{"product_id":"the-city-of-factories-paperback","title":"The City of Factories - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eNaomi Eselojor\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSet in an alternative steampunk Nigeria, Naomi Eselojor's Africanfuturist novella is a tale of community sheltering, resistance, and technological responsibility, for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, and Wole Talabi.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1859, Nigeria. In the fishing village of Itu Agan, nine-year-old Alabi and his inventor father test a new steamboat prototype when a platoon of automaton soldiers raid their village. The metal invaders execute the village chief and capture Korede, Alabi's father, leaving him and his mother alone and devastated.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is no choice but to accept the new order. All the village boys begin work as fishermen and plantation farmers as soon as they become teenagers and, for nine long years, Alabi must put the promise of invention nurtured in his childhood to rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen he discovers that his father Korede is alive, working for the colonizer regime, Alabi is determined to reconnect with him. After years of hard work to obtain a travel permit and with threats of his mother's imprisonment should he not return in two months, Alabi sails to the city of factories, unprepared for the resistance that is brewing and the adventure that awaits...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNaomi Eselojor\u003c\/b\u003e is a speculative fiction writer from Nigeria and a global talent migrant endorsed by Arts Council England for her contributions to Africanfuturism. She is the recipient of the 2023 Utopian Award for Short Fiction and the 2024 Wilson Okereke Prize for Short Stories, and has also been a finalist for the Nommo Award as well as nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Ako Caine Prize for African Writing, and Utopian Awards. Naomi's works have appeared in \u003ci\u003eAfrofuturism Short Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAfrican Ghost Short Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e2022 Best of Utopian Speculative Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOmenana Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLolwe\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHexagon Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDark Matter Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. Among other programs, Naomi is an alum of the Milford Writer's Workshop, the Voodoonauts Fellowship, and served as a SprinNG mentor in 2024 and 2025. Most recently, she was selected to run a workshop with the London Writers Centre's Developing Tutors 2025\/2026 season. She resides in the United Kingdom. Discover more at her website: naomieselojor.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 208\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.61 x 7.91 x 4.91 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 13, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50983646363787,"sku":"9781968143206","price":22.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0670\/2579\/7259\/files\/UvQs1UgwxT9781968143206.webp?v=1793300077","url":"https:\/\/thetaletrade.com\/products\/the-city-of-factories-paperback","provider":"The Tale Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}