Lament For The Fallen by Jonathan Chait

A mysterious offworld prisoner crash-lands in a Central African rainforest and is taken in by a remote village. As outside forces—warlords, officials, and missionaries—close in, he struggles to repair his shattered technology and evade capture, while interwoven memories reveal the tragic fall of his distant civilization and the choices that led him to Earth. The ensuing collision of belief, power, and survival tests the bonds of community and challenges what it means to be human.