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We Won't Fade Into Darkness
An abusive father is forced out of safety to find his runaway son in a world where males are going extinct and female monarchs have resorted to drastic methods to ensure continuity of the Nigerian race.An Ogbanje travels to a near post-apocalyptic Nigeria from the past with a solution even she is not aware of.In a Nigeria where the British never left, a white boy who lives in Lagos seizes a banned book from one of his father’s Nigerian household serfs and their friendship yields disastrous consequences in Passion Fruit.In We Won’t Fade into Darkness the past and future comes to a head, indiscriminate exploitation of oil eventually yields Nigerium, a gaseous element that poisons air, destroys reproductive organs and drives people insane.The common thread in these stories apart from the country of its setting is the lifeblood of every indigene, hope.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 16, 2019
A collection of short speculative fiction. This book will leave you mesmerized on the imagination of the author. It has thirteen short stories which centers around Nigeria where its people are becoming extinct. The air and water is poison with Nigerium, a new element that exist in gaseous form which poisons the brain and bone. There are short stories where people are competing for the basics of life and becoming savages to live; therefore, learning to kill in the darkness. A brain that has deteriorated on Nigerium will turn to cannibalism.
There is the story of The Killing Mountain where people would jump off the mountain to commit suicide. Sometimes the deaths were not instantaneous and people lived for a few days. This leads into the story of the man who lived for almost a year on the The Killing Mountain. He kept others company who did not die immediately. Sweeping the vultures away from them until they actually passed away. At the time of his death, he saw the great fight between the black jaguar and black mamba.
Stories where poetry was outlawed and those who wrote any poetry was put to death immediately. Where seeing a blank piece of paper was a rare occurrence to be valued for a lifetime. Speculative fiction of a women ruled society where men followed orders and where captured, by women, to be husbands in order to procreate only. I think GOG will like this read because it requires you to read for complete comprehension and use your imagination to visualize the events.
Quotes:
Some tech kid in what used to be India had altered his eyes for night vision.
There were fourteen apartments on their floor, each having sufficient food to last a day and they were to stay here for two weeks.
We have to be fast Geezus, or we will lose Mama. It is cold outside; is it not?
There is the story of The Killing Mountain where people would jump off the mountain to commit suicide. Sometimes the deaths were not instantaneous and people lived for a few days. This leads into the story of the man who lived for almost a year on the The Killing Mountain. He kept others company who did not die immediately. Sweeping the vultures away from them until they actually passed away. At the time of his death, he saw the great fight between the black jaguar and black mamba.
Stories where poetry was outlawed and those who wrote any poetry was put to death immediately. Where seeing a blank piece of paper was a rare occurrence to be valued for a lifetime. Speculative fiction of a women ruled society where men followed orders and where captured, by women, to be husbands in order to procreate only. I think GOG will like this read because it requires you to read for complete comprehension and use your imagination to visualize the events.
Quotes:
Some tech kid in what used to be India had altered his eyes for night vision.
There were fourteen apartments on their floor, each having sufficient food to last a day and they were to stay here for two weeks.
We have to be fast Geezus, or we will lose Mama. It is cold outside; is it not?
October 28, 2018
Review here https://thezyzah.wordpress.com/2018/1...
Beautiful Read!! A collection of short speculative fiction.
Whether you are a lover of speculative fiction or not, this book has some stories that would leave you staring at the wall, marvelled at the way the imagination of the writer birthed a Nigeria so utterly fictional and utterly real at the same time.
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Beautiful Read!! A collection of short speculative fiction.
Whether you are a lover of speculative fiction or not, this book has some stories that would leave you staring at the wall, marvelled at the way the imagination of the writer birthed a Nigeria so utterly fictional and utterly real at the same time.
.
December 14, 2018
Short and stirring. I liked the common thread of defiance❤ I've looked forward to Tj's work for a long time and this didn't disappoint.
