Harare Review of Books

374 pp. March 31, 2026, Girl Friday Productions. Speculative Fiction.

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This book is a wild ride. A complete slacker called Ludwig is given the heads-up by his colleague on the way to work that he’s about to be fired—or, well, laid off. Ludwig is shown to be profoundly unaffected by this; he sees it as an opportunity to not work—that means free time, and not being told what to do anymore. Besides, he has an idea for a start-up with two other colleagues. When he has the brainwave at their first meeting after the layoffs to pivot from client-based services to producing comfortable clothing for New Yorkers—a concept he calls “athleisure”—he discovers his partners are not actually on board, having immediately found new jobs without him.

Despondent, Ludwig makes his way home to his ratty basement apartment where he proceeds to, in the following days, buy Shrek sweatpants, an old TV, and an old PlayStation. As well as some pharmaceuticals. Also, he starts to hear a word that shouldn’t exist: muumbazza. It peppers the conversations of New Yorkers around him and also New Yorkers who speak directly to him. Little does he know it’s attached to an enchantment, and he’s about to meet New York’s fairies and a whole lot else.

This story was gripping and ludicrous and really very funny. It’s a bit of a cross between Terry Pratchett and a love song to New York (and the song bit is an important plot device, as you’ll find out). Thing is, though, it hit a sour note for me near the beginning that rather spoilt the rest of the experience. You see, when Ludwig looks up this word he keeps hearing (as one does), one of the hits is this:

8. Mumbassa Kalimekwanto—Address, Phone, Contact Info

Thing is, I know a real person called Mubanga Kalimamukwento. She’s a Zambian author of increasing repute. I can’t think “Mumbassa Kalimekwanto” is a coincidence… And. Given the history of the mangling and mocking of Black and African names by those who don’t care to learn or respect them, this struck me as immensely problematic.

It’s possibly a little unfair for this to be a reason for me to decide to pan this novel (especially when I really liked how creative, imaginative, and well-written it was otherwise)—but I think it’s unfair to Mubanga to use her name this way, as it would seem Ziegler has. These things do matter, and we’re past the time of pretending they don’t. I’ll leave that there.

Thanks to GFP and NetGalley for early DRC access.