behind. Later, Bouba is shocked to see the dead woman floating high over the town, an inexplicable event that raises lots of questions. Are the French behind the crime? What does it mean? And how does it tie into the upcoming election? Bouba jumps head first into finding the answers, but asking questions could get him in trouble—or dead.
Harmattan Season has a perfectly pitched crime noir vibe, offset by the author’s themes of colonization and political unrest. Bouba is your typical down-on-his-luck PI, barely scraping by financially but unable to resist the allure of a mystery. He knows everyone, and he has a weakness for smoking “shisha.” Bouba is a “deux-fois,” which I’m guessing has several meanings, but mostly means he belongs to both worlds, dugulen and français, but also belongs to neither. He’s both an outcast and someone who can invisibly blend into either world, and while he uses it to his advantage at times, it’s not a label he wants. The fact that he fought in the war on the other side doesn’t help matters either. I loved the way he throws himself into unraveling the mystery of the floating woman, rarely stopping to think things through. And yet he has a softer side as well, which comes through in some of his interactions with other characters.
Onyebuchi’s setting is dry and gritty and full of characters living a hardscrabble life. The Harmattan of the title is a strong, dry wind that occurs right before the rainy season, but it’s also a metaphor for the brutal, controlling French who have taken over the country. The dugulen are in the midst of an election which will determine the course of their future, and that political drama plays a big part in the mystery that Bouba is trying to solve.
Onyebuchi throws the reader right into the deep end without much explanation of his world, so you have to figure things out through context. But I was OK with that. Even the author’s generous use of French words and terms didn’t trip me up too much, although it did slow my reading down a bit. There’s never any explanation for the magical things that happen in the story, which might frustrate some readers, but you just need to go with it. The fantasy isn’t the main focus of the story anyway, and when it came along I sort of shrugged my shoulders and kept reading.
The final chapter was a surprise, and it added a wonderful emotional layer to an already excellent story. Grab this if you can, it’s really good.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
“The français are a Harmattan that never ends.”
Harmattan Season is a tautly written crime story with magical overtones, set in a fantasy version of postcolonial West Africa. This is a slow-burn mystery told from the first person POV of private detective Boubacar, a man caught between the worlds of the “dugulen,” the native West Africans, and the “français,” the French who have colonized his country. While I enjoyed the mystery, it was Bouba’s character and personality that left a lasting impression.
Bouba is a “chercher,” someone who finds missing people or objects. Business has been bad lately, but despite his lack of income, Bouba’s debts keep piling up, thanks to the new French regime. Even though he’s good friends with a cop named Moussa, Bouba finds himself in trouble more often than not. And things are about to get worse. Bouba opens the door to his apartment one day and finds a bleeding woman on his doorstep, who implores him to “hide her.”
Bouba stashes the dying woman in his closet, right before cops burst into the apartment. But when he returns later in the day after being questioned about the incident, the woman is gone and only a smear of blood remains behind. Later, Bouba is shocked to see the dead woman floating high over the town, an inexplicable event that raises lots of questions. Are the French behind the crime? What does it mean? And how does it tie into the upcoming election? Bouba jumps head first into finding the answers, but asking questions could get him in trouble—or dead.
Harmattan Season has a perfectly pitched crime noir vibe, offset by the author’s themes of colonization and political unrest. Bouba is your typical down-on-his-luck PI, barely scraping by financially but unable to resist the allure of a mystery. He knows everyone, and he has a weakness for smoking “shisha.” Bouba is a “deux-fois,” which I’m guessing has several meanings, but mostly means he belongs to both worlds, dugulen and français, but also belongs to neither. He’s both an outcast and someone who can invisibly blend into either world, and while he uses it to his advantage at times, it’s not a label he wants. The fact that he fought in the war on the other side doesn’t help matters either. I loved the way he throws himself into unraveling the mystery of the floating woman, rarely stopping to think things through. And yet he has a softer side as well, which comes through in some of his interactions with other characters.
Onyebuchi’s setting is dry and gritty and full of characters living a hardscrabble life. The Harmattan of the title is a strong, dry wind that occurs right before the rainy season, but it’s also a metaphor for the brutal, controlling French who have taken over the country. The dugulen are in the midst of an election which will determine the course of their future, and that political drama plays a big part in the mystery that Bouba is trying to solve.
