STONE OF VENGEANCE. By Victor Thorpe

Author Victor Thorpe's plots (in his novels) are ingenious - and so it is here again in this adventure. Even the titular "stone" is an understatement, as the reference is actually to diamonds – diamonds that made certain unconscionable people rich beyond their dreams; though they would pay a heavy price for this many years later. The stones are "cursed" and later on bring horrific sickness, plagues and lingering death to those involved in the desecration and disappearance of them in the past, from the original sacred owners. And in the case of a particular woman brave enough to wear one of such glittering treasures on her neck, said neck is brutally slit! This adventure involves reporter and investigator, Paul Okoro and his lovely wife (Aimee) again; and there is death, horror, mystery, intrigues again. We are introduced to certain characters whose greed and ruthlessness would result in their downfall - all hinged on the original theft of priceless stones. Ironically the man who actually stole the diamonds at inception is the one who suffers most - and his children later on swear, and do all they can to recover the "stones". All this results in another brilliant story, with Thorpe's usual humour and the zest and never-say-die attitude of Okoro and wife. The police finally round up the miscreants one way or the other, until Mr Okoro triumphs – and is ready to enjoy his reward with his intrepid wife; "but not to buy diamonds (with the reward) for Ikoro's sake!"...

-         O Bolaji

THE MADNESS OF DIDI. By Obi Egbuna

Let me make one thing clear from the beginning: we Africans must never forget, or undermine the "old" books published by our early outstanding writers, and not only Achebe or Soyinka or Amadi. We should learn, investigate, do research on the so-called old classics and seek guidance from those older and more knowledgeable than we are in the process. This book is a good example, and I am very privileged I got to read a copy. The author, Obi Egbuna belonged to the top drawer of early African writers. From an early age he was based in England, Europe, but he never forgot his roots; he kept on paying tribute to his ancestry, race and continent. In this novel, Madness of Didi his depiction of African life in the villages or rural areas is superb. Like Achebe, Nwapa, Munonye, Amadi, Chukwuemeka Ike and others did. I concede that perhaps one should not be too carried away with old African life in villages etc; after all, when we read writers like Thomas Hardy or Meredith, we realise that life even among the whites, pre- industrial, pre-electricity etc in their own rural areas at the time was not so different from life in old African villages, with morality stricter and relative serenity in the mix. In this book, Egbuna however presents elements of mystery which make the protagonist very much a man of mystery; a man who had also spent many years overseas. Looking at the whole thing objectively though, we can see the point of the author - Africa suffered horrendously under the colonialists, with Congo just a small example. Countless Africans were butchered, tortured, killed, over-worked by the Belgians even in the 19th century; and during colonialism, so many Africans' lives were apparently worth nothing. Hence when Didi declares that when he was overseas, he had "only killed a few whites" to make a point, against the background of harsh colonialist history, his act becomes just a token, a miniature gesture of vendetta...

- Henry Ozogula

EFUNSETAN ANIWURA. By Akinwunmi Isola

 

It is a thing of joy when ancestral iconic African figures (personalities) have their life and times depicted in print; be it biographies, poetry or drama. The legend (and factual reality) of Chaka (Shaka) the Zulu is arguably the most patent  example in Africa, with surfeit of major books comprising prose, poetry and drama published on this personality - and world class pertinent films to boot! The story of an exceedingly powerful, awe-inspiring, legendary woman like Efunsetan Aniwura, erstwhile "Iyalode of Ibadan" is one rather familiar to those of Yoruba extraction, a ruthless woman who held sway at a time when women were supposed to play second/third fiddle in old Africa! The author, Akinwunmi Isola by writing this drama on the woman (Efunsetan Aniwura) has done much to focus the spotlight on this protagonist over the decades, with spin-off tv dramas, movies et al based on his work flourishing over the decades, and taking hold of the popular imagination. Yet the author has admitted that he might have misrepresented this legendary woman in his work, which was after all written when the author was very much a young man, and a student; and going through this work, it is discernible that the playwright embarks on a lot of artistic licence. Yet, salient history shows that Efunsetan did exist, was feared far and wide, and renowned for her exceeding transcendent cruelty. It might well have been because she found it difficult to conceive or bear children - male children in any event - which "pushed her over the edge" . Or probably she was just evil and tyrannical by nature with faustian overtones - a theory which I personally would concur with. But no matter - suffice it to state (as we learn from this work and its flamboyant, colourful language) that the woman's notoriety was such that the powers-that-be had to do something to nip her atrocities in the bud. Which they do. Whether in the original Yoruba or its English translation, this is a gripping work on an intriguing, larger than life woman

WINDMILLS OF THE DAMES. By Omoseye Bolaji

“It can be intimidating reviewing the work of a very good (African) writer like the author, Mr Bolaji here. Often we hardly know much about our authors, just identifying them with a book or two, but when the writer in question has published so many books, sports, fiction, poetry, novels, criticism etc like Bolaji has done, one tends to put such a writer on a pedestal. It is often said that Bolaji has been in decline over the last 5 years or so, but it depends on the perspective; it might well be because his last major work of fiction (Tebogo and the bacchae) came out almost five years ago. But Bolaji has continued to write a lot since then, mainly short general essays, criticism, reviews; and considering his experience this is formidable in itself. Like all the shorter writings in this book, Windmills of the Gods. A lot of them have to be read again and again, even slowly, to appreciate the ingenuity of the author's craft. Many of the chapters read like short stories, so how do we claim that the author is no longer creative? The section where the author tries to wade into a dispute between a young female friend of his and her boyfriend reads exactly like a gripping short story. Even the chapter where the author refers to a particular reception of his book, It couldn't matter less, looks powerful and imaginative. Yet the author in this work is generally referring to fleeting experiences in his life. Including the title story, Windmills of the dames which touches on a Senegalese community in South Africa. On my own part, I love and appreciate virtually everything the author Bolaji writes...this book is no different.” – Henry Ozogula

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“About this work, the well known critic, Pule Lechesa has commented: “What an intriguing title (Windmills of the Dames) by Bolaji. It immediately reminds us of the classical poem by celebrated poet Longfellow: “Though the mills of God grind slowly yet they grind exceeding sure”

This would suggest strongly that the columnist is implying that after centuries of undermining women (“dames”) by the world – until just over a hundred years ago, eg even in western countries women had very limited rights – women nowadays seem to be getting some sort of retribution (revenge) on men, with the latter bearing a lot of the burden these days.

By the same token, alternatively there is also the implication that women might also pay ultimately for whatever heartaches they are meting out to partners.

Additionally, literary pundits often point to Sidney Sheldon as a possible influence on Bolaji’s writing (as Wikipedia article on Bolaji suggests) One of Sheldon’s most famous books is Windmills of the Gods, which reminds us yet again of this particular title – Windmills of the Dames”

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“Omoseye Bolaji is an illustrious African writer whose body of work straddles many genres - fiction, poetry, drama, criticism, sports etc. Over the years he has published some 30 books which showcase his breath-taking range and breadth.

“Windmills of the Dames (2014) follows on the heels of earlier works of his like Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002), Miscellaneous Writings (2011) and, It couldn't matter less (2013). Here we can savour a flotilla of gripping shorter writings that run the gamut of human experience. “ – (from the blurb)