“History is only a story, told by those with power to justify why they have it. The truth does not bend to power’s whims.”

These words came near the end of The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi. It is the follow-up novella to the excellent The Lies of the Ajungo I read last week. The Truth of the Aleke continues the story of the City of the Truth, five hundred years later after the events taken place in the first novella. The city is the only free place in the Forever Desert and has survived constant attacks throughout its turbulent history.

Osi, a sixteen-year-old teenager, is the central character in the story. He is known as a Junior Peacekeeper responsible for safeguarding the city. A mysterious leader from a faction called The Cult of Tutu (Tutu was the hero in The Lies of the Ajungo) leads a massacre on the City of the Truth and takes the sacred God’s Eyes into his possession. Osi steps forward to defend the city and take down the Cult of Tutu leader.

However, Osi discovers the truth of about the Cult of Tutu and gets put in a position that has only one way out. His realization dawns that truth and lies live on opposite sides of a coin, but there is a darker truth than what he was brought up to believe.

Utomi writes in his postscript, “In many ways, I believe Tutu is who I wish myself to be—someone who is searching for the truth and, when they find it, responds with power and action. Osi, however, is who I fear myself to be—someone who is searching for the truth so fervently that he can be easily manipulated by anyone who purports to have it.”

The story in The Truth of the Aleke reads how Utomi describes it in his postscript. It was an unsettling story, but a necessary one for the series. I will admit I did not enjoy this second novella as much as the first one. However, I am looking forward to the last installment of the series, as I am curious to see how the author will wrap up these narratives centered around the theme of truth and deception.