Onyebuchi throws the reader right into the deep end without much explanation of his world, so you have to figure things out through context. But I was OK with that. Even the author’s generous use of French words and terms didn’t trip me up too much, although it did slow my reading down a bit. There’s never any explanation for the magical things that happen in the story, which might frustrate some readers, but you just need to go with it. The fantasy isn’t the main focus of the story anyway, and when it came along I sort of shrugged my shoulders and kept reading.
The final chapter was a surprise, and it added a wonderful emotional layer to an already excellent story. Grab this if you can, it’s really good.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Want to read
August 12, 2024"Onyebuchi's new standalone novel is hardboiled fantasy Raymond Chandler meets P. Djèlí Clark in a postcolonial West Africa"
i can't wait
i can't wait
June 5, 2025
This book grabbed my by the throat from the first line and didn't let go the rest of the book. Onyebuchi has given us a hell of a noir set in a postcolonial world that isn't quite entirely past the colonial part yet, a main character who moves in both worlds and has a hell of a past from the wars, the plot that he is drawn into when he finds a dying girl in his shitty apartment and blossoms into something that encompasses their whole town and society. This is a story about what one is willing to do in the face of atrocities, what one is willing to do to change the world, and what one is willing to stand up for. The narrative voice is amazing, and the audiobook narrator also does an astounding job. Highly recommended read this summer.
February 9, 2026
The writing is pretty good but I had a few problems with the content:
* It did not have much to say about colonialism, or in its social commentary at large, beyond the obvious: I was hoping for something a bit deeper but instead it might just have aimed to be cathartic in it's criticism (likely highlighted for me by the fact I came to this book after others that had a lot more insight on the matter)
* Saying it stretched and tried my suspension of disbelief would be an understatement: some aspects of the plot were bordering on silly.
* Finally, and this is both a minor point in the amount of pages it occupies and a major annoyance in that it would have been so easy to not include it at all: the sexism. Noir really shouldn't have to arch back to this to exist as a genre, especially when ensconced in contemporary or SFF settings. At this point it's a choice made by the author and I really fail to appreciate how "sexism as an ambience" is acceptable (and no, it does not comment on it, it just coasts with it).
Also as a side note, I wonder how easy this is to read for someone who doesn't know French: there are French words peppered all over, whose meaning is not otherwise explained, and on top of it, there are also invented French-adjacent words, whose meaning is only guessable by proximity to actual French words, which I can't imagine would be easy to parse for a non speaker... I get why many reviews mentioned that a glossary would have been a nice touch.
* It did not have much to say about colonialism, or in its social commentary at large, beyond the obvious: I was hoping for something a bit deeper but instead it might just have aimed to be cathartic in it's criticism (likely highlighted for me by the fact I came to this book after others that had a lot more insight on the matter)
* Saying it stretched and tried my suspension of disbelief would be an understatement: some aspects of the plot were bordering on silly.
* Finally, and this is both a minor point in the amount of pages it occupies and a major annoyance in that it would have been so easy to not include it at all: the sexism. Noir really shouldn't have to arch back to this to exist as a genre, especially when ensconced in contemporary or SFF settings. At this point it's a choice made by the author and I really fail to appreciate how "sexism as an ambience" is acceptable (and no, it does not comment on it, it just coasts with it).
Also as a side note, I wonder how easy this is to read for someone who doesn't know French: there are French words peppered all over, whose meaning is not otherwise explained, and on top of it, there are also invented French-adjacent words, whose meaning is only guessable by proximity to actual French words, which I can't imagine would be easy to parse for a non speaker... I get why many reviews mentioned that a glossary would have been a nice touch.
September 1, 2025
Someone compared The Harmattan Season to a Raymond Chandler novel, and I totally see it. It’s got that classic detective vibe, but with a fun touch of the fantastic mixed in. Super enjoyable and a quick recommend for anyone who likes mysteries with a little fantasy twist.
February 22, 2026
3.5 stars, probably. This book does some really interesting things, but at the same time there are certain elements that just don't work. There's enough good stuff to make it worth the listen, though, and I thought the narration of the audiobook was very well done.
