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jesiki 's review for:
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
by Wole Talabi
3.5 stars.
I had a few problems with this debut. I didn't always love how the time skips impacted the pacing and tension of the heist, and I wasn't sure what the author intended with his queer representation or the detailed descriptions of "corpulent" bodies. Interesting choices, but read awkwardly to me.
I also wish Shigidi had more going on for him than his love for Nneoma — like other positive, non-romantic relationships, perhaps. His motivations, and his sense of self-fulfillment and worth, all stem from her. I often found the other minor povs, and Nneoma herself – a partially subverted femme fatale – more compelling than his for that reason. They all had a bit more going on and other relationships or obligations that drive them.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the incorporation of Yoruba mythology, the various locations we travel to, and the colonial critique of the British Museum (never gets old, as long as they still have cultural objects they rightly shouldn't have). The portrayal of both the spirit companies and the system of "pray pay" versus the "spirit-eating" freelancers are almost equally unsavory that you could start a good group discussion around the morality and implications of it all. It's an entertaining concept and a foundation for entertaining political shenanigans that this book introduces.
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon marries the pulpier aspects of urban fantasy with the more philosophical musings of mythic fiction. I think this has great sequel potential, too. I hope the author goes that route.
I had a few problems with this debut. I didn't always love how the time skips impacted the pacing and tension of the heist, and I wasn't sure what the author intended with his queer representation or the detailed descriptions of "corpulent" bodies. Interesting choices, but read awkwardly to me.
I also wish Shigidi had more going on for him than his love for Nneoma — like other positive, non-romantic relationships, perhaps. His motivations, and his sense of self-fulfillment and worth, all stem from her. I often found the other minor povs, and Nneoma herself – a partially subverted femme fatale – more compelling than his for that reason. They all had a bit more going on and other relationships or obligations that drive them.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the incorporation of Yoruba mythology, the various locations we travel to, and the colonial critique of the British Museum (never gets old, as long as they still have cultural objects they rightly shouldn't have). The portrayal of both the spirit companies and the system of "pray pay" versus the "spirit-eating" freelancers are almost equally unsavory that you could start a good group discussion around the morality and implications of it all. It's an entertaining concept and a foundation for entertaining political shenanigans that this book introduces.
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon marries the pulpier aspects of urban fantasy with the more philosophical musings of mythic fiction. I think this has great sequel potential, too. I hope the author goes that route.