Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

I was drawn to this because of the use of the Nigerian pantheon - having this year completed Adeyemi’s Orisha trilogy, and loved her adaptations of the theology to present magic, I was intrigued by the premise of a heist thriller centred around the personifications of the deities. It did not, in any way, disappoint. The Brass Head is a catalyst, more than a core part of the narrative - the story is really about the interactions and conflicts between the spirits, and especially around the nature and development of Shigidi. Fortunately, this was left ready for a sequel - because I need more!

I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy Shigidi, It felt like a heist movie for teens. Everything is very simple and straightforward, as if a novel had been adapted to film. It lacks the subtleties available in novels that are so hard to convey on screen.

I don't understand how it found itself on the same Nebula Award list as [b:The Saint of Bright Doors|61884985|The Saint of Bright Doors|Vajra Chandrasekera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1707333565l/61884985.SY75.jpg|93503571].

This feels like an African take on American Gods, centered around a heist and with a decently done romance to boot. It’s incredibly refreshing to see. The out-of-sequence storytelling was also pretty well done.