June 7, 2025
Some of the 3 stars are for the audiobook narration pulling me into the story.
The theme is French colonialism in Africa, and the deaths and corruption that comes with it. There are fantasy elements- people and buildings floating up - but the angle is more detective noir. Acceptance of bad luck, retired soldier becomes detective/“chercher” (Fr. for find/search), has connection in the police, lives among the poor.
The detective does his search, bounces between political factions, even is briefly hailed as a hero, but you don’t get to know if any of it ultimately makes a difference.
And maybe that is part of the point.
The last chapter is meant to explain the first. But only you as reader has that answer, not the detective.
The theme is French colonialism in Africa, and the deaths and corruption that comes with it. There are fantasy elements- people and buildings floating up - but the angle is more detective noir. Acceptance of bad luck, retired soldier becomes detective/“chercher” (Fr. for find/search), has connection in the police, lives among the poor.
The detective does his search, bounces between political factions, even is briefly hailed as a hero, but you don’t get to know if any of it ultimately makes a difference.
And maybe that is part of the point.
The last chapter is meant to explain the first. But only you as reader has that answer, not the detective.
June 2, 2025
Thank you to Tor Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the free ALC in exchange for an honest review
I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Initially I had thought that acclaimed audiobook narrator Dion Graham’s West African/French accent would be a treat to listen to, and while it is, for some reason my focus kept on slipping away. I don’t know if it’s the genre (can I not do noir mysteries?), format (listening to speculative fiction–if this can be considered specific–is not my forte), or the story itself. Nothing really stood out for me in terms of story, characters, or audiobook performance for me to sink my teeth into.
[1 June 2025]
What did I just attempt to listen to? I’m so confused.
I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Initially I had thought that acclaimed audiobook narrator Dion Graham’s West African/French accent would be a treat to listen to, and while it is, for some reason my focus kept on slipping away. I don’t know if it’s the genre (can I not do noir mysteries?), format (listening to speculative fiction–if this can be considered specific–is not my forte), or the story itself. Nothing really stood out for me in terms of story, characters, or audiobook performance for me to sink my teeth into.
[1 June 2025]
What did I just attempt to listen to? I’m so confused.
January 8, 2026
3.5 stars.
Boubacar is a chercher, a man who finds things for others. As a private eye, and former veteran who fought on the colonist's side, he tries to keep his head down and not attract attention. But he always seems to end up in it.
When a bleeding woman arrives on his doorstep, he's concerned, but even more so when 1) she disappears soon after, then 2) even more alarmingly, appears floating in the sky.
Bouba decides to find out what happened to the woman, against his normal inclinations, and almost immediately gets into trouble. The French occupiers have been using violence to keep the indigenous dugulen down and at odds within each faction who have wanted to reclaim their abilities and culture, both of which are at odds with the French.
The more Bouba digs, the more trouble he brings down on himself, and violence on the dugulen. But, he does end up getting to the truth, which is shocking.
Lots of great commentary on the harms of colonialism using a noirish detective story in a city full of fury and tension.
Boubacar is a chercher, a man who finds things for others. As a private eye, and former veteran who fought on the colonist's side, he tries to keep his head down and not attract attention. But he always seems to end up in it.
When a bleeding woman arrives on his doorstep, he's concerned, but even more so when 1) she disappears soon after, then 2) even more alarmingly, appears floating in the sky.
Bouba decides to find out what happened to the woman, against his normal inclinations, and almost immediately gets into trouble. The French occupiers have been using violence to keep the indigenous dugulen down and at odds within each faction who have wanted to reclaim their abilities and culture, both of which are at odds with the French.
The more Bouba digs, the more trouble he brings down on himself, and violence on the dugulen. But, he does end up getting to the truth, which is shocking.
Lots of great commentary on the harms of colonialism using a noirish detective story in a city full of fury and tension.
July 14, 2025
I've read several African based SF/F, most of them include some aspects of colonialism usually rooted in English colonizers, with African mythology mixed with Christian teachings. This is the first one I've read that is based on French colonialism and African mythology mixed with Muslim teachings. For that unique perspective alone this was worth reading.
