Premium Times Nigeria publishes review of the novel The Bako of Zereshé
Premium Times Nigeria has published a review of The Bako of Zereshé, the second novel by Nigerian-Irish writer Dexter Loco. The publication’s bibliographic details state that the book was released by GrandTouch Press in 2026. The novel belongs to Afro-inspired fantasy.
Plot of the novel
The book’s protagonist is Jeremy Fletcher, a 22-year-old BBC reporter of British origin who is disillusioned with life. He finds himself in the enchanted land of Zereshé, which is described in the novel as Nigeria’s secret thirty-seventh state. There, Jeremy meets Asha, the prime minister’s daughter; her wary friend Shani; and Chudi, a kind-hearted outcast rejected because he lacks magical abilities.
In the world of Zereshé, Jeremy is an unwelcome outsider and, together with his new friends, becomes involved in an ancient struggle between good and evil. Against a backdrop of political tensions, intrigue and fragile alliances, the heroes try to avert a catastrophe threatening Zereshé and the world. At the same time, Jeremy confronts his own experiences: cynicism, grief, self-doubt and a repressed capacity for faith.
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World-building and assessment
Reviewer Glory Folami highlighted the novel’s world-building, which features high mountains, lakes, lush vegetation, fictional creatures called kitas and grokupins, as well as the distinctive technologies of Zereshé’s civilization. The story is told in third-person limited perspective and focuses on Jeremy’s experience.
According to Folami’s assessment, the novel explores the contrasts between good and evil, tradition and modernity, theism and atheism, locals and outsiders, purists and reformers, and the strong and the weak. At the same time, she noted that the characters do not always develop beyond their initial archetypes. The reviewer also drew attention to the inconsistency of pop-culture references: the book includes the phrase Watermelon Sugar High, but one of the characters does not know who Superman is.
