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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In David Wraith’s The Last Quest For Water, the year is 1935, with Ethiopia facing invasion by fascist Italy as Emperor Haile Selassie sends palace eunuch Semayawe “Sema” Melaku west across Africa on a secret mission. Sema must use a Ge’ez codex to locate a sacred rod hidden where three rivers become one, although the clues offer no simple route to the relic. Italian mercenary Franco Renato learns of the quest through research left by his dead brother, prompting him to pursue Sema across the Sahel. As war overtakes Ethiopia, Sema travels deeper into unfamiliar territory beside refugees who have come to depend on him. Franco closes the distance, leaving Sema less time to understand the codex before the rod falls into another man’s hands.
In The Last Quest For Water, David Wraith creates historical fiction seen from the inside. Wraith shows command of the era by placing researched detail inside ordinary action, making history part of the story itself. That command is evident when an Italian military order arrives by rotary telephone, then when Chadian relief workers rely on telegraph contact with French officials. The same understanding gives the characterization real substance, since people respond according to their beliefs. Zaki’s welcome of Sema changes after the Hijrah is invoked, while Mussolini’s private discussion of Ethiopian annexation reflects the imperial thinking behind Italy’s campaign itself. The prose moves easily between Sema’s conversations and the physical demands of travel across the Sahel. The pacing gives Sema’s relationships room to register, and it kept me invested. This is an easy book to recommend for even the most discerning fans of historical fiction.