But this is also a unique take on the noir detective and deals with aspects of identity and justice in a very compelling way. The narrative doesn't flow in a typical way but Onyebuchi is a great writer and makes it all work. The ending has a very emotionally satisfying ending.
But this is also a unique take on the noir detective and deals with aspects of identity and justice in a very compelling way. The narrative doesn't flow in a typical way but Onyebuchi is a great writer and makes it all work. The ending has a very emotionally satisfying ending.
June 26, 2025
The Harmattan wind, dry and dusty, blows into West Africa from the Sahara and coats everything in dust. But this is a story about an entirely different kind of dust, the dust of old bones and old memories of bad deeds and good old days that have turned into the dust of history.
And it’s a mystery. On that dusty surface, it’s a mystery, and it’s a mystery all the way down to those dusty old bones – just not the same kind of mystery. At least, not until it is.
Boubacar is one of those people who, if it wasn’t for bad luck, wouldn’t have any luck at all. He’s down at heel, down on his luck, behind on his rent, all that’s showing up on his doorstep are bills and yet more bills.
He’s a private detective who desperately needs a case – but he’s given up on expecting one. He’s certain that all of his bad luck is the result of a curse, but he knows that’s one case he’s unlikely to solve.
When the girl knocks on his door, he’s expecting bill collectors. Or the police, coming to arrest him for something he hasn’t done. Or at least that he hasn’t done yet. Instead there’s a young woman bleeding on his doorstep, clutching her wounded side and begging him to hide her.
So he does, even though he knows the police will be right behind her. He thinks he’s stopped caring.
But he starts caring again, not because the police DO arrest him – although they do – but because the next time he sees the girl she’s dead and FLOATING over the site of a massive explosion – along with most of the debris and destruction caused by whatever blew up the street.
Leaving Boubacar attached to a case that’s likely to break him, one way or another. A case where, in the end, he’s both the victim and the original perpetrator. Or at least one of them. A crime that others are more than desperate enough to see buried – along with Boubacar.
Escape Rating B: I finished this book with a whole host of mixed feelings, because I was fascinated with what I got and intrigued about what I learned but frustrated beyond measure by the parts I had to tease out without nearly enough clues.
I’m not referring to the mystery itself, because that’s the part that absolutely worked.
The setting of this story is just a bit nebulous, but I think the reasons that I teased out for that made sense. We don’t know precisely which West African country this takes place in, but the harmattan puts it somewhere in West Africa. The country is a former French colony, but based on the political climate described, its post colonial setting doesn’t feel all that post. More that legal colonialism has morphed into economic colonialism which feels all too real and that the deliberate lack of geographic specificity allows the setting to stand in for a LOT of very real places.
What made the story work was the way that Boubacar digs and keeps digging. The mystery starts simply, a woman is missing, later found dead in equally mysterious circumstances.
But Boubacar doesn’t let go no matter how much he’s encouraged – often with other people’s fists – to do so. And as he digs he brushes past the simplicity of the missing persons case and into the depths of political corruption – and he keeps going into what dirty deeds all of that corruption is moving to prevent from seeing the light of day.
Which is where he finds his own sins, his own complicity, and his desire to stop covering up. No matter what it costs.
I did enjoy this for the mystery, for the way it explored the effects of colonialism through its characters and their actions, and for Boubacar’s wry voice and hesitant pursuit of redemption. The story reads like a combination of the hardboiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler with the fantasy worlds of P. Djeli Clark, particularly the early novellas of the Dead Djinn Universe like The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Harmattan Season also gave this reader, at least, some of the same feels as the works of Nnedi Okorafor and Moses Ose Utomi. They are all readalikes for each other, and if you have been loving the rise of both science fiction and fantasy mystery Harmattan Season any and all of the above might also be your jam.
Reviewer’s Note: I did have one huge frustration with this story. I felt like I was missing a lot because the text included what felt like important words and phrases that I didn’t understand and could not find a translation source for. This may be because I read an electronic arc and that the published work will include translations not present in the advance reading copy. The online translations programs utterly failed at translation, which could have any number of causes from euro-centricity to jargon or slang or neologisms or creativity on the part of the author. I still got into Harmattan Season, but I’m left with the feeling that I would have gotten into it more deeply if I’d been able to grasp the bits that eluded me.
