Like a lot of us, writer Tobi Ogundiran knows many stories about the Norse and Greek gods. And like a lot of us, he hasn’t experienced nearly as many about the Yoruba gods; though it’s not for lack of trying, but a lack of them. None of the Yoruba gods have been recruited to be superheroes in the MCU; none have fought Kratos in the God Of War games; none have had songs sung about them by Kiss or Led Zeppelin any other rock band.
It’s why Ogundiran decided to write In The Shadow Of The Fall (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), the first in a two novella series called Guardians Of The Gods.
In the following email interview, Ogundiran talks about what else inspired and influenced this secondary world fantasy story, and this duology.
To begin, what is In The Shadow Of The Fall about, and when and where is it set?
In The Shadow Of The Fall follows a disgruntled acolyte in the temple of Ifa, Ashâke, who yearns for the day she is made a priestess and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. She’s remained in the temple for years because she cannot hear the gods and therefore cannot graduate and become a full priest. Desperate, she builds an idan, an effigy, to trap a god and demand answers. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world.
In The Shadow Of The Fall is a book about faith, religion and its insidious manipulation. It’s about secrets, lies, and truth and delicate balance in which they exist.
Where did you get the idea for In The Shadow Of The Fall?
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. It’s very hard to relate to an all-powerful being. Gods don’t necessarily think as mortals. So I thought putting a mortal at the center of this story about gods would serve as an interesting entry into the world.
It sounds like In The Shadow Of The Fall is a fantasy story, but not a medieval one like The Lord Of The Rings or an urban fantasy tale. How do you describe it, genre-wise, and why that way?
It’s a fantasy story inspired by Yoruba culture, cosmology, mythology. The duology is a secondary world fantasy set on an archipelago of ten islands with Ten Kingdoms.
In The Shadow Of The Fall is your first novella, but your second book; last year you released a collection of short stories called Jackal, Jackal, which we talked about in an earlier interview. Are any of the stories in that collection connected to Fall?
“Guardian Of The Gods,” a short story in the collection, serves as the inspiration for In The Shadow Of The Fall, and the duology as a whole. The story is contained, but as with most of my stories, it’s open ended and leaves room for continuation. I always knew I wanted to return to the world, flesh out the story and investigate some pertinent questions, but was consumed with other projects. That story got published in 2020. Sometime late 2021, when a friend mentioned they would happily read a trilogy set in that world, I decided it was time to write the story.
So, are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on Fall but not on anything else you’ve written?
I was thinking very much of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Tombs Of Atuan when writing. I’ve always admired her command of prose, so I spent a lot of time reading her and soaking up her rhythm of language, but also reading that book specifically to capture the feel of a secluded temple with extremely devoted priests.
When I started writing Shadow, I had recently read Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed, and Doro and his powers serve as inspiration for the godkillers in my book.
What about non-literary influences; was In The Shadow Of The Fall influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games?
I can’t say that there are any.
Now, in the aforementioned interview we did about Jackal, Jackal, you said that In The Shadow Of The Fall was going to be the first installment of a duology called Guardian Of The Gods, and you’ve since announced that the second book will be called At The Fount Of Creation, which will be out January 28th. What was it about this story that made you realize it needed to be told in two parts as opposed to just one? Or, for that matter, three or four or 555?
As much as I love meaty 500-page tomes of epic fantasy that sprawl over books, I’ve lately come to appreciate stories that consume much lesser page space, and do so efficiently. I do not subscribe to the school of thought that fantasy worldbuilding requires so much space. I would argue the opposite actually, that for effective worldbuilding less is more, leaving space for the readers to fill in the gaps. With this duology, I was focused primarily on the main story. I had a clear vision of where it was headed and it didn’t require 5, 6 or 7 books. It was going to be two books, each one focusing on an idea. In book one, Ashâke unravels secrets and comes into her own. Book 2 focuses on the repercussions of learned secrets and her adapting into the new role she’s been thrust into.
Upon hearing that In The Shadow Of The Fall is the first book of a duology, some people will decide to wait until At The Fount Of Creation comes out before reading Fall, and some of them will further decide to read them back-to-back. But is there any reason why do you think people shouldn’t wait? Or should but not binge the series?
If readers are interested in reading something refreshing then I highly encourage them not to wait until all the books are out. I understand that we’re in a binge era, but great art can be consumed and allowed to marinate in the mind while the sequels brew; I enjoyed Dune part 1 and rewatched it again before watching part 2. So I’ll say to readers: read In The Shadow Of The Fall now, read again when book 2 comes out.
You said earlier that In The Shadow Of The Fall wasn’t influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But do you think Fall — and, by extension, At The Fount Of Creation — could work as a movie series, a TV show, or a game?
TV adaptations are all the rage now, perhaps because they allow room for more expansive storytelling. As I mentioned before, the books are really laser focused, with subplots that all have bearing on the main storyline. I think both books would work well as TV shows, a limited series of say 7 or 8 episodes that faithfully adapts the story for the new medium.
And if someone wanted to adapt In The Shadow Of The Fall and At The Fount Of Creation into a TV show, who would you want them to cast as Ashâke and the other main characters?
Ayo Edebiri [The Bear] is phenomenal actress and she’s just at the start of an already storied career. I think she would make a great Ashâke.
Mahershala Ali [Moonlight] has that charisma and swagger to make a terrifying Yaruddin; you know, a villain you love to hate.
I could picture Angela Bassett [Black Panther]a s Iyalawo, and Morgan Freeman [The Shawshank Redemption] as Ba Fatai or perhaps the Master Griot.
Speaking all this into existence!
Finally, if someone enjoys In The Shadow Of The Fall, what fantasy novella of someone else’s would you suggest they check out while waiting for At The Fount Of Creation to come out?
Not a novella, but Wole Talabi’s Shigidi And The Brass Head of Obalufon would make for a good companion read to In The Shadow Of The Fall. It also deals with orisha, but in a very different and frankly refreshing way.
People can also check out Moses Ose Utomi’s novellas, The Lies Of The Ajungo and The Truth Of The Aleke, which are both exceptional books.
