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lesserjoke 's review for:
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
by Wole Talabi
A rollicking debut novel from Nigerian author Wole Talabi, spinning a daring heist of the titular magical artifact from the high-security British Museum. The genre is urban fantasy noir by way of American Gods, where pantheons of deities from all world religions coexist and gain relative power based on the beliefs and prayers of their respective adherents. In the modern age, that's led to a hardscrabble existence for some of the older and more obscure spirits like our hero, one of the original Yoruba orishas, who finds himself scraping by in a capitalistic drudgery not so unlike our own. When he partners up with a friendly succubus for a chance to flee that life, the two beings swiftly wind up over their heads and in debt to a powerful god, tasked with carrying out the raid to regain his lost treasure.
The actual mission isn't too complex, but the book is fleshed out by the narrative hopping around in time a bit to provide the relevant backstory of the various players involved. (When the couple realizes they need the help of a mortal magician, for instance, a flashback depicts her meeting the real-life occultist Aleister Crowley, whose fictionalized self apparently used the demon woman's powers to live on into the 21st century. Back in the present, she and Shigidi then go cash in that favor and recruit him to join the team.) The plot tropes are familiar but excellently rendered -- I laughed in delight when the shady benefactor tells the protagonists they have to strike that very night, and even more so at the inevitable betrayal later on -- with all the ludicrous joy of an episode of Leverage, just in a rather different sort of heightened reality.
It all resolves well enough in the end, and although this volume has been marketed as a standalone adventure, I'd say there's definitely potential for a longer series here. Personally, I'd be happy to return for a sequel with these folks.
[Content warning for body horror, gore, fatphobia, racism, and rape.]
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The actual mission isn't too complex, but the book is fleshed out by the narrative hopping around in time a bit to provide the relevant backstory of the various players involved. (When the couple realizes they need the help of a mortal magician, for instance, a flashback depicts her meeting the real-life occultist Aleister Crowley, whose fictionalized self apparently used the demon woman's powers to live on into the 21st century. Back in the present, she and Shigidi then go cash in that favor and recruit him to join the team.) The plot tropes are familiar but excellently rendered -- I laughed in delight when the shady benefactor tells the protagonists they have to strike that very night, and even more so at the inevitable betrayal later on -- with all the ludicrous joy of an episode of Leverage, just in a rather different sort of heightened reality.
It all resolves well enough in the end, and although this volume has been marketed as a standalone adventure, I'd say there's definitely potential for a longer series here. Personally, I'd be happy to return for a sequel with these folks.
[Content warning for body horror, gore, fatphobia, racism, and rape.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog