Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

Written by Wole Talabi

Narrated by Ben Arogundade

The debut fantasy novel from an award-winning, Nebula-nominated Nigerian author

A mythic tale of disgruntled gods, revenge, and a heist across two worlds, perfect for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Neil Gaiman, Marlon James, and Karen LordShigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of
his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus with a long and secretive past, everything changes for him.

Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood and navigate the parameters of their new relationship in the shadow of her past. But the elder gods that run the Orisha spirit company have other plans for Shigidi, and
they are not all aligned—or good.

From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma will encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business,
and a spectacular heist across two worlds that will change Shigidi’s understanding of himself forever and determine the fate of the Orisha spirit company.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890590176

Wole Talabi

Wole Talabi is an engineer, writer, and editor from Nigeria. He is the author of SHIGIDI AND THE BRASS HEAD OF OBALUFON (DAW/Gollancz, August 2023) and INCOMPLETE SOLUTIONS (Luna Press, 2019). His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's, F&SF, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, and other places. His work has been a finalist for the Nebula Award, the Caine Prize, the Locus Award, the Nommo Award and been translated into seven languages. He has edited four anthologies: TALES FROM THE COMING NIGHT (2022, a translation anthology in Bengali), AFRICANFUTURISM (2020, nominated for the Locus Award), LIGHTS OUT: RESURRECTION (2016) and THESE WORDS EXPOSE US(2014). MOTHERSOUND: THE SAUÚTIVERSE ANTHOLOGY is his fifth work as editor. He likes scuba diving, elegant equations, and oddly shaped things. He currently lives and works in Malaysia. Find him at wtalabi.wordpress.com and @wtalabi on twitter.

Reviews for Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

[Azura Booth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

absolutely amazing! incredibly written tale of love, adventure, and magic

[Alan Hill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shidigi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi is a fast pace heist story with a Nigerian twist. It takes the American Gods idea of gods interacting in the 21st century and does that through a Nigerian lens with a focus on the Nigerian diaspora. This view incorporates everything you might want from that perspective and Talabi also finds the time to give us a compelling romance. Hopefully the gods will give us a sequel!

In the book our main character the god Shidigi and his partner Nneoma, a succubus, are thrust in the middle of the Nigerian pantheons corporate machinations. In order to fulfill their side of the bargain they’ll have to pull off a deadly heist. If that sounds good to you, you’ll love this, if the idea of Nneoma being a succubus or corporate machinations turns you off this may not be it for you. If this book had 1 fan it is me! I was so pleasantly surprised by how worthwhile and complete I felt the story was that I have to stan. I absolutely agree with the author and story comparisons, so keep those in mind when deciding to read.

If you needed a sign to read this, this is it! Now, don’t say you weren’t warned about the book when everything you need to know is in the synopsis. I’m not saying all the haters read a different book, but I think you have to judge a book on whether it achieved what it set out to do and your personal enjoyment, and it fired on all cylinders for me. It was super unputtable downable FOR ME!