October 2, 2021
I've been wanting to review this book for a while now but always get busy but I guess I am ready now. While I lived through the pages of this book, only one word kept floating out of my mouth. WOW! That was the word and so was my expression and experiences.
The writer, T.J Benson has a great imagination that keeps you in awe. This imagination is accompanied by excellent penmanship that gets you to see, hear, taste, smell and feel exactly what the author wanted you to. It is mesmerising! To see how all the new elements he added to the country, Nigeria, appear so real that it is hard to believe this is just fiction—speculative fiction, to be specific. The writer is creative beyond doubt. I would give it to him for his excellent worldbuilding—the new inventions like Nigerium, the added flavour of defiance to each storyline, the stories having a statement to make, etc. Each story, though unique with its own storyline and style, are stringed in a way that they form a harmonious whole.
I would definitely count "We Won't Fade Into Darkness" as part of my best short story collections of the decade! And I would recommend it to you...
The writer, T.J Benson has a great imagination that keeps you in awe. This imagination is accompanied by excellent penmanship that gets you to see, hear, taste, smell and feel exactly what the author wanted you to. It is mesmerising! To see how all the new elements he added to the country, Nigeria, appear so real that it is hard to believe this is just fiction—speculative fiction, to be specific. The writer is creative beyond doubt. I would give it to him for his excellent worldbuilding—the new inventions like Nigerium, the added flavour of defiance to each storyline, the stories having a statement to make, etc. Each story, though unique with its own storyline and style, are stringed in a way that they form a harmonious whole.
I would definitely count "We Won't Fade Into Darkness" as part of my best short story collections of the decade! And I would recommend it to you...
November 20, 2018
We Won't Fade Into Darkness is collection of speculative short stories, mostly on a poisonous gas, Nigerium (a name I particularly love), and the struggles to survive in a world without balance. Nigerium may stand as our choices, as our political leaders, as anything that makes us barely alive, that makes us strive too hard to survive.
As I read the first story, Pretty Bird, what I thought was 'Tj, I adore your imagination'
I loved The Killing Mountain. I don't know how TJ imagined all of that, but it was emotional. Brilliant. Fierce.
I found Jidenna theatrically boring.
I thought that Room 101 was going to take me on a fantastic ride, but after the beginning part, it shocked me with a certain kind of traditional dullness that comes with some speculative fiction
I liked Life In Earth for its flow and questions and how it ended, but I didn't like it for only showing us beautiful things without actually saying anything.
Passion Fruit was completely beautiful. Like I said before, I love your imagination. The imagery was absolutely stunning. It could be developed into a novel.
In Alarinka, I wanted more. I wanted the plants to be able to talk, to be able to express themselves. I wanted them to tell how they've saved the humans and absorbed most of the poison, and how the poison feels like manure and rain and sunlight.
I loved I Can't Breathe for its tenacity. And the way it ended just makes me want to slap TJ, but that also, I think, is just right on the spot.
An Abundance of Yellow Paper is a combination of the past and the future. Within the few minutes you'll read the story, you'd find yourself asking questions, picturing things from the past, thinking of the future, hoping that things won't go bad, that like the poet wrote on one of the papers the little boy picked, we won't fade into darkness.
As I read the first story, Pretty Bird, what I thought was 'Tj, I adore your imagination'
I loved The Killing Mountain. I don't know how TJ imagined all of that, but it was emotional. Brilliant. Fierce.
I found Jidenna theatrically boring.
I thought that Room 101 was going to take me on a fantastic ride, but after the beginning part, it shocked me with a certain kind of traditional dullness that comes with some speculative fiction
I liked Life In Earth for its flow and questions and how it ended, but I didn't like it for only showing us beautiful things without actually saying anything.
Passion Fruit was completely beautiful. Like I said before, I love your imagination. The imagery was absolutely stunning. It could be developed into a novel.
In Alarinka, I wanted more. I wanted the plants to be able to talk, to be able to express themselves. I wanted them to tell how they've saved the humans and absorbed most of the poison, and how the poison feels like manure and rain and sunlight.
