The Tenant’s Wrath by Gabriel Nombo is a sci-fi novel that takes the readers to the 34th century. There have been other books that transport the readers into the future, but what distinguishes Tenant’s Wrath from others is the fact that Gabriel Nombo has placed the readers on another planet, Momento Mori. Tussled Platters is a researcher who has traveled from earth to the said planet to record the activities of the Momento Morians and understand their wrathful behavior. For the report research, he uses a device named Vqrtxheqp and follows one of the Momento Morians, Setifokasi. As Setifokasi moves through various cities for work & studies, he rents several houses and deals with a variety of landlords. With different places arise varied conflicts between tenants and landlords, and the manner in which they resolve these discords makes the majority of Tussled Patters’ research. Besides learning to resolve squabbles calmly, Setifokasi also gains the wisdom to live life peacefully and effectively.

First of all, I admire the author’s creative imagination. The use of hardware/software for converting live audio and video in the text was definitely a masterstroke. It not only allowed you to narrate events engagingly but also provided a visual to the reader. The inclusion of AMR guidelines was impressive. These guidelines created an illusion of the research being authentic. The plot idea of putting forward tenancy-related issues is really fresh and entertaining. I feel The Tenant’s Wrath has the potential of being one of the best sci-fi novels.

“… Everything you witness on this planet has a reason for existence. Unfortunately, we don’t know how to react to them properly.” He hesitated, glancing at them. Some tenants laughed.

“We concentrate on trivial issues,” continued Setifokasi. “Instead of scratching our heads to reasonably employ our country’s wealth, to rescue ourselves from poverty,” Setifokasi commented while shaking his right foot.

– An excerpt from The Tenant’s Wrath by Gabriel Nombo

Now, let’s get to the hard part: the improvements. The dialogues lack spontaneity. For any conversation to work, one must read them out loud to see if they flow. In The Tenant’s Wrath, the conversations appeared forced and very artificial. Due to this reason, it was hard to make a connection with any of the characters. It was good that there were words other than “said” in the dialogues; however, those did not seem appropriately placed. For example, the word “intervened” was used where only “added” or “continued” could have been enough and apt.

“Setifokas, why have you come back so early today? It’s not your habit!” Grandma asked politely.

“It’s true that’s not my habit, but I’m not doing well today. I’ve got a headache,” he said sadly.

“I’m sorry, my grandson,” she said sympathetically.

– An excerpt from The Tenant’s Wrath by Gabriel Nombo

Also, it was good that quotes were used; nevertheless, it was bizarre that aliens were using only earthlings quotes. Inventing some aliens’ quotes could have enhanced the experience. The audience is “told” on many occasions that the aliens are wrathful, but this wrath is not clearly visible in the storytelling. On top of these points, the sudden usage of french in the conversations created unnatural narration. In my opinion, the book has just the right plot to create many humorous instances.

“Visitors from Earth are so important to us. They told my grandfather that ‘a single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.’ It’s very true.” Setifokasi also reacted that way after remembering wise words from his grandfather.

“C’est bien, à demain (fine, see you tomorrow)!”

– An excerpt from The Tenant’s Wrath by Gabriel Nombo

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