Review: David Mogo: Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

David Mogo is not like the other residents of Lagos. He is a demigod. However, since The Falling, when a divine war led to a number of godlings to fall to earth, he has become something else. Together with his adoptive father, an aged magician, David is an extremely effective Godhunter. His unique connection to the divine beings through his mother’s blood allows David to help the residents of Lagos evict the fallen gods, for a price.

Despite this, David and Pap Udi barely manage to get by. Soon, David finds himself in financial straits, and in desperate need of a few good jobs. So when he’s offered the task of kidnapping a set of twin gods by the powerful wizard, Ajala, David can’t help but be skeptical. Despite his foreboding, he accepts the job, only to be proven right. Ajala has bigger plans than kidnap, and unless David stops the wizard, the whole city will fall to ruin. Faced with an impending war, David finds himself turning to his mother, and ancient powers beyond his understanding, in the hopes of victory.

David Mogo: Godhunter is the definition of adventure. From the first page, the reader is immersed in a colorful world where the divide between the heavens and earth is awry, and it’s glorious. Not only is it refreshing to see an African country represented in a chillingly realistic post-apocalyptic light, but to have the continent as the centre of the action also allows for a glance into a new kind of myth, with an African twist. Okungbowa’s world is rich and vibrant, and so beautifully captured that one can almost smell the port of Lagos. And amid this whirlwind of beauty is a top-notch fantasy with a thoroughly likeable protagonist.

This book is not only entertaining and beautifully written, but it ticks all the boxes. It’s a fresh perspective on an old theme, and presents a much-needed change to the first-world countries we generally see in this genre. All that’s left is to find out if there will be a sequel, because I hope we haven’t seen the last of David Mogo.

David Mogo: Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa is published by Abaddon Books, a Rebellion Books company, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.