Wole Talabi has woven a fascinating story that is based in Nigerian Yoruba traditional mythos, updated with a very modern twist. Talabi's is a strong writer, and effectively creates a layered story with some interesting twists.
Shigidi is a disgruntled minor deity, the god of nightmares, who's drifting aimlessly from one low rent faith-inspired hit job to the next in service to a spirit company. And I do mean "company" -- once an invincible creature of the dark, Shigidi is an underappreciated cog in a dying corporation. The spirit company is a re-imagined pantheon, organized to capture spiritual resources (faith) for the benefit of the members -- but complete with a board of directors, middle management, and a corporate culture that's slowly destroying what passes for Shigidi's soul.
Our nightmare-bringer meets a succubus, Nneoma, who has her own issues. The two partner up and go independent. This brings new problems, and the two eventually are hired to carry out a heist. The job: retrieve a sacred brass head containing an aspect of the Yoruba sky god from the spirit-world version of the British Museum. This obviously doesn't go smoothly or well, and quickly becomes a question not of success, but survival.
Underneath this part of the story is another layer, in which Shigidi and Nneoma struggle with inner tumult and angst. Making a living isn't the only part of divinity which turns out to be tougher than you'd think. Their inner lives as just as turbulent, and Talabi's exploration of them lends a level of sophistication and depth to the story. Shigidi's struggle is not just to survive and prosper, but to figure out who and what he is -- think of a living nightmare with a bit of an existential crisis overlayed on a deadly game of divine cops and robbers.
I enjoyed Talabi's style, and found his writing evocative and vivid. The Yoruba cultural aspects took a little bit of time to get a grip on, but added flavor to what otherwise might have been a standard and pretty one-dimensional plot. The interaction of different pantheons and traditions is well-done and fun; this reminded me a little of Dion Skye's "The God Market", but a bit deeper. Altogether, a great debut novel from a talented author.
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