Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ogundiran's thrilling novella (after the collection Jackal, Jackal) draws on Yoruba mythology to set up a cosmic battle. Acolyte Ashâke has watched all of her peers hear the voice of an orisha and move on to being priests, but the otherworldly spirits remain silent to her. Desperate, she secretly builds an effigy to bind an orisha to her--resulting in a terrible fire. She wakes in the care of Ba Fatai, a witch doctor, and must face the wrath of the leading priests, who sentence her to a fortnight of isolation in the cellars. There, Ba Fatai's bird familiar brings a message that, thanks to Ba Fatai's undesired gift of prophecy, he knows Ashâke will never advance to priesthood. Ashâke runs away and finds a spot among the griots, nomadic memory keepers who share with her a shocking truth about why the orisha have not spoken to her. Before Ashâke can act on this new knowledge, High Priestess Iyalawo tracks her down, urging her to return to the protective temple grounds, which are warded against a dangerous foe who also seeks Ashâke. Ogundiran keeps the action humming while still managing to probe impressive emotional depths, and a cliffhanger ending sets things up nicely for a sequel. Fans of mythic fantasy drawing from non-Western traditions will want to snap this up. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Ashâke, a devoted but frustrated acolyte of the orisha at the temple of Ifa, disobeys all the order's strictures in her attempt to force the orisha to speak to her so she can become the priest she's always longed to be. When Ashâke discovers that her gods are dead, she escapes the peaceful, sheltered temple to discover that everything she has believed is a lie--but the truth isn't what the rest of the world believes either. Not all her gods are dead, but someone is trying to make it so, and Ashâke's rebellion has provided them with the perfect means kill off the remaining gods. This touches off a war between gods and men. Caught between competing, partial truths, Ashâke isn't sure what to believe at the end of this story, but readers will be left eagerly anticipating her decision about the fate of her world. VERDICT In Ogundiran's (Jackal, Jackal) West African-based epic fantasy, the first in a duology, Ashâke learns the truths of her world and becomes a linchpin in the coming conflict between gods and godslayers. A sure hit for fans of Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Moses Ose Utomi, and N.K. Jemisin.--Marlene Harris
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this fantasy novella, the first of a duology, an acolyte's religious beliefs are shaken to their core--and also, the world is in danger. Five seasons after each of her peers was chosen by a divine orisha and rose to the priesthood, Ashâke remains an acolyte, never having heard an orisha speak to her. Frustrated and resentful, Ashâke decides to force the issue by attempting to summon an orisha in a forbidden ritual that goes horribly wrong. In the aftermath, Ashâke resolves to depart from the temple and the only life she's ever known and strike out into the world; but can she truly leave her past behind? (Answer: No.) Meanwhile, a creepy organization whose members prolong their existence by permanently taking over other people's bodies seems close to finding something it's long been seeking. Ashâke is a vividly drawn and sympathetic character, as is Ba Fatai, the former priest turned cranky witch doctor. Ogundiran offers some lovely worldbuilding inspired by Nigerian (specifically, Yoruban) myth and religion; one great example is the friendly traveling griots with the power to physically immerse you in their stories, leading to a unique use of magic in a pivotal scene. But he also leans on a trope familiar to readers of European-based epic fantasies: The protagonist's obvious lack of a specific ability that their peers possess means that they are actually more special than everyone else. (Mentioning that last might seem like a spoiler, but it should be fairly obvious to the reader, even if it isn't to Ashâke, which is also often part of the trope.) But in a typical fantasy of that type, the revelations that unfold near the end of this tightly written novella would merely be Act 1 of a doorstopper-size work that would be the start of a trilogy, at minimum. Instead, the story stops just when things are getting really interesting, which is an excellent way of whetting the reader's appetite for the second (and concluding) novella. If not entirely groundbreaking, an enjoyable and commendably bloat-free read. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
