Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

by Talabi, Wole

• ISBN13: 9780756418939
• ISBN10: 0756418933
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-09-02
• Publisher: DAW

Summary

Winner of the Ilube Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel 2024. Nominated for the World Fantasy Award.

A Washington Post top 10 best science fiction and fantasy book of 2023

"A heist caper with sex, violence, and superpowers popping off every technicolor page." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Defiantly ambitious...an action-packed thrill ride." —The Washington Post

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 Lord

Shigidi 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.

Author Biography

Wole Talabi is a Nigerian engineer, writer, and editor living in Malaysia. His fiction has appeared in major venues like Asimov’s, Lightspeed Magazine, and F&SF, has been translated into seven languages, and has either won or been a finalist for multiple awards including the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award, the prestigious Caine Prize, the Locus Award, and the Nommo Award. His first collection Incomplete Solutions (2019) was published by Luna Press. His novel Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (2023) is published by DAW Books. He likes scuba diving, elegant equations, and oddly shaped things.