TWH – Nigerian author Tobi Ogundiran immerses readers in a secondary fantasy world rooted in West African Yoruba faith—one that practitioners of African diaspora religions such as Santería, Candomblé, Umbanda, as well as spiritual traditions like Hoodoo will immediately recognize. However, readers need no prior knowledge of Yoruba culture or religion to connect with Ashâke, the protagonist—an acolyte at the temple of Ifá who struggles to ascend to full priesthood because the Orishas refuse to speak to her.
In the Shadow of the Fall [Tordotcom: Courtesy
Chosen in early childhood to serve in the priesthood and isolated within the temple, Ashâke is increasingly frustrated that no Orisha has chosen her as a devotee. She is years behind her peers, many of whom have already left to serve as religious leaders across the Ten Kingdoms. In a desperate and ill-fated attempt to force a breakthrough, Ashâke secretly constructs an idan to bind Eshu Elegba—an Orisha who serves as the messenger between the human and divine realms, but who is also a trickster with unpredictable consequences. Unsurprisingly, the result is catastrophic: her vision summons terrifying beings engulfed in flame, drawing the attention of shape-shifting enemies whose goal is the eradication of the Orishas and their servants.
Driven by disappointment and anger—and aided by the witch doctor Ba Fatai—Ashâke flees the temple and its inevitable punishment, entering a world about which she knows nothing. As she journeys through unfamiliar lands, she begins to resent the deliberate ignorance in which acolytes are kept. That resentment deepens into fury when she is taken in by a community of nomadic griots who share their own truths about the Orishas and the reason for their silence.
The griot storytelling scenes are among the most evocative in the novel, and Ogundiran imbues these characters with lyrical, magical depth as they weave their tales. Yet their version of events is incomplete, and the brief refuge Ashâke finds with them is shattered by the dark forces that pursue her—and the far more complex truth of her heritage.
In the Shadow of the Fall (2024) is the first installment in Ogundiran’s Guardians of the Gods duology. The sequel, At the Fount of Creation (2025), concludes the narrative (and is eagerly on this reviewer’s summer reading list by this reviewer).
As Ogundiran explains in an interview, “Literature is saturated with endless stories and retellings of Greek gods and Norse gods (which I love!), but in comparison, Yoruba gods (Orisha) are sparsely represented. I always wanted to write about the Orisha because they’re pretty cool and just as badass. I thought it would be interesting to write of the Orisha but from the perspective of a mortal, drawing heavily on the practice of actual Orisha worship in Yoruba culture.”
At just 145 pages, In the Shadow of the Fall is a powerful gateway into Yoruba cosmology—accessible to newcomers and deeply affirming for adults and adolescents already connected to its spiritual legacy.
About In the Shadow of the Fall (Guardians of the Gods Book 1)
- Imprint Publisher: Tordotcom
- ISBN: 9781250907967
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250907974
- Publication Date: August 6, 2024
- Print length : 152 pages
Tobi Ogundiran is the award-winning author of the Guardian of the Gods duology (In the Shadow of the Fall, At the Fount of Creation) and the critically acclaimed short fiction collection, Jackal, Jackal, which was a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Summer Read. He is the recipient of the Ignyte and British Fantasy Awards. He has been a finalist for the Locus, World Fantasy, British Science Fiction Association, Shirley Jackson, and Nommo awards. His short fiction has been featured in original anthologies such as Africa Risen, The Book of Witches, Lore & Disorder; in several educational and Year’s Best anthologies; and twice on the hit podcast LeVar Burton Reads. Born and raised in Nigeria, he now lives and works in the US. At the Fount of Creation (Guardians of the Gods Book 2) was released earlier this year on January 28, 2025.
Dr. Noelle K. Bowles is a professor of English. She teaches literature and writing courses at Kent State University, specializing in the speculative and fantastic in literature and film, nineteenth-century British literature, women’s literature, and the basic writing courses everyone loves to hate. When not preparing class materials or grading papers, she spends her time letting dogs in and out, engaging in solitary druidic musings, and traveling internationally…oh, and reviewing television, film, and literature.