Originally published at Reading Reality
And it’s a mystery. On that dusty surface, it’s a mystery, and it’s a mystery all the way down to those dusty old bones – just not the same kind of mystery. At least, not until it is.
Boubacar is one of those people who, if it wasn’t for bad luck, wouldn’t have any luck at all. He’s down at heel, down on his luck, behind on his rent, all that’s showing up on his doorstep are bills and yet more bills.
He’s a private detective who desperately needs a case – but he’s given up on expecting one. He’s certain that all of his bad luck is the result of a curse, but he knows that’s one case he’s unlikely to solve.
When the girl knocks on his door, he’s expecting bill collectors. Or the police, coming to arrest him for something he hasn’t done. Or at least that he hasn’t done yet. Instead there’s a young woman bleeding on his doorstep, clutching her wounded side and begging him to hide her.
So he does, even though he knows the police will be right behind her. He thinks he’s stopped caring.
But he starts caring again, not because the police DO arrest him – although they do – but because the next time he sees the girl she’s dead and FLOATING over the site of a massive explosion – along with most of the debris and destruction caused by whatever blew up the street.
Leaving Boubacar attached to a case that’s likely to break him, one way or another. A case where, in the end, he’s both the victim and the original perpetrator. Or at least one of them. A crime that others are more than desperate enough to see buried – along with Boubacar.
Escape Rating B: I finished this book with a whole host of mixed feelings, because I was fascinated with what I got and intrigued about what I learned but frustrated beyond measure by the parts I had to tease out without nearly enough clues.
I’m not referring to the mystery itself, because that’s the part that absolutely worked.
The setting of this story is just a bit nebulous, but I think the reasons that I teased out for that made sense. We don’t know precisely which West African country this takes place in, but the harmattan puts it somewhere in West Africa. The country is a former French colony, but based on the political climate described, its post colonial setting doesn’t feel all that post. More that legal colonialism has morphed into economic colonialism which feels all too real and that the deliberate lack of geographic specificity allows the setting to stand in for a LOT of very real places.
What made the story work was the way that Boubacar digs and keeps digging. The mystery starts simply, a woman is missing, later found dead in equally mysterious circumstances.
But Boubacar doesn’t let go no matter how much he’s encouraged – often with other people’s fists – to do so. And as he digs he brushes past the simplicity of the missing persons case and into the depths of political corruption – and he keeps going into what dirty deeds all of that corruption is moving to prevent from seeing the light of day.
Which is where he finds his own sins, his own complicity, and his desire to stop covering up. No matter what it costs.
I did enjoy this for the mystery, for the way it explored the effects of colonialism through its characters and their actions, and for Boubacar’s wry voice and hesitant pursuit of redemption. The story reads like a combination of the hardboiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler with the fantasy worlds of P. Djeli Clark, particularly the early novellas of the Dead Djinn Universe like The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Harmattan Season also gave this reader, at least, some of the same feels as the works of Nnedi Okorafor and Moses Ose Utomi. They are all readalikes for each other, and if you have been loving the rise of both science fiction and fantasy mystery Harmattan Season any and all of the above might also be your jam.
Reviewer’s Note: I did have one huge frustration with this story. I felt like I was missing a lot because the text included what felt like important words and phrases that I didn’t understand and could not find a translation source for. This may be because I read an electronic arc and that the published work will include translations not present in the advance reading copy. The online translations programs utterly failed at translation, which could have any number of causes from euro-centricity to jargon or slang or neologisms or creativity on the part of the author. I still got into Harmattan Season, but I’m left with the feeling that I would have gotten into it more deeply if I’d been able to grasp the bits that eluded me.
Originally published at Reading Reality
May 29, 2025
I did find Dion Graham's narration a bit hard to understand at times. He has a very good voice and it did bring authenticity to the story though and once I got used to the flow of speech it was okay and I was intrigued with the story.
It is very dark and gritty set in a post-colonial French West African country in a time of unrest and change with rebels wanting to reclaim their land, French police and soldiers attacking them, and then there are the mixed race people, torn between the two nationalities. This story had the added effect of a bit of magic that I found interesting and kept me listening. And surprisingly it also had a political reason (all about removing the part that had been poisoned by the water of the conquered land with an intriguing side effect).
