mexcryptid 's review for:

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi

3.0

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Shigidi is a fun exploration of a post-colonized spiritual world. The hierarchies of cultural pantheons and their deities mirror our modern business structures both in terms of rank and file and corruption that overly benefits the top. Where I felt the book faltered is primarily in its structure. A major driving force of the narrative, and the emotional lynchpin behind the fantastic Nneoma, is given away in the book’s opening chapter. The heist aspect of the narrative, a genre I personally can’t get enough of, is short lived. And a wide range of foreshadowing plays less into the book itself and more into, I imagine, a sequel. Despite this, there is so much about this novel that I couldn’t get enough of. The intermittent flashbacks paint detailed and complex characters, specifically Nneoma who easily stole the show. She featured an emotional depth and a backstory that wove itself between other core characters that, in comparison to the titular Shigidi, made him feel somewhat one dimensional, primarily characterized by his need to understand Nneoma, something that I can at least empathize with. I see now that some of Shigidi’s pain points may be a result of his narrative being split between this book and a future story and perhaps I wouldn’t be this focused on his faults if the book itself wasn’t named after him.