Obligation


Fiction - Science Fiction
268 Pages
Reviewed on 06/01/2023
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Kolyossi Lemah is a filmmaker by day, author by night, and a full time imagination voyager.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Obligation is a work in the science fiction, interpersonal drama, and adventure subgenres, forming the first installment of the Warrant series. It is best suited to the mature YA and adult reading audience owing to some references to drug use, explicit language, and some scenes of violence. Penned by Kolyossi Lemah, this intriguing and cerebral work takes us to a world four centuries into the future of humanity, when the planet has finally become unsustainable. In this apocalyptic world, our protagonist, Woolf, seeks a new beginning when her old life ends in ways she could never have controlled or predicted. However, when Woolf happens upon a young girl needing a mother, she wonders if her chance for a fresh start has arrived.

Kolyossi Lemah has crafted a fantastically conceptual, deeply involved, and yet pacy science fiction novel with many outstanding multi-genre elements. There’s a little crime and mystery, a lot of emotional family drama, atmospheric post-apocalyptic notes, and futurism, all rolled into a character-driven tale of how we may or may not heal from the wounds of our past. One of the things that most impressed me was the multi-sensory approach to the narrative that allows you to feel the physical hardship of survivalism in the story and get into the grit of it alongside the emotional and mental toll this world has on Woolf and those she meets. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Obligation to fans of intelligently penned immersive sci-fi novels, and I can’t wait to see where the rest of this series takes us.

Emma Megan

Obligation by Kolyossi Lemah is a riveting dystopian sci-fi novel set in the ruins of the Old Earth in 2480. The story starts with Ozymandias as he survives a ship crash while in a cage. On her way back to Rockfalls, Woolf finds Ozymandias buried in the sand. Elsewhere, Jar and Bowl are on Old Earth for the first time. They have a specific mission to accomplish, but in the process, they kill every person they meet to map their brains with the Decoder, a very rare device. However, there is an even rarer device called the Encoding Helmet. When Woolf decides to investigate Obligation, she finds no survivors, only corpses. She also discovers that her daughter is among the dead, and guilt overshadows her life. She doesn't know what her child had been doing for the past two years and why she had left her. Woolf is determined to find and punish her daughter's killers, but fate has another plan for her.

Fusing sci-fi and great storytelling, this imaginative dystopian novel will make its mark on every reader. Obligation is a unique, mysterious, and terrifying read about survival, motherhood, death, and human nature in a post-apocalyptic world. It's the first book of a series and is already embarking on a dark, nightmarish journey into the ruins of a violent wasteland and the realm of memories. The creation of an uncanny cast of characters, creepy heart-wrenching prose, and the lack of humanity all contribute to this utterly thought-provoking novel. I highly recommend Obligation by Kolyossi Lemah to fans of dystopian, mystery, and sci-fi novels.

Risah Salazar

Obligation by Kolyossi Lemah describes a world where the future has finally arrived, stretching over four hundred years, and humanity is in shambles. The remnants of civilization residing in the Old Earth fight for survival, including Woolf, who discovers a naked prisoner from a wrecked ship and finds the lifeless body of her daughter all in one day. Despite the unbearable weight of tragedy and loss, Woolf refuses to succumb to misery. As she faces a fork in the road, Woolf is forced to confront her tumultuous past and present struggles. When she encounters a young girl, desperate for a motherly figure, Woolf needs to make a critical decision. Will she cling to the painful memories that have haunted her for so long or embrace life with this new beginning?

The first installment of the Warrant series, Kolyossi Lemah’s Obligation is a promising start that will captivate readers. The world-building in this book is amazing, owing to the author's meticulous attention to detail and ability to weave together various perspectives into a cohesive narrative. The first few chapters are dedicated to introducing the various characters and their respective settings. At first, it may seem far-fetched how these different characters connect, but as the story unfolds, the puzzle pieces fall into place. Lemah skillfully drops in clues bit by bit, leaving the readers to slowly unravel the big picture. Readers are sure to be taken on a great journey as they explore this vividly crafted world. With such a compelling start, it's evident that the rest of the Warrant series will be just as enthralling.

Frank Mutuma

"BB was gone. BB was lost. Time was lost." It had been two years since she had left home, but what had she been doing in Obligation? Woolf had been wandering in the desert when she witnessed the crash of a huge spacecraft. Her principle had always been, "Observe first; watch and wait," which she did before she explored the crash site. Her journey changes when she discovers a special helmet with advanced technology. What powers does the helmet have? Obligation by Kolyossi Lemah is a wonderfully crafted work of science fiction like no other. At the Greenhouse Lodge, Jar and Bowl disrupt Tin in her play; things escalate, and everyone she has ever known is murdered. Are the events at Obligation related to those that happen to the peaceful folk of the Greenhouse Lodge? To find out, get yourself a copy of this amazing book.

Obligation is a thought-provoking page-turner that got me thinking about current societal issues, such as climate change and technology. Coincidentally, I read it when artificial intelligence took the world by storm. What are the effects of such technology on human development? Only time will tell. Kolyossi Lemah has utilized suspense to great effect, and I cannot wait to learn more about the stations and the old Earth in the subsequent books. I also loved how the characters were developed, leading to the systematic unfolding of events and the plot. This ensures that the reader is not confused in any way. Another positive attribute of the book is how vivid Kolyossi is in describing the characters and events. This helped form a mental picture of what was happening. Reading Obligation by Kolyossi Leman is like watching a movie. I can't wait to read more about Tin and Woolf.

Pikasho Deka

Obligation is a dystopian sci-fi thriller by Kolyossi Lemah. Centuries into the future, Earth has become an arid, desolate wasteland, forcing most of the human population to migrate to various space stations and form colonies on Mars. After encountering a naked man amid the wreckage of a fallen spaceship, Woolf, a survivor of Old Earth, comes across a brutal massacre where she finds the dead body of her daughter, BB. With a brain mapping device, Woolf continues her journey and takes the twelve-year-old orphan, Tin, under her wing. But when the two deadly killers, Jar and Bowl, cross her path, Wolf has to work alongside the duo as their goals align. With a lack of trust among the little group, Woolf must choose between being a guardian to Tin and retrieving the memories of her deceased daughter.

Imagine a spaghetti Western set in a futuristic dystopia, and you end up with something like Obligation. Gritty, action-packed, and filled to the brim with suspense and intrigue, Kolyossi Lemah's sci-fi thriller is an absolute page-turner. The story is set in a believable dystopian future where humans have destroyed the planet to the point of no return, and everyone is struggling to survive. Lemah brings a sense of palpable tension and dread to the narrative with realistic fight sequences described in vivid detail, painting a harrowing portrait of the world the characters inhabit. Woolf and Tin's relationship is complex, with the characters having layers of depth under their outer personas. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can't recommend it highly enough.