That is the broad view of the novel. Narrowing down, this is a story about a detective named Boubacar, weary with the choices he has made in his life and looking for either punishment or redemption for those choices, starting with the woman who burst into his office/home late one night with a peculiar wound and then her subsequent mysterious death. Many surprises and beatings were on that path, and honestly I was amazed by how many beatings Bouba received but how he kept going, unraveling the mystery, plots to reclaim the country, and meeting interesting people like the helpful urchin, rebels, police, and those who changed to survive the French occupation. I also liked how the book both started and ended with the woman that came into Bouba's life and changed everything because of it.
So, it was an interesting slice of a dark time with a bit of hope and the ability to change.
It is very dark and gritty set in a post-colonial French West African country in a time of unrest and change with rebels wanting to reclaim their land, French police and soldiers attacking them, and then there are the mixed race people, torn between the two nationalities. This story had the added effect of a bit of magic that I found interesting and kept me listening. And surprisingly it also had a political reason (all about removing the part that had been poisoned by the water of the conquered land with an intriguing side effect).
That is the broad view of the novel. Narrowing down, this is a story about a detective named Boubacar, weary with the choices he has made in his life and looking for either punishment or redemption for those choices, starting with the woman who burst into his office/home late one night with a peculiar wound and then her subsequent mysterious death. Many surprises and beatings were on that path, and honestly I was amazed by how many beatings Bouba received but how he kept going, unraveling the mystery, plots to reclaim the country, and meeting interesting people like the helpful urchin, rebels, police, and those who changed to survive the French occupation. I also liked how the book both started and ended with the woman that came into Bouba's life and changed everything because of it.
So, it was an interesting slice of a dark time with a bit of hope and the ability to change.
June 20, 2025
A detective noir thriller set in an alternate, unnamed African nation colonized and oppressed by France. The noir storyline is made more complex by elements of colonialism, but also the complicity and participation in oppression by the Africans, especially the protagonist.
It's an interesting blend of a classic genre style with contemporary explorations of colonialist themes. However, I had some problems. Some were technical: the rapid fire dialogue often didn't give clues as to which person was speaking – I frequently had to adjust my impression of who said what, and re-read the section.
Also, the concept of Floating is critical to the book but I didn't really understand its purpose. Sure, it's a metaphor, but one of escape, or power, or something else? It's not necessary for a reader to understand how a fantasy concept works (it's all hand-waving anyhow), but I felt unmoored by this one, especially due to its importance. Your mileage may vary.
I did appreciate the unique language. The author did not patronize us with unnecessary explanations of terms we may not understand – we were meant to understand them in context as the story progressed. It's the 'throw them in the deep end and make them swim' approach to language, and I appreciate it while others may feel put off by it.
It's an interesting blend of a classic genre style with contemporary explorations of colonialist themes. However, I had some problems. Some were technical: the rapid fire dialogue often didn't give clues as to which person was speaking – I frequently had to adjust my impression of who said what, and re-read the section.
Also, the concept of Floating is critical to the book but I didn't really understand its purpose. Sure, it's a metaphor, but one of escape, or power, or something else? It's not necessary for a reader to understand how a fantasy concept works (it's all hand-waving anyhow), but I felt unmoored by this one, especially due to its importance. Your mileage may vary.
I did appreciate the unique language. The author did not patronize us with unnecessary explanations of terms we may not understand – we were meant to understand them in context as the story progressed. It's the 'throw them in the deep end and make them swim' approach to language, and I appreciate it while others may feel put off by it.
reviewed-only
February 3, 2026I started this, could not get engaged, and skimmed to the end. The main character is compelling, but the story is complex. I feel like I need to read this as a class assignment with a teacher who helps me understand what is going on and what is being commented on. It's deep, too deep for me to read right now when my brain is full of Other Things. There are many words from other languages that slowed me down and that I did not have the energy to look up. The narrative is evocate and disturbing.
Maybe some day when my brain is up to it I'll pick this up once again.
Maybe some day when my brain is up to it I'll pick this up once again.