I loved I Can't Breathe for its tenacity. And the way it ended just makes me want to slap TJ, but that also, I think, is just right on the spot.
An Abundance of Yellow Paper is a combination of the past and the future. Within the few minutes you'll read the story, you'd find yourself asking questions, picturing things from the past, thinking of the future, hoping that things won't go bad, that like the poet wrote on one of the papers the little boy picked, we won't fade into darkness.
December 18, 2020
This book reads like a fan fiction of one of Nneji Okoroafor’s works. Or worse still, a rough draft from a Nigerian author who is trying to finish his book before NEPA takes light, as per the publisher is on his neck.
Hurriedly written, with dialogue you can only be saying in your dreams, not when you are awake and sober because who can you be saying “Nigerium” to in real life and they won’t think you are mad.
Honestly, I probably enjoyed just the first story “Pretty Bird” and the last one “An Abundance of Yellow Paper”. They were great no doubt. I am sure the author will still do great things, and write more great books. So I am definitely looking forward to that.
But this was just a bad read, just like Buhari is a bad boy.
Hurriedly written, with dialogue you can only be saying in your dreams, not when you are awake and sober because who can you be saying “Nigerium” to in real life and they won’t think you are mad.
Honestly, I probably enjoyed just the first story “Pretty Bird” and the last one “An Abundance of Yellow Paper”. They were great no doubt. I am sure the author will still do great things, and write more great books. So I am definitely looking forward to that.
But this was just a bad read, just like Buhari is a bad boy.
September 6, 2025
This short story collection takes a fantasy and dystopian approach to Nigeria’s past, present and future. It felt like an alternate timeline or parallel reality to the Nigeria we know to exist in the 21st century. The book draws extensively on Nigerias rich history and folklore. The author seems to ask the reader to consider how the society we live in today will shape the world of tomorrow.
Each story was beautifully written and full of gorgeous prose. However I just felt I wasn’t clever enough to read it or certainly at least to grasp everything the text was trying to say. Some of the stories I fully understood; some I understood enough; and some just lost me. Perhaps that was the point? To make me question myself? I’m honestly not too sure.
Each story was beautifully written and full of gorgeous prose. However I just felt I wasn’t clever enough to read it or certainly at least to grasp everything the text was trying to say. Some of the stories I fully understood; some I understood enough; and some just lost me. Perhaps that was the point? To make me question myself? I’m honestly not too sure.
March 25, 2019
This collection of speculative short stories, set in post apocalyptic Nigeria is just fire. From stories like Jidenna (My favorite) to Alarinka and Passion fruit (Also favorites), T. J. Benson really finish work on top this wan abeg!🔥
December 25, 2025
So much room to grow.
This was a five start literary mind forming.
This set of stories preface and project into l'avenir what Nigeria could look like. Inspired by his time in Taraba, it is a body of work that carries a depth. We discuss this more on the Book Relay on YouTube
This was a five start literary mind forming.
This set of stories preface and project into l'avenir what Nigeria could look like. Inspired by his time in Taraba, it is a body of work that carries a depth. We discuss this more on the Book Relay on YouTube
January 7, 2021
Astounding. One of the most exciting collections I've read in years.
The author is generous of spirit: offering up his feverish ideas, incendiary storylines and powerful, wounded characters with the air of a demigod revealing life's terrible truths in all their Technicolor glory.
The author is generous of spirit: offering up his feverish ideas, incendiary storylines and powerful, wounded characters with the air of a demigod revealing life's terrible truths in all their Technicolor glory.
January 15, 2019
Beautiful stories
Beautiful stories. Beautiful words. There is a lyricism to the telling of the stories. Abundance of yellow papers was my favorite story.
Beautiful stories. Beautiful words. There is a lyricism to the telling of the stories. Abundance of yellow papers was my favorite story.
December 4, 2022
La Tonya Jordan recommended:
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews