In the distant future, while studying the land of Barzakh in the Sahara, members of the Institute for the Archeology of Human Thought unearth the bones of Gara, a young man, whose Myelin will unravel the secrets of his ancient consciousness. A foreigner in his own land, Gara, in search of a better humanity, has traveled through three eras, from the 11th-century deserts of Mauritania to the dystopic future, inadvertently sowing the seeds of his own destruction. An innovative masterpiece that symphonizes mysticism, religion, and Mauritanian culture into a dystopian reflection on the human condition, this unique blend of science fiction and philosophy will interest those looking for new voices and perspectives in science fiction. Translated from French by Marybeth Timmermann, this is the first official English publication of the work. It's the distant future in the Sahara Desert. Archaeologists studying this land of Barzakh unearth the bones of Gara, whose ancient consciousness they extract from his remains for their digital records. A foreigner in his own land, the enslaved Gara has traveled through time in search of a better humanity, inadvertently sowing the seeds of his own destruction... In part one, The Black Way, young Gara remembers his life in the Sahara during the eleventh century. Sold into slavery by his father, he travels across the vast desert with the salt caravan, serves his master for years in the city of Awdaghost, and falls in love with the lovely Vala, who bears his child. Crossing the desert again after a failed slave uprising, he decides to flee from the corruption and injustice of humanity. In part two, The White Way, a dying Gara is visited by al-Khadir, the immortal prophet of Islam, who offers him two trips to the future. Gara readily accepts, waking up in 1905 and joining the caravan of a colonial white archaeologist and his beautiful mistress Vala, who are searching for the ancient lost city of Awdaghost. After seeing the brutality of this era, Gara takes his last leap to the future, in hopes of finding something better. In part three, The Milky Way, Gara finds himself in 2045-- a time when most people have left the dystopian wasteland of Earth, and the Sahara is a dumping ground for radioactive waste. He is forced to work as a penal laborer in the waste storage facilities until he meets an extraterrestrial who helps him escape and find Vala, a guerrilla fighter against the oppressive regime. Gara and Vala fall in love, but she ultimately marries the dictator himself, who is Gara's own descendant. Expect the unexpected and broaden your literary horizons with this unique blend of science fiction and philosophy, rooted in the complex Mauritanian cultural tradition. “Presented as a transcript of the stream of consciousness translated from the remains of a skeleton found at the top of a mountain in Ghallawiya… a story told mostly with fragments of journeys across what is now Mauritania, it is an ambitious premise for an ultimately dystopian vision. — Regina Schroeder, Booklist Review “The landscape of Barzakh is ethereal and alien [...] I left the book feeling unsure, but also satisfied. Curious about what I had been missing. Ready to go searching through a new world.” —Jason Kahler, The Future Fire “Barzakh is a fascinating snapshot of the past and future of a fictional Mauritanian desert region. Framed by the story of future scientists discovering his remains, narrator Gara jumps between three eras--the distant past, the recent past, and the distant future.… I especially enjoyed the future section of this novel, which depicts space-age life and technology (and poverty and corruption) from the perspective of those it's left behind--in this case, desert nomads and prison laborers in the nuclear containment facilities turning Earth into a wasteland. I was also delighted by the brief appearance of a far-future psychic vampire alien--this book has a lot in it! “ – Leah Baxter - Reviewer/Publisher “Hmm the way this book was written reminded me very much of how albert Camus wrote, the kind of melody of the narrative…yeah you’ll need to try this out… you’ll need to enjoy a kind of poetic narrative just like Albert Camus used to write.” — Juliane Silver - Reviewer Moussa Ould Ebnou, one of Mauritania’ s greatest novelists, earned his Ph.D. at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and is a philosophy professor at the University of Nouakchott in Mauritania. He has written several novels and short stories in French and Arabic. He was a consultant for the United Nations Sudano-Sahelian Office in New York and served as a cultural advisor to the Presidency of Mauritania for fifteen years.