June 11, 2025
Can we normalize including glossaries in fantasy books already, please and thanks?
Like, for the sake of accessibility?
Because reading this was a chore and that overshadowed how unique and interesting it all was.
And yes, I'm aware that I was recently banging on about how I prefer it when authors trust their readers to put all the pieces of their book together instead of over-explaining it all.
But in this case, it felt like the author withheld a few of those pieces.
2.5 out of 5.
Like, for the sake of accessibility?
Because reading this was a chore and that overshadowed how unique and interesting it all was.
And yes, I'm aware that I was recently banging on about how I prefer it when authors trust their readers to put all the pieces of their book together instead of over-explaining it all.
But in this case, it felt like the author withheld a few of those pieces.
2.5 out of 5.
July 18, 2025
I love this classic noir inspired story, detective unexpectedly thrown into a story that is much bigger than him and all expectations. While the story is ostensibly about a detective trying to solve a case it has so many layers all dealing with the effects of colonialism, not only on personal lives, but, on people, culture, country and this is what seeps throughout the story and infects everything.
February 11, 2026
Tammy liked this book. Very well written. Interesting ending. There was one part that was used to advanced the story. It was too long. There must be a better way to advance the story than talking at you.
But. Overall this was a good and interesting book
But. Overall this was a good and interesting book
Want to read
February 8, 2025The blurb sold it so hard that I hadn’t even heard about this author before but now it’s one of my most anticipated releases this year.
May 3, 2025
An intriguing dark fantasy / crime noir mashup. Set in colonial French West Africa.
Want to read
May 5, 2025yes i love seeing all these standalone adult sff
June 25, 2025
I really wanted to like this but I found myself bored of the story a majority of the time.
Read
June 2, 2025Between the writing and the audiobook narrator's overly dramatic and heavily accented delivery I'm having a hard time following along, and given my tepid response to the author's previous works have decided to throw in the towel about 1/3 in.
That said, if you're a fan then you will likely enjoy this one as well. The premise and the setting are interesting.
That said, if you're a fan then you will likely enjoy this one as well. The premise and the setting are interesting.
May 1, 2025
This book was gritty and serious. The ending came out of left field. Could not stop reading it, but it also felt like homework.
September 21, 2025
This is an author I have been rather meh on. I keep trying him, trying to find a good story from him, and he keeps disappointing me. The closest I've come is
Riot Baby,
which had many things to say about the realities of being black in America, but which didn't quite gel as a story. That is also the problem with this book. I can see what the author is trying to do here, commenting on colonialism and white supremacy, but the worldbuilding is so vague it doesn't hit home like it could.
This is set in an unnamed African country and city colonized by the French. Our protagonist is Boubacar, a down-on-his-luck private eye, who is surprised one night by a woman knocking on his door who has been stabbed (he thinks) and is leaking blood on his carpet. She is followed by the police. Bouba hides her in his closet, and after the police leave he discovers she is gone. He makes up his mind to try to find her and discover what she has gotten herself into. This leads to a bloody trail out of Bouba's own past, and a massacre he was a part of. This story brings him full circle, as he owns up to what he did and attempts to make some sort of atonement for it.
Bouba is a biracial man, with a French father, and is able to pass for white (or "dieman," in this book's vernacular). This plays into the internal struggle he goes through. Revolution is brewing in the city, and Bouba has to decide if he is going to throw in his lot with the rebels. The guilt over his past is a big part of his character arc.
The fantasy element of this story--that there are some natives of this unnamed country who have superhero qualities, i.e. they can "Float" (or fly, rather) like Superman, and the internal organs that allow them to do this can be removed from their bodies and repurposed as bombs--didn't really work for me. It was an awkward kludge over the rest of the story, to say the least. The private-eye-noir part, along with the commentary on colonialism and racism, didn't need this magical-realism poofery. In the end, that dragged the entire story down for me.
Since I've tried this author three times now and not really clicked with his work, I think that's it. Obviously he's finding his audience, but unfortunately, I'm not part of it.
