By George Udenkwo
Here, Thor rubs shoulders with the Archangel Michael but there are other self-styled Gods, and the story revolves around one such – The Lady Desdemona – the spider Goddess, who spells grisly death for those she deems sinners and not much better for those she loves when a night of pleasure is followed by a good meal – them! The rest of the mostly human populace is divided into quasi-religious cliques, based on who they worship.
The book is constructed of sixteen interlocking stories, giving us glimpses of this giant metropolis from the different districts that form it and some small insight into the people that inhabit these districts and their lives, for better or worse. As Lady Desdemona swings through them on spider-threads, dispensing rough justice, various attempts are made on her life, growing more daring and more deadly at every turn and, as the stories unfold, she realises she has become a pawn in a game with far higher stakes than she imagined. With both Gods and Humans out to kill her and high-technology surveillance covering every inch of the city, staying hidden while trying to discover what is going on, will need every ounce of her supernatural strength, speed and cunning.
This is a quite astonishing debut, imaginative, thoughtful, rich in detail and, as the stories come together, the parts build very nicely into a whole that grows more satisfying through it’s nearly 500 pages. The characters, particularly Lady Desdemona and her sidekick, the Demi-God Djoba, are complex creations, each with well-crafted and individual voices and the politics, history and culture of Golgotha Falls are fascinating.
A couple of the tales are just nice asides but each adds colour and depth to the city; one in particular, about a tailor at the company that clothes the Gods, is a terrific short story, and while, in places, it meanders a little more than it needs to it always adds something to the overall plot so you forgive Mr Udenkwo a little self-indulgence because ultimately it all makes for rewarding reading.
Listing his influences as Philip K Dick, Jeff Noon, Chinua Achebe and Michael Ondaatje, what he has produced is a multi-layered mix of dystopian science fiction, gothic fantasy and horror blended with some noir-ish detective thriller, and while it really shouldn’t work, it somehow comes together into a satisfying and intelligent read.
Book two is apparently in the pipeline and I look forward to the continuing tales of Lady Desdemona and Golgotha Falls with eager anticipation.
Golgotha Falls is published by Pen Press and is available from Amazon
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