David Mogo

el dang reviewed David Mogo by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Strong start, couldn't quite stay the course but still a good read

4 stars

This book is in three parts, the first of which would have made a satisfying short story on its own, the second feels like a solid continuation, but the third started to feel a bit formulaic even as it escalated things.

The parts I enjoyed the most were Lagos-as-character, the idea that there are multiple pantheons which know each other but have limited power over each other, and the way David's character evolved. Though he does get distinctly less likable over the course of the story, which feels right in terms of the world building but made me feel less engaged.

[#SFFBookClub June 2024]

enne📚 reviewed David Mogo by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

David Mogo: Godhunter

3 stars

(Reposting this here to keep all my book reviews in one place, sorry!)

David Mogo Godhunter is a urban fantasy book about a demigod living in post-apocalyptic Nigeria. Gods and godlings have invaded and taken over and destroyed large parts of Lagos, and David is scraping out a living capturing wayward godlings that are causing trouble.

The strongest part of the book for me was the Lagos setting, of its island and mainland, and its observations about culture even in a post-apocalyptic world. It's just got such a solid sense of place running through the whole book.

The beginning of the book hooked me with David getting forced into a job he doesn't want to take, but the middle and end got very muddy plot-wise and character-wise. Some of this is that due to some plot it felt like David became a different (and less likeable) character. I think also …

(Reposting this here to keep all my book reviews in one place, sorry!)

David Mogo Godhunter is a urban fantasy book about a demigod living in post-apocalyptic Nigeria. Gods and godlings have invaded and taken over and destroyed large parts of Lagos, and David is scraping out a living capturing wayward godlings that are causing trouble.

The strongest part of the book for me was the Lagos setting, of its island and mainland, and its observations about culture even in a post-apocalyptic world. It's just got such a solid sense of place running through the whole book.

The beginning of the book hooked me with David getting forced into a job he doesn't want to take, but the middle and end got very muddy plot-wise and character-wise. Some of this is that due to some plot it felt like David became a different (and less likeable) character. I think also maybe this story hewed too close to some shonen anime-esque superhero conflict arc for my tastes.

(Also, and this is minor and petty, but cis authors stop making references to the transphobic wizard lady books challenge [impossible])

Tak! reviewed David Mogo by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

David Mogo: Godhunter

4 stars

In a lot of ways, this reminds me of the Akata series, but for adults - Nigerian setting, making friends and enemies with supernatural entities, Nsibidi script as magic writing, etc. (This is not a criticism of the Akata series, I love them.)

The setting was the best part of this for me - I enjoyed postapocalyptic, god-ravaged Lagos.

I appreciate that David is imperfect and fallible - he makes mistakes, fails, etc., and it has real consequences for him.

The first section (book? sub-book?) was my favorite, followed by the second - as the story progressed, I felt like it kept getting progressively more frantic and less coherent.

Overall, I enjoyed it, though, and I'm looking forward to more.

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