WAKING THE WARRIORS

266pp., paperback, Head of Zeus, London, 2026

ISBN: 9781035923380

In this modern day fable the greatest enemy is not the tyrant forcing his soldiers on, but the dark forces draining people's will to resist

As invaders prepare to smash the last resistance in Neverreach, Mel, Rosa and Apibus, driven by the loss of loved ones, inspired by old stories and guided by a mysterious star, set out to save their world by rousing the sleeping warriors. But before they can do that, they must find the witch who alone knows how to wake these mythical figures.

 Sir Ben Okri was born in Minna, Nigeria, and his childhood was divided between Nigeria and London. His novel, The Famished Road, won the 1991 Booker Prize. His many other books include the eco-fable Every Leaf a Hallelujah, the play Changing Destiny, the climate fiction Tiger Work, the poetry collections A Fire in My Head and Wild, the novels Songs of Enchantment, The Last Gift of the Master Artists, Astonishing the Gods, and Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken-Hearted, and the essay collection A Way of Being Free. He was knighted in 2023 for services to Literature.