Yessoh’s riveting series opener moves at a steady clip. Even when scenes linger on the environment, readers continually learn more about the characters and the developing plot. For example, as Kobenan slowly walks through Sector 0 for the first time, he sees bizarre creatures (both inmates and guards) inside a seemingly inescapable prison. The novel’s action comes in exhilarating bursts, from Kobenan and Biafle’s fleeing alarmingly fast "prison dogs" to Joel’s facing off against ferocious beings.
TA LĘ: Book 1: Knowledge, by Yessoh G.D., bears all the hallmarks of a classic fantasy tale. There’s a pair of intriguing protagonists, an expansive world, and, of course, magic. Still, it’s downright refreshing to read genre fiction that’s not indebted to the Tolkien-verse. Be it the hero’s journey narrative or the prevalence of supernatural elements (like demons and sorcerers), Yessoh’s novel infuses tried and true genre staples with a fresh, unfamiliar element: African culture.
Yessoh G.D. molded a fantastic novel that adventures into a realm of sorcery, evil, action and rich characters.
Yessoh G.D.’s African heritage played a central role in the elaboration of the novel. Readers will dive into an enriching world of fantastic beasts, and they will learn more about the multifaceted face of Africa. Highly cultural and entertaining, Knowledge or Ta Lę is a novel that fantasy and adventure lovers would learn from and enjoy.
Experience riveting excitement as Yessoh unfolds the mystery and thrusts you into the occult.
Discover the secrets as two worlds collapse at thunderbolt speed. Interpenetration of African culture in supernatural thriller, sets the storyline apart.
The author's lively imagination, finely honed central characters, and descriptive style immerses the reader in vividly crafted world.
In this captivating and fast-pacing narrative, Yessoh G. D. creates an African setting both real and magical and, most important, in which boundaries are never clear cut. What separates sorcery from Kobenan’s working office or the governing political elite ? Here Yessoh G. D. revisits the fantasy genre by paying an homage to West African ancestral rites and culture.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real world clash with fantasy world
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021
I received a copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
This book was interesting, well-written, strangely addicting, unbelievable, and believable. Confused? So was I. It was two stories that came together in a very unexpected way grabbing my imagination. We see a real world and surreal world clash in a battle for existence.
Young and old heroes, adversaries, victors, vanquished all with the will to keep going. The battle scenes were descriptive and exciting. This book is a fascinating read from an imaginative writer. I highly recommend it to any and all fantasy, adventure readers.
5.0 out of 5 stars
best read of the year!
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021
Won in a GoodReads giveaway.
This has been the best book I have read in a long time! There was so much action and the story line and world building was superior! I will have to purchase a hard copy of this book for sure. I can’t wait until the next installment comes out. I could visualize everything like a graphic novel that’s how descriptive and amazing this read was!
Thank you so much fora sending me this gem to review!
5.0 out of 5 stars
So good!!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021
I am a visual learner and was a bit intimidated when I paged through the content of this book. However; The actual read was an unanticipated experience. The attention to detail made the book’s content down-to-earth; and challenge the reader’s mind to escape alongside the author’s in this African world: A world with a perfect blend of the African culture, modern life as we know it, heartfelt and exhilarating actions_with a hint of humor.
I am not giving this book five stars because it was perfect, as perfection is very subjective. However, this book deserves five stars because it holds the potential to be the next great read out there. As great as Game of Thrones, if not better.
With this in mind, Kobenan’s story was very compelling to me. A fragile human being among titans compressed in much smaller ordinary human shapes. Foes or allies, it didn’t matter as his survival mode needed to stay at its finest. I think his story gave life to this book. I had a hard time, however; Transitioning from one momentum builder to the other (Joel’s). It took me several days to finish the book. Hence, I would lose track of what happened in Story “X” while engaging Story “Y.” I eventually had to go back in pages and refresh my memory, lengthening the reading time.
That wasn’t the only time-consuming trigger. If you want to absorb this book, you have to immerse yourself and not shortcut your reading. You will miss out on details that eventually take shape down the overall story. This book is not for the lazy mind. I got to say: I was guilty of this couple of times during my read. I had to go back multiple times and shed light on few things that made the whole reading experience purposeful and unique.
Book I: Knowledge is so adaptable that all readers, from any background, will eventually relate to something. With Joel’s story being as thrilling, I will not be surprised if it is the best attention grabber for most readers.
It’s a must-read, and I can’t wait for the sequels.
4.0 out of 5 stars
out of this world!
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021
Reading Yessoh G.D.’s novel was a delightful surprise. His writing style is enjoyable, and his African heritage played a dazzling role when developing this novel. The development of events follows the logic of a rollercoaster where the author slowly builds expectancy on what is next to then drop the reader into a pit full of monsters, sorcerers, myths, and djinns.
The author crafted this novel with the intent to push you forward into reading more and more without stopping. Sometimes, the story slowed down almost to a halt as the author develops a different storyline into the novel. Knowledge is highly engaging, cultural, sharp, and enjoyable. The characters are well created and have depth. There was not one character that did not add value to the story and the development of the plot.
Smartly done, Yessoh ends the first novel with a satisfying cliffhanger while promising more adventures and cinematic fighting scenes worth being adapted to the big screen.
4.0 out of 5 stars
West African Mythological Thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2022
I received a review copy of this eBook for free from the author and BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily as a courtesy.
I was trying to find something new and completely different to read and the description of this book piqued my interest. I have to say, that the author did not disappoint and I was taken to a magical West African world and introduced to entirely new (to me) tales of folklore, mythology, and history with an action-packed narrative. The book follows two main storylines, those of Kobenan and Joel, that converge toward the end leaving off at a nice point to continue the story further. I found the book to be engaging and very much a page-turner! I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future!
