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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
The amount of times this character lost consciousness and woke up in a bed or somewhere new is……..a lot.
Overall though it’s a pretty good story and I liked the characters and getting to learn a little bit about Lagos and it’s people & beliefs was cool.
The amount of times this character lost consciousness and woke up in a bed or somewhere new is……..a lot.
Overall though it’s a pretty good story and I liked the characters and getting to learn a little bit about Lagos and it’s people & beliefs was cool.
There are some books that remind me just why I love SFF so much, and this is one of them. David Mogo, Godhunter has a wonderful balance of believable characters in fantastical situations and entertaining adventures that speak to realistic dilemmas and issues. Every time I picked this book up, I found myself drawn into the story and world, often reading for much longer than I had planned. I am really looking forward to reading more from this author!
Some specific things I loved:
-David's voice, which evokes both the confidence (sometimes running to arrogance) of a person who knows he has an advantage over those around him with the uncertainty and fear of not belonging
-found/chosen family - David is a great narrator, but I also loved the other characters who surrounded and supported him
-the vivid and well-described setting - post-godpocalypse Lagos is a fascinating place
-the format, with three stories with escalating stakes
-the writing style, which provided some excellent action scenes and also some really lovely descriptions of settings, people, and emotion
Some specific things I loved:
-David's voice, which evokes both the confidence (sometimes running to arrogance) of a person who knows he has an advantage over those around him with the uncertainty and fear of not belonging
-found/chosen family - David is a great narrator, but I also loved the other characters who surrounded and supported him
-the vivid and well-described setting - post-godpocalypse Lagos is a fascinating place
-the format, with three stories with escalating stakes
-the writing style, which provided some excellent action scenes and also some really lovely descriptions of settings, people, and emotion
3.5 stars. Really liked it but I just could not give four stars. It's an interesting world. Even though I just came back from reading [b:War Girls|40580686|War Girls (War Girls, #1)|Tochi Onyebuchi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552511346l/40580686._SY75_.jpg|63016997] (also set in Nigeria), Suyi really brought Lagos into life. If you're tired of reading urban fantasy set in the US and Europe, this would be your thing. Very immersive.
The magic, the colorful gods and so on, I love it.
The way the story is divided into three parts also made me feel I was reading three novellas, kinda like The Gods Themselves. I enjoyed the second one most of all.
I only gave it three (or 3.5) stars because the exposition parts could be done more efficiently and the pacing/action scene in the last parts were not as exciting as the previous ones.
Still, very much liking it and having read several works from the author (who also has a good one in the [b:Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora|53257232|Dominion An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora|Zelda Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588702657l/53257232._SY75_.jpg|80876789]), he's in my watch list.
The magic, the colorful gods and so on, I love it.
The way the story is divided into three parts also made me feel I was reading three novellas, kinda like The Gods Themselves. I enjoyed the second one most of all.
I only gave it three (or 3.5) stars because the exposition parts could be done more efficiently and the pacing/action scene in the last parts were not as exciting as the previous ones.
Still, very much liking it and having read several works from the author (who also has a good one in the [b:Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora|53257232|Dominion An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora|Zelda Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588702657l/53257232._SY75_.jpg|80876789]), he's in my watch list.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I heard one of the author's short stories read on the podcast "Levar Burton Reads" and he mentioned this book at the end of the episode, so of course I went ahead and purchased it. In short, this another take on the hero's journey, as seen through the lens of Nigerian culture and mythology. David, a demi-god who reluctantly saves the world from fallen gods run wild, was a realistic and likeable protagonist, and he kept me reading to the end. Some of the chapter transitions were a bit abrupt-- the breadth of material covered here could easily have been stretched into two or three books, but I appreciate an action-packed standalone. They're a dying breed when everyone seems to write a trilogy at the very least. Overall, I enjoyed this and look forward to seeing what else Mr. Okungbowa writes next.
Of course, this isn't a five star rating so I have a few quibbles. The pidgin dialect made complete sense given the setting and I respect the author's choice to use it here. However, I don't love dialect in general just because it slows down my reading--and I stand by that whether it's American Gullah, English Yorkshire, or Jamaican patois. HOWEVER, I appreciate the authenticity of characters and settings more than I feel inconvenienced by spending a few extra seconds puzzling out the meaning of a sentence, and most of the dialect here is phonetic. The bigger problem I had was that there were so many Nigerian words thrown in that I couldn't fully puzzle out based on context clues. The Yoruba language has no Latin or Greek roots, so I couldn't figure the meanings from common prefixes like I would French or Spanish. The frequent appearance of unexplained Nigerian words along with a very surface level explanation of the orisha mythology--which isn't something covered in the mainstream lit classes like its Greek or Norse counterparts--left me feeling like I didn't get everything out of this book that I should. And that's after I did a fair bit of searching Wikipedia on my Kindle as I read.