This is set in an unnamed African country and city colonized by the French. Our protagonist is Boubacar, a down-on-his-luck private eye, who is surprised one night by a woman knocking on his door who has been stabbed (he thinks) and is leaking blood on his carpet. She is followed by the police. Bouba hides her in his closet, and after the police leave he discovers she is gone. He makes up his mind to try to find her and discover what she has gotten herself into. This leads to a bloody trail out of Bouba's own past, and a massacre he was a part of. This story brings him full circle, as he owns up to what he did and attempts to make some sort of atonement for it.
Bouba is a biracial man, with a French father, and is able to pass for white (or "dieman," in this book's vernacular). This plays into the internal struggle he goes through. Revolution is brewing in the city, and Bouba has to decide if he is going to throw in his lot with the rebels. The guilt over his past is a big part of his character arc.
The fantasy element of this story--that there are some natives of this unnamed country who have superhero qualities, i.e. they can "Float" (or fly, rather) like Superman, and the internal organs that allow them to do this can be removed from their bodies and repurposed as bombs--didn't really work for me. It was an awkward kludge over the rest of the story, to say the least. The private-eye-noir part, along with the commentary on colonialism and racism, didn't need this magical-realism poofery. In the end, that dragged the entire story down for me.
Since I've tried this author three times now and not really clicked with his work, I think that's it. Obviously he's finding his audience, but unfortunately, I'm not part of it.
Read
October 12, 2025I DNF'd this after picking it off the library's shelves. I was interested in the noir in West Africa theme, but found the worldbuilding to just not work for me. It was an interesting spin on colonialism - it seemed that a lot of French people were moving to the place in the book, which may (?) have happened in Algeria (North Africa) but didn't really happen in Togo (West Africa), where I lived. And in a spin on how colonial economics works, the narrator owes interest on his school fees, instead of how colonizers imposed taxes onto an agrarian economy and then forced people to build roads to pay off their tax debt.
So that much was interesting, but there were too many undefined terms for me to understand what was going on; and usually this isn't a problem for me. Also I just couldn't care very much about what was happening. I like Chandler and Djèli Clark, but this didn't work for me. A little too world-weary, perhaps?
So, a book with interesting ideas, but not one that I care particularly about finishing. 10/10/25
So that much was interesting, but there were too many undefined terms for me to understand what was going on; and usually this isn't a problem for me. Also I just couldn't care very much about what was happening. I like Chandler and Djèli Clark, but this didn't work for me. A little too world-weary, perhaps?
So, a book with interesting ideas, but not one that I care particularly about finishing. 10/10/25
June 3, 2025
This is a hard book to read beause the author gives you so little background detail. It is set in an unidentified country that is a French colony, so probably somewhere in the North or West of Africa. The author uses terms like sorodassi and dugulenw without ever explaining them, and Googling won't help since they are names made up by Onyebuchi for the book. Magic exists because people, an indeed whole districts, can be levitated into the air but again no details are given. It is left up to the reader to work out what all the terms mean and what is going on, and even well into the book I found I was still getting confused. I'm not sure I ever really grasped all the different factions involved.
Nevertheless I found this a fascinating book. I found the main protagist Boubacar a fascinating character though he isn't someone you will easily empathise with. It was really the world building that hooked me. I found it a messy and complicated but that's what makes it interesting. There isn't that much story. I see this described as a detective noir but while the beginning seems as though it's going to be a Raymond Chandler novel with African protagonists the story quickly becomes more complex and subtle than any Chandler book.
It's for me to recommend this book because I suspect it's going to be polarising. I can see many readers getting fed up with the complexity and giving up. All I can say is I found it well worth the hard work required to read it, and it was obvious from early in the book I would give it a five star rating.
Nevertheless I found this a fascinating book. I found the main protagist Boubacar a fascinating character though he isn't someone you will easily empathise with. It was really the world building that hooked me. I found it a messy and complicated but that's what makes it interesting. There isn't that much story. I see this described as a detective noir but while the beginning seems as though it's going to be a Raymond Chandler novel with African protagonists the story quickly becomes more complex and subtle than any Chandler book.
It's for me to recommend this book because I suspect it's going to be polarising. I can see many readers getting fed up with the complexity and giving up. All I can say is I found it well worth the hard work required to read it, and it was obvious from early in the book I would give it a five star rating.
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