Griot

In the sun scorched colony of Alkebulan, survival has always meant submission. Every season, the ants toil to pile their sacred Offering atop the old stone, a brittle tribute demanded by the merciless grasshoppers who rule them. For generations, they've bowed their heads, clung to tradition, and told themselves that obedience is safety. Msaliti, a restless heretic and half-mad inventor, has never believed in safety. A darkly clever fable of rebellion, desperation, and the dangerous power of belief, Griot is a novella about liars who become heroes, outcasts who build nations, and the small, defiant courage it takes to stand when you've nothing left to lose.