All that said, this was a fun read and if you're on the fence, I recommend you go ahead and try something new and unique.
Of course, this isn't a five star rating so I have a few quibbles. The pidgin dialect made complete sense given the setting and I respect the author's choice to use it here. However, I don't love dialect in general just because it slows down my reading--and I stand by that whether it's American Gullah, English Yorkshire, or Jamaican patois. HOWEVER, I appreciate the authenticity of characters and settings more than I feel inconvenienced by spending a few extra seconds puzzling out the meaning of a sentence, and most of the dialect here is phonetic. The bigger problem I had was that there were so many Nigerian words thrown in that I couldn't fully puzzle out based on context clues. The Yoruba language has no Latin or Greek roots, so I couldn't figure the meanings from common prefixes like I would French or Spanish. The frequent appearance of unexplained Nigerian words along with a very surface level explanation of the orisha mythology--which isn't something covered in the mainstream lit classes like its Greek or Norse counterparts--left me feeling like I didn't get everything out of this book that I should. And that's after I did a fair bit of searching Wikipedia on my Kindle as I read.
All that said, this was a fun read and if you're on the fence, I recommend you go ahead and try something new and unique.
War With The Gods
After the gods fall from Orun to Lagos, Nigeria, David Mogo, son of god himself, makes a living hunting things that do not belong. Needing some cash to make repairs to his home, he takes a suspicious job and realizes halfway through it that he is in over his bed. Can he save Lagos, and himself, and his loved ones, and still be as he needs to become?
After the gods fall from Orun to Lagos, Nigeria, David Mogo, son of god himself, makes a living hunting things that do not belong. Needing some cash to make repairs to his home, he takes a suspicious job and realizes halfway through it that he is in over his bed. Can he save Lagos, and himself, and his loved ones, and still be as he needs to become?
I loved the setting and story. David Mogo is a demigod in Lagos ten years after gods have fallen and destroyed their normal society. The deities and actual story had a lot of promise. It's split into three novella like stories and the first was interesting and exciting enough to keep me reading. unfortunately I feel like the execution of the book didn't match the premise and it gets more and more apparent as the book goes on. The pace completely stops in places and the characters personalities seem to switch up between scenes. It's still an interesting story in an intriguing setting that I enjoyed reading but it wasn't what I hoped.
A highly enjoyable, richly imagined and fast-paced godpunk story based on Yoruba mythology (which I love) with a great central character, rich Nigerian voice and a wonderful setting (I mean, its Lagos - the city is an endlessly fascinating setting).
3.5 Stars
A Demigod who scours the streets looking for the gods that walk amongst the people to make a living wage. He is tasked with the capture of a High god by a wealthy businessman. However, he soon learns that he has made a mistake by working for this man.
Listen, I didn’t take your brother. Someone hired me.”
“But you took him?”
“Yes.”
She drops her hands and looks at me. “Why?”
I’m not sure what the answer is. I could say I did it for roof money but is that really true?
“Who is this person?”
“He’s the Baálẹ of a former community in Agbado. His name is Lukmon—”
“—Ajala,” she completes, then starts to wail again. “You’ve killed us, you’ve killed us.”
Papa Udi stares pointedly at me, crosses his arms, and hmphs. I breathe, then:
“Okay, so you know this man.”
Kehinde shakes her head, long, slow. “You do not understand for how long we have fought, how long we have fled, how long we have evaded this man and his kind.”
A Demigod who scours the streets looking for the gods that walk amongst the people to make a living wage. He is tasked with the capture of a High god by a wealthy businessman. However, he soon learns that he has made a mistake by working for this man.
Listen, I didn’t take your brother. Someone hired me.”
“But you took him?”
“Yes.”
She drops her hands and looks at me. “Why?”
I’m not sure what the answer is. I could say I did it for roof money but is that really true?
“Who is this person?”
“He’s the Baálẹ of a former community in Agbado. His name is Lukmon—”
“—Ajala,” she completes, then starts to wail again. “You’ve killed us, you’ve killed us.”
Papa Udi stares pointedly at me, crosses his arms, and hmphs. I breathe, then:
“Okay, so you know this man.”
Kehinde shakes her head, long, slow. “You do not understand for how long we have fought, how long we have fled, how long we have evaded this man and his kind.”