The royal trials - Kwame Mbalia

From Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel David Makonnen comes
an action-packed Afrofuturist adventure about a mythical Ethiopian
empire. Sci-fi and fantasy combine in this epic journey to the
stars.

Yared has traveled light years to find his place in the universe.
Though the battle of Addis Prime is over, the spacefaring Axum
Empire is still fractured, and returning to the planet where their
galaxy-spanning civilization began -Earth.

But they find the planet in disarray. Old Earth's atmosphere is
a mess of junked shuttles and satellites. This is especially true
of Debris Town, an orbital flotilla where poor spacefarers - left
to rot by the Intergalactic Union that rose up in Axum's place
- have taken to piracy to survive.

Yared is set to speak at the opening of the Royal Trials, a competition
of the best exo pilots in the Sol System. But on the day
of his speech, the pirates launch an attack! The siege sets off
a chain of events that will lead Yared into the depths of Old Earth
- and the jaws of a cruel betrayal. There's more to the pirates
- and Debris Town - than anyone saw coming...

• Black Panther meets Star Wars - bold, action-packed,
  high-stakes storytelling, told by #OwnVoices creators.


• For fans of Percy Jackson.


• This sci-fi adventure is loosely based on the real-life story
  of the author HRH Prince Joel Makonnen, a member of the Ethiopian
  royal family, and is full of Ethiopian myth and folklore.

REVIEWS OF LAST GATE OF THE EMPEROR #1

Inspired by the history and lore of Ethiopia, this cinematic space
adventure introduces 12-year-old Yared Heywat as he fights to
protect those he loves after learning stunning secrets about his
world and himself ... In this fast-paced, Afrofuturist homage to
Ethiopia, Mbalia and Ethiopian prince Makonnen craft an enthralling
tale of resilience, family, and bravery that will entertain
young sci-fi lovers.-Publisher's Weekly

Action-packed technothriller ... Readers will delight in Yared's
puckish demeanor and perspective, his loyal bionic lioness, Besa,
and the events that ensue as all of Yared's childhood stories
come to life in a terrifying way, from dangerous monsters to mysterious
floating realms. In this vivid, volatile Afrofuturist sf
world, as Yared journeys to learn about himself and his spiraling
environment, he must figure out who to trust and how he is connected
to all of the chaos.-Booklist

An epic sci-fi adventure-The Nerd Daily