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bex_knighthunter 's review for:
Shigidi
by Wole Talabi
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A heist novel featuring Yoruba gods trying to steal back a Nigerian artefact from the British Museum. This had a great premise, and some really interesting world building elements, but ultimately didn't work for me as I'd hoped.
I listened to this on audio, and while the narration was great, I found myself frequently not really following what was going on or realising I'd missed a time or POV jump. The structure is quite non-linear and chaotic, with a few different threads interweaved into the narrative. The main two are the present day planning of and executing the heist, and flashbacks to how our main two characters (Shigidi and Nneoma) met and developed a relationship, but we also have others to understand side character backstories, and wider goings on in the world. The chapters span different centuries and counties, making it quite vast in scope for a not particularly long book!
I don't typically reach for heist novels, but was looking forward to some political commentary in this one that turned out to not be a significant feature. What I do tend to enjoy about heists is seeing how ingenious the characters are and the satisfaction of seeing a well-thought out plan succeed (with a few bumps to add tension a surprise element of course), but in this book the heist was really only a small part and there wasn't much planning or preparation involved. That said, I did enjoy the heist part towards the end and do think the author writes action well!
In terms of the characters, I did like Nneoma and found much of her dialogue pretty entertaining, although it was hard to love her at times when we see her prey on humans (and not really care about consent). Shigidi had less of a strong personality, which is part of the point of his character development journey, but I found the resolution at the end to be too focussed on their relationship rather than his increased sense of self. While I enjoyed their interplay at times, I was never really rooting for them as a couple, which meant the ending felt a little saccharine for me. I did really enjoy seeing the Yoruba gods, especially in a corporate style setting (they run a 'spirit company' where currency is belief and prayers), and I also loved seeing Aleister Crowley join the narrative (despicable as he is, I enjoyed his interaction with other characters and seeing him put in his place).
While less political commentary about repatriation of cultural artefacts than I was hoping for, I do think the exploration of capitalism and working bullshit jobs was done really well.
I'm glad I read this - it was definitely memorable and a breath of fresh air in the fantasy space, but I'd probably suggest reading the physical/ebook over the audio unless you are ready to really pay attention (and potentially take a couple notes of dates etc.). There is enough promise in this that I'm keen to read more by the author and see what they do next.
I listened to this on audio, and while the narration was great, I found myself frequently not really following what was going on or realising I'd missed a time or POV jump. The structure is quite non-linear and chaotic, with a few different threads interweaved into the narrative. The main two are the present day planning of and executing the heist, and flashbacks to how our main two characters (Shigidi and Nneoma) met and developed a relationship, but we also have others to understand side character backstories, and wider goings on in the world. The chapters span different centuries and counties, making it quite vast in scope for a not particularly long book!
I don't typically reach for heist novels, but was looking forward to some political commentary in this one that turned out to not be a significant feature. What I do tend to enjoy about heists is seeing how ingenious the characters are and the satisfaction of seeing a well-thought out plan succeed (with a few bumps to add tension a surprise element of course), but in this book the heist was really only a small part and there wasn't much planning or preparation involved. That said, I did enjoy the heist part towards the end and do think the author writes action well!
In terms of the characters, I did like Nneoma and found much of her dialogue pretty entertaining, although it was hard to love her at times when we see her prey on humans (and not really care about consent). Shigidi had less of a strong personality, which is part of the point of his character development journey, but I found the resolution at the end to be too focussed on their relationship rather than his increased sense of self. While I enjoyed their interplay at times, I was never really rooting for them as a couple, which meant the ending felt a little saccharine for me. I did really enjoy seeing the Yoruba gods, especially in a corporate style setting (they run a 'spirit company' where currency is belief and prayers), and I also loved seeing Aleister Crowley join the narrative (despicable as he is, I enjoyed his interaction with other characters and seeing him put in his place).
While less political commentary about repatriation of cultural artefacts than I was hoping for, I do think the exploration of capitalism and working bullshit jobs was done really well.
I'm glad I read this - it was definitely memorable and a breath of fresh air in the fantasy space, but I'd probably suggest reading the physical/ebook over the audio unless you are ready to really pay attention (and potentially take a couple notes of dates etc.). There is enough promise in this that I'm keen to read more by the author and see what they do next.