The Future God of Love
Strange Horizons
“Dilman Dila has written a timeless novel about doomed love, using supple and evocative language in the style of Neil Gaiman, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Stefan Zweig…. A truly original story set in a world at once immersive, believable, and fun to be in, read it not just for the deceptively absorbing plot, nor the refreshing Africanized cultural context, nor even for the subtle social commentary—but for the fact that it effortlessly transports you to a world far, far away that nonetheless feels very close to home.”
Run Along The Shelves
“This was a great short read!… The worldbuilding here is fascinating…. a smart bit of storytelling that I totally enjoyed, and I think Dila is definitely an author to look out for more in the future. Highly recommended!”
Punk-Ass Book Jockey
“Dilman Dila is a great worldbuilder…. I still enjoyed the novella. I could happily read more stories set in this world…or any other worlds Dila creates.”
The Middle Shelf
“The Future God of Love is a short fantasy novella, with wonderful world building, about loneliness and the need for being loved… The Future God of Love is less than a hundred pages, but Dila packs so much in those pages that it is an absolute pleasure to read… Any reader who’s looking for a short read with impressive world building, great storytelling and characters you can relate to should absolutely check out The Future God of Love!”
The Future God of Love is a romance fantasy, set in an African world where stories are essential for the survival of humanity. It tells of a struggling storyteller, who has to create a story every full moon for the prosperity of his town. When he falls in love with a strange woman, having known loneliness all his life, he ignores clues that she might not be human.
The Future God of Love, like most of my stories, came at a time when I was going through emotional turmoil. Last year I was having relationship trouble and was in a gloomy place, and then my ex’s best friend told me she was looking for a gift to give her husband for father’s day. She asked me to autograph one of my books, thinking it would make him deliriously happy. The irony of it struck me, how my works have the ability to make other people happy, and yet I might never enjoy that same happiness; sort of the fate of many artists. I love the world I set this story in, as it underlines the power the arts have over people, and yet the artists are often not held in the same esteem as their works
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