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smalltimereadsDavid Mogo, Godhunter is published by Abaddon Books, an imprint of the UK company Rebellion. I wavered on whether to count this as an independent press, but Rebellion doesn't have the same reach as the Big Five or Amazon, and doesn't exclusively publish books, so eh. I probably won't do a Small Press Spotlight on it though.
One of the most important elements of urban fantasy, to me, at least, is a strong sense of place, and this book really has that. It takes place in a post-(sort-of-)apocalyptic Lagos, where the Lagos of before is still remembered and identifiable, but the changes are impossible to ignore. I've never been to Lagos, and I'm not going to say this book made me feel like I have been, but it did a great job at creating a distinct feel of the city, and it did come across as though people who have been to Lagos would recognize it.
There was also a cynicism about the city and culture I really enjoyed. While seeing people shower praise on their hometown can be wonderful, it's also good to read about people who acknowledge the faults- that there are parts that smell truly atrocious, or that the police are corrupt and useless (feeling more and more universal these days, but I digress). It's another thing that added to the feel of the book.
One last thing before I talk about the plot/characters- I've read multiple books set in Lagos, written by Nigerian/Nigerian-American authors, but this is the first one I recall that has a character who grew up in the city and can't speak Yoruba. It was interesting!
I love stories where gods live among humans, whether because they always have or because of some sort of event, so I was already sold on the premise coming in. The build up from David essentially chasing away godlings to embracing his demigod heritage was well paced, and bringing in other pantheons was a great decision I'm glad the author made. The initial descriptions of Ibeji, Sango, and Aganju were great, as was the description of the Eyos. The fight scenes were pretty tense, even though I lost track of things/people a few times.
I liked David as a main character, and his relationship with Ogun and Papa Udi. I loved the women, and wish we got more of them (although we got a fair amount of them)- perhaps in the sequel?
Also, the cover for this book is awesome.
One of the most important elements of urban fantasy, to me, at least, is a strong sense of place, and this book really has that. It takes place in a post-(sort-of-)apocalyptic Lagos, where the Lagos of before is still remembered and identifiable, but the changes are impossible to ignore. I've never been to Lagos, and I'm not going to say this book made me feel like I have been, but it did a great job at creating a distinct feel of the city, and it did come across as though people who have been to Lagos would recognize it.
There was also a cynicism about the city and culture I really enjoyed. While seeing people shower praise on their hometown can be wonderful, it's also good to read about people who acknowledge the faults- that there are parts that smell truly atrocious, or that the police are corrupt and useless (feeling more and more universal these days, but I digress). It's another thing that added to the feel of the book.
One last thing before I talk about the plot/characters- I've read multiple books set in Lagos, written by Nigerian/Nigerian-American authors, but this is the first one I recall that has a character who grew up in the city and can't speak Yoruba. It was interesting!
I love stories where gods live among humans, whether because they always have or because of some sort of event, so I was already sold on the premise coming in. The build up from David essentially chasing away godlings to embracing his demigod heritage was well paced, and bringing in other pantheons was a great decision I'm glad the author made. The initial descriptions of Ibeji, Sango, and Aganju were great, as was the description of the Eyos. The fight scenes were pretty tense, even though I lost track of things/people a few times.
I liked David as a main character, and his relationship with Ogun and Papa Udi. I loved the women, and wish we got more of them (although we got a fair amount of them)- perhaps in the sequel?
Also, the cover for this book is awesome.
