David Mogo, Godhunter is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

of Nigerian writer Suyi Davies Okungbowa. It was released by

Abaddon Books Abaddon Books is a British publishing imprint, founded in 2006. It is part of the Rebellion group of companies, along with publishing companies Solaris Books, ''2000 AD'', 2000 AD Graphic Novels, and Cubicle 7. Abaddon publishes "shared worl ...

, an imprint of

Rebellion Publishing Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford, England. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for its ''Sniper Elite'' series and multiple games in the ''Alien vs. Pre ...

in Oxford, UK on July 9, 2019 in the US and two days later in the UK and Europe.

Plot

The novel follows the titular demigod, who is also a god hunter, as he scours the streets of Okungbowa's native

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria, in the aftermath of an event called The Falling where thousands of

orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. T ...

s have fallen to the city.

Reception

The novel received good reception, with venues like ''

WIRED ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' commenting that, "a number of books have been termed 'godpunk,' but Suyi Davies Okungbowa's novel may be the subgenre's platonic deific ideal," while ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' mentioned that "this story is captivating, and readers who enjoy non-Western fantasy, mythpunk, and tales of found family will find it delightful." However, there were critical mentions of the story structure, which was a novel in three parts, almost akin to a collection of novellas (''F(r)iction'''s Giancarlo Riccobon called it "three books for the price of one") and the treatment of some of the minor characters. But overall, the consensus was that the authorial voice was fresh and welcome, especially in a white-dominated sub-genre. "American urban fantasy, like any established genre, can get predictable," L.E.H Light of ''BlackNerdProblems'' said in a lengthy, favourable review. "''David Mogo, Godhunter'' is anything but." In October 2020, ''David Mogo, Godhunter'' was announced as the winner of the 2020

Nommo Award The Nommo Award is a literary award presented by ''The African Speculative Fiction Society''. The award is named after the Nommo. The awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magi ...

for Best Speculative Novel by an African (the Ilube Award).

Awards

2020

for Best Speculative Novel by an African (the Ilube Award), ''won.''

References

{{Nommo Award Winners 2019 Nigerian novels 2019 debut novels Africanfuturist novels Debut fantasy novels 2019 fantasy novels Novels set in Nigeria Nigerian fantasy novels