I found this book fascinating, thrilling, mystical, and smart.
Set in a country bordering Cameroon (and throughout Middle Africa) this is the first book in a tale of the Apocalypse. Not the Satan vs God thing, but the very real (currently happening) apocalypse of humanity at war with itself. Is greed ruining the planet we depend on for breathable air, drinkable water, healthy food? Is it better for some to profit greatly or for all to live comfortably, if at all?
The story begins with a young governmental analyst, Kobenan, and the head of S-Cell (super secret service), Bialfe, sent off by presidential decree to investigate the death of a Brazilian minister. The death might be blamed on African sorcerers and the president needs the truth. This serious but containable matter soon spirals into a much larger, far more dangerous situation as facts and events unfold. Those events include a prison break from a very secure sorcerer’s prison and thwarting the abduction of a young girl. Meanwhile, graduating senior student, Joel, who can see the menacing shadow creatures no one else appears to, intervenes to save Miranda, fellow student, from death by said creatures. This action sends the shadow creatures to his home and his parents are killed, his sister abducted. Joel has no idea who either of these young women really are but sets off to rescue his sister, unaware of anything supernatural except the shadow creatures. His story and Kobenan’s eventually intersect.
I love reading books set in different mythological traditions and how they’re interpreted by a given author. Yessoh G.D. has done a brilliant job in Tale Book I. The pages flew by and my only regret is that it ended too soon.
Rated it really liked it
Shelves: fiction-fantasy, fiction-africa
I surprised myself with just how much I enjoyed reading this fast-paced fantasy adventure! It’s not a genre I would usually choose and I only picked TA LĘ Book 1: Knowledge from NetGalley because of its being a WorldReads book. However, on the strength of this first TA LĘ novel, I am keen to read its sequel(s).
I appreciated how Yessoh initially gives readers enough information to traverse his world of djinn and dark sorcerers, but didn’t bog us down with too much detail. Instead we learn alongside our naive heroes, Kobenan and Joel, as they are each thrust in scenes they could previously never have imagined. I was intrigued by the overall story arc which did come to a satisfying conclusion at the end of this first book, but which obviously has a lot more to be revealed in further instalments. I hope the female characters take centre stage because the story so far is overwhelmingly male in focus. I did like how philosophy and folklore were woven into the narrative.
While TA LĘ Book 1: Knowledge felt refreshingly original, there was also a sense of timelessness which really rooted this story for me. I could believe the allusions to ancient peoples and wisdom were absolutely true and this made the modern-day chaos feel plausible. I did occasionally lose track of who was who in the rapid fight scenes, but they were still exciting to read and the pace throughout this book kept me eagerly turning its pages. I was disappointed to reach the end!
Rated it it was amazing
I really enjoyed this book. The writing style is unique, but it reminded me of talking to family members in Africa. This book is a fantasy based on African culture and legends. I loved the message about nature and a world out of balance. I loved the references to African culture and the magic involved with fetishes and djinn. The action built as the book went on, eventually leading to intense fight scenes. Two separate storylines converge as the fate of the world is at stake. Supernatural forces confront each other with much of mankind unaware of what is actually going on and what the stakes are. I am anxious to read the next book in the series and find out what happens to Joel and Kobenan, two young men who have unwittingly been dragged into this supernatural conflict. I am eager to see how this author progresses in style and ability. In my opinion, he has great potential
Rated it it was amazing
I won this book in exchange for an honest review. This book starts with a bang that never relents. I was hooked within the first 20 pages. It was not what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am definitely looking forward to book 2 to find out how this story, and war, play out.
Rated it it was amazing
Yessoh G.D. is the author of this book called TA LE Book 1: Knowledge. Where the readers will be introduced to the wonderful culture of Africa. When the young agent Kobenan was given the task of organizing secret files from the West African government, he soon finds out that mystery and sorcery are going to join him along the way.
This book was at least enlightening. I realize I don’t know much about the African Culture and this story has opened my eyes to the amazing stories and life of that continent. Even though the plot can get a bit confusing at times, I really enjoyed the story. The characters develop quickly and the very descriptive scenery Yessoh was able to put down into words painted the picture very vividly and I am here for it! A great novel that is highly recommended!
Rated it really liked it
It is a one-of-a-kind mystery adventure. I don’t know why but the cover really intrigued me and I made the right choice to read it.
A very well researched and written book. I can feel the passion of the author writing this book, where the attention to the culture details of the scene is impeccable. I don’t know why but maybe because there are gods and goddesses involved the story, it is just too hard to let go. So, you definitely need time to read this and enjoy the whole thing in 2 or 3 sittings. The dialogues are very well written and you can feel the emotion of each and every character, definitely a good read. Can’t wait for the next instalments.
Rated it it was amazing
This suspense and fantasy novel is one of a kind. These are my favourite genres and the ones that I choose whenever I want to read something interesting and entertaining, and Tale: Book 1: Knowledge written by Yessoh G.D. didn’t disappoint me. On the contrary, I really enjoyed it.
Mixing fantasy, suspense, mystery and the paranormal, this book tells the story of Kobenan who is hired to work in the special services for the West African government of Côte d’Esperance. There, he will have to investigate and solve mysterious occurrences that seem to be related to African mysticism and sorcery. As the case grows more and more complicated, the protagonists will realise that there are forces that cannot be seen but which play a role in their lives. This hard-hitting, fast-moving plot is complemented with well-drawn characters and a descriptive prose to create this great story. I highly recommend it.