Solaris is excited to announce the acquisition of Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi, and a second novel, for the UK.
Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Already shunned as social pariahs, living conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her blacksmith guild grow even worse under Yorùbá rule.
Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.
In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy becomes too enticing to resist. And as tensions with rival states reveal elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, she must re-forge the shaky loyalties of the court to her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.
UK/BC, excluding Canada, English Language Rights were acquired by David Moore from Chris Scheina at Forge Books.
Masquerade will be released on 4th July 2024.
Author O.O. Sangoyomi on the acquisition:
“I am delighted that my debut novel has found a home at Solaris. I cannot wait to introduce my Medieval West African retelling to the United Kingdom.”
Acquiring Editor David Moore:
“I’m delighted to be bringing this wonderful book to the British market. Masquerade is a visceral, powerful, gorgeously written book that will introduce readers to a world they know too little about.”
O.O. Sangoyomi (she/her) is a Nigerian American author with a penchant for African mythology and history. During a childhood of constantly moving around within the U.S., she found an anchored home in the fictional worlds of books. Sangoyomi is a graduate of Princeton University, where she studied English and African American Studies. Masquerade is her debut novel.
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