Books in brief: Encountering firefighters and football fanatics on Che Guevara’s trail

Waking the Warriors by Ben Okri (Head of Zeus, £18.99)

Ben Okri delivers an enjoyable fantasy novel, notable for its potent message and his expert command of poetic prose. The story follows three heroes on a journey to find the witch capable of rousing ancient warriors to defend their homeland from menacing forces. The novel is overtly allegorical. The political anxieties of our time seep through this fable of authoritarian descent, environmental collapse and polarising propaganda. Okri’s intention is to inspire hope and insist that no one is too small to resist oppression. Yet the effect is curiously alienating. Readers hoping for escapism face bleak reminders; those seeking political engagement may find the fantasy genre an unhelpful vehicle. The reader is left in limbo, unsure how to approach what is otherwise an enchanting tale. Ferdia Roche

The Cycle Diaries: Latin America in the Tracks of Che Guevara by Julian Sayarer (MacLehose Press, £25)

Julian Sayarer was so fascinated by the famous journey made by Che Guevara through Latin America in 1952 that he decided to follow in his tyre tracks. His diaries form the template for a 10,000km meandering journey more than 70 years after Guevara’s trip, although Sayarer travelled by bicycle rather than a Norton 500 motorbike. Along the way he grappled with the elements including the altitude of the Andes, the violent and unpredictable Zonda winds of Patagonia, and dusty roads of Chile’s vast Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. He meets farmers, firefighters and football fanatics, always respecting local knowledge, but with an interest in global politics and how the continent has been shaped by war and empire. Paul Clements

Togetherness by Rowan Hooper (Fern Press, £25)

Since Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, life on Earth has primarily been regarded as a contest between creatures, a “survival of the fittest”. Science journalist Rowan Hooper argues there has been a misunderstanding, and that our fixation on rivalry has led us down a dark path of unchecked capitalism. Hooper makes an impassioned plea to look at life differently, seeing co-operation as a force prevailing over competition. He introduces some of life’s greatest collaborations – the wasp that pollinates the fig, the polyps and algae that partner to form corals, the microbes inside our own gut – showing that interdependency is integral to a healthy planet. By tapping into the power of collaboration, Hooper argues we can harness solutions for a more sustainable future. Olive Heffernan