Esperance

De: Adam Oyebanji

Narrado por: Délé Ogundiran

A whip-smart thriller in the vein of Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Neal Stephenson, Esperance plumbs the depths of a seemingly impossible crime rooted in racism, intergenerational trauma, and an inhuman concept of justice

Detective Ethan Krol is on the twentieth floor of a Chicago apartment building. A father and son have been found dead—their lungs full of seawater hundreds of miles from the ocean.

Abidemi Eniola has arrived in Bristol, England. She claims to be Nigerian, but her accent is wrong and she can do remarkable things with technology, things that Abi’s new friend, Hollie Rogers, has never seen before. Abi is in possession of a number of heirlooms that need to be returned to their rightful owners and Hollie is more than happy to go along for the ride.

But neither Abidemi Eniola nor her heirlooms are quite what they seem. Abidemi is a target of Ethan Krol’s investigations and Hollie’s life is about to become far more uncomfortable than she bargained for. In a clash of cultures, and histories and different ideas about right and wrong, Hollie’s safety is very much at risk. Someone’s justice will have to give way, and the consequences will be deadly.

©2025 Adam Oyebanji (P)2025 Dreamscape Media

Now that's afrofuturism done right

Part detective mystery, part sci-fi, part historical fiction, part racial social commentary, this book should be the archetype for black sci-fi. No spoilers but making it into a movie would actually ruin it. the way the author plays with what we imagine about the characters and what we are actually told gives another layer to the story.

The characters are realistic and interact so naturally. The pacing is perfect. The sci-fi tech is hard sci-fi but palatable to people who aren't hard-core sci-fi fans. Great sci-fi books lean into the details and this one does so perfectly. That tiny mystery you are trying to solve all throughout the story gives texture and depth to an already engrossing story. Definitely one of my favorite sci-fi stories and I've read my fair share.

A thought provoking story

I liked how the story unwound. The explanation for all that happened came near the end. It was worth the ride.