Lagos Noir (Akashic Noir Series)

"A stellar cast of award-winning Nigerian authors . . . a must-read for crime lovers looking for something different."— Brittle Paper In Akashic Books's acclaimed series of original noir anthologies, each book comprises all new stories set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Now, West Africa enters the Noir Series arena, meticulously edited by one of Nigeria's best-known authors. In Lagos Noir , the stories are set in "a city of more than 21 million and an amazing amalgam of wealth, poverty, corruption, humor, bravery, and tragedy. Abani and a dozen other contributors tell stories that are both unique to Lagos and universal in their humanity . . . This entry stands as one of the strongest recent additions to Akashic's popular noir series" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review, pick of the week). The anthology includes stories by Chris Abani, Nnedi Okorafor, E.C. Osondu, Jude Dibia, Chika Unigwe, A. Igoni Barrett, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Adebola Rayo, Onyinye Ihezukwu, Uche Okonkwo, Wale Lawal, 'Pemi Aguda, and Leye Adenle. "The beauty of this book, which contains 13 stories from Nigerian writers, is that it serves as a travelogue, too."— Bloomberg , "The Darkest Summer Reading List for Those Bright, Beachy Days" "With writers like Igoni Barrett, Leye Adenle, and E.C. Osondu contributing, Lagos Noir offers wildly different perspectives on both the city itself and the state of noir fiction. This book is almost like a world in itself, one that you'll want to dive back into and get lost in again and again."— CrimeReads , "One of the 10 Best Crime Anthologies of 2018" West Africa enters the Noir Series arena, meticulously edited by one of Nigerias best-known authors. Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir . Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Brand-new stories by : Chris Abani, Nnedi Okorafor, E.C. Osondu, Jude Dibia, Chika Unigwe, A. Igoni Barrett, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Adebola Rayo, Onyinye Ihezukwu, Uche Okonkwo, Wale Lawal, Pemi Aguda, and Leye Adenle. From What They Did that Night by contributor Jude Dibia: Everything from then on seemed to happen fast, just like life in Lagosthe real Lagos, not the make-believe utopia of these island estates, where rich peoples children rode fancy bicycles, played basketball, and had nannies and gatemen. Complete darkness came swiftly. Lagos nights could be unforgiving. From Just Ignore and Try to Endure by contributor A. Igoni Barrett: For anyone can see that Lagos is a city of ratsthey far outnumber the twenty million human inhabitants. They live in our homes, feed better than we do on our waste, and adapt more quickly to the poisons and anthropogenic microbes wiping us off the earth. Even today no map of Lagos would be complete without a rats-eye view of the garbage landfills and trash-choked canals, the mechanic workshops bursting with metallic skeletons dusted in rust, the polluted subsoil devoid of plant root networks, the crumbling foundations of concrete constructions, the underground labyrinth of household septic tanks leaking sludge into the groundwater. The rotting underbelly of the city we built for the rats. "Lagos has, like many coastal cities, a very checkered and noir past. It is the largest city in Nigeria and its former capital. It is also the largest megacity on the African continent, with a population approximating twenty-one million, and by itself is the fourth-largest economy in Africa ... It is rumored that there are more canals in Lagos than in Venice. Except in Lagos they are often unintentional. Gutters that have become waterways and lagoons fenced in by stilt homes or full of logs for a timber industry most of us don't know exists. All of it skated by canoes as slick as any dragonfly. There are currently no moonlight or other gondola rides available ... The thirteen stories that comprise this volume stretch the boundaries of "noir" fiction, but each one of them fully captures the essence of noir, the unsettled darkness that continues to lurk in the city's streets, alleys, and waterways ... Together, these stories create an unchartered path through the center of Lagos and out to its peripheries, revealing so much more truth at the heart of this tremendous city than any guidebook, TV show, film, or book you are likely to find."-- Cover page [4] Part I: Cops & Robbers. What They Did That Night / Jude Dibia -- Heaven's Gate / Chika Unigwe -- Showlogo / Nnedi Okorafor -- Just Ignore And Try To Endure / A. Igoni Barrett -- Part Ii: In A Family Way. The Swimming Pool / Sara Ladipo Manyika -- What Are You Going To Do? / Adebola Rayo -- For Baby, For Three / Onyinye Ihezukwu -- Eden / Uche Okonkwo -- Joy / Wale Lawal -- Part Iii: Arrivals & Departures. Choir Boy / 'pemi Aguda -- The Walking Stick / E.c. Osundu -- Uncle Sam / Leye Adenle -- Killer Ape / Chris Abani. Edited By Chris Abani.