Shigidi and the brass head of Obalufon

Shigidi is a nightmare god spending his eternity fulfilling the tasks given to him by the Orisha spirit company--a corporatized version of Yoruba mythology that has turned powerful gods into spirit-hungry autocrats and lesser deities into low-ranking employees struggling to survive. When Shigidi is sent out to fulfill one of his infrequent sacrificial requests, he stumbles into Nneoma's hunting ground. Nneoma's powers far exceed Shigidi's own, and when she offers him a proposal he can't refuse, the menial existence Shigidi has known is turned on its head. Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon is a compelling debut from a new voice in the fantasy genre. Talabi weaves a high-stakes, fast-paced tale of corporate greed, an interdimensional heist, and warring deities entrenched in Yoruba culture. Perfect for fans of the Ocean's film franchise and Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006), this book will have readers holding their breath as Shigidi and Nneoma try to accomplish the impossible.

This frenetic fantasy debut from Nigerian author Talabi starts out noir, with a car chase across the "spirit-side" of London while antihero Shigidi bleeds out in the back seat of a cab. Then the shenanigans really ramp up, flashing back to how Shigidi wound up there. The ensuing romp is a heist caper with sex, violence, and superpowers popping off every Technicolor page. Shigidi, former Nigerian nightmare deity, slips the daily grind of the Orisha Spirit Company for the persuasive tutelage of freelance succubus Nneoma, who's training him to become a succubus himself. But freedom has its price, and when the big god Olorun calls in a favor, Shigidi and Nneoma have mere hours to lift an ancient Nigerian talisman from the British Museum and escape the retributive justice of the Royal British Spirit Bureau. Readers of Neil Gaiman and Harry Turtledove will have encountered similar takes on the spirit realm; Talabi's freshness is in his language, his caustically amusing protagonist (Shigidi describes a supernatural effusion as "light gushing out... like a vandalized pipeline"), and his commitment to having more fun than noir usually allows. Readers are in for a rollicking thrill ride. Agent: Van Aggelen, African Literary Agency. (Aug.)