The Half-God of Rainfall

As a lover of mythology of all kinds I adored this book and got through it one sitting. The blend of prose and poetry is so wonderful, and though sometimes it can prevent you from getting emotionally engaged, it is still incredibly well done.

I love how it melds together the ancient and the modern and it was a very enjoyable quick read for anyone who loves myths.

One sentence to summarise why this book is not only worth reading, but must be read: Overlooked and abused women of mythology unite to take down Zeus, with a black woman, mother and rape survivor as their champion.

INSTANT favourite! I'm struggling to find words worthy of expressing how much I thoroughly adored this. Inua Ellams weaves words as effortlessly as the gods wield air and water, with a beauty and finesse to rival the greatest of them. I adore everything about this book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy one day!

I listened to the audiobook as well as reading it and I was hooked from start to finish! The narrator is the talented poet and author of the book. I was swept by the journey from Nigeria to Olympus to America to London to space and back again.

This was a story of wars between gods (men) that leave women and children as collateral damage. It comes alive with the righteous anger of women who turn their pain and oppression into power. They are no longer the victims but the heroes who would do anything for their children, and take their power back without fear when men fail them. It is rife with symbolism and the optics of a white god and a black woman's anger, the women who enable their husbands (Hera), the men who stand aside and watch while women suffer for their pride (Sango), the view of sports players as gods.

This is a book that unflinchingly takes on the violence perpetuated against women so a content warning is necessary, but subverts what is usually a lazy trope and delivers justice.

I really didn't expect the story I got! This is a war between Gods and mortals. This introduces feminism into mythology and the scarred and used women used by God's owning their narrative! This is such an amazing story that people should read the way in which it's written is beautiful and emotional! This was amazing!

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn’t what I got. Told entirely in free non-rhyming verse, this is a tale that spans the ages and pits Gods against mortals in a war that has been waged since man began.

There is an amazing amount packed into very few words here and Ellams packs quite a punch with evocative and harrowing descriptions. It will take many Western readers out of their comfort zones, relying heavily on Nigerian and Ancient Greek mythology yet despite my unfamiliarity with the names and places, it still drew me in and carried me along.

Free verse not being my forte, this is not a book I would ordinarily pick up and yet I am glad I did. Simultaneously telling a tale of love and of vengeance, the female perspective of the ravages of God and of man are striking and harrowing. This is a quick read, but I suspect it is one that will stay with me for quite a time to come.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my free copy of this book.

"Orunmila, the God of vision and fiction, whose unique knowing is borderless, whose wisdom is unmatched, who witnessed the light of all creation,
to whom all stories are lines etched in his palms,
from the heavens above Nigeria, read the qualms of oncoming conflict, shook his head and looked down."

I read this paragraph and felt like I had come home - I am obsessed with mythology, particularly stories about the gods in the Yoruba and Greek pantheons and this brings them together so well.

The Half-God of Rainfall, play, poem, and prose all at once, is the story of Demi, the Nigerian demigod who can make basket while laying on the ground and can cry a river - literally - when he is angry. Demi is the star in the middle of the show, but this story begins and ends with his mother, Modupe, the chosen one of the river goddess. Endowed with a beauty that makes men and gods act out of turn, Modupe becomes the proverbial grass in the field where elephants fight, a pawn in a battle of egos. She lives out her fate as graciously as she can manage, but when the elephants return to trample on the only living thing in her field, there will be plenty to pay to appease her rage.

Pride, power, feminism, and revenge are all in this melting pot, but I also chose to read it as an omen, a warning to kings and men alike who think they have power over women's bodies; nothing is as vast as a woman's heart, and when she fights from pain and love, not even Zeus stands a chance.

Inua Ellams has been making waves in the theatre-world recently, most notably with his astonishing play, Barber Shop Chronicles, so I wanted to get to know more about the writer, hence me landing upon The Half God of Rainfall, an adaptation of which has also recently finished on the London stage.

This is a wonderful piece of epic poetry that blends the Greek legends and myths of Zeus, Hercules and the gods with a contemporary story of a young black boy wanting to fulfil his potential as a breath-taking basketball player.

Only his talents come from the gods – his beautiful mother having been raped by Zeus – and so the gods have forbidden him to use his celestial talents against humans. But he rebels and the gods seek to take vengeance against both him and his mother.

What I would have given for this work to be longer. It’s so short, takes less than thirty minutes to read, yet Inua has weaved so much into this – racism, misogyny, vengeance and justice. I adored it. I just wish I had seen the stage adaptation now!

A very enjoyable book that kept me engaged all the way through. The fantastic writing grabbed meand the story was easy to follow. Its an intensely poetic work yet it carries some big ideas and thinking. Highly recommended

This is Percy Jackson for grown-ups. ⚡
Inua Ellams does it again with an outstanding novella about heartache, motherhood and abuse.
I was enamoured from the very first line:
Portrait of Prometheus
as a basketball player.
Every word in this collection was perfectly chosen. Its concise writing style makes for an easy read despite the difficult topics that the author is discussing and this is largely thanks to his ability to craft relatable characters despite some being Minor Gods. I felt the rise and falls of these characters with an amount of emotion I didn't know I felt for them.
Character crafting in poetry can be especially difficult. However, I found it easy to distinguish one character from another because of how different they were. Petty female vs female hatred did not exist in the pages of this novel and considering some of the characters involved and how they are portrayed generally by other writers, I found to be very refreshing. Not only this but the format of this novel- free verse poetry split into books and acts, was something I had never seen for a book like this and very much enjoyed. I think this works very well here due to the influence Greek gods have on the story. The structure can be compared to a classic Greek tragedy and when you realise that it makes rereading the novel and an even better experience (especially as it made me realised that this was more the story of Modupe, Demi's mother before the perspective switched back to her).
This is a diverse multi-generational exploration of sexual assault that should be missed by no one.
⚠Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, PTSD

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

This poem/prose/mixture of things deals with mythology. Zeus - as always - can not keep it in his pants and rapes Mosupa, a Nigerian woman. Product is Demi, a half god of rainfall who becomes a successful sportsman, challenging his father and his powers.

As already indicated, this is sort of an epic poem, mixing various mythologies though mainly Nigerian and Grecian ones. I found it entertaining and a bit weird - but not in a bad sense. It was very poetic.

Due to format problems it was sometimes hard to read though. Furthermore, it was a bit short for me and the story progresses too fast.

3,5 Stars because I'm all in for mixing mythologies!

Excellent book. I found it a quick read yet it was so full. It almost like there was not a chance to breath. Fantastic writing.

The Half-God of Rainfall has been an exercise in the unexpected for me, though perhaps it shouldn't have been. First, I'd been rather dense in picking up that this title, by poet and playwright Inua Ellams, is in fact in verse. On that discovery, I had the standard concerns about whether I was really qualified to read this book I'd committed to review, or whether daring to have an opinion on some words that sometimes rhyme is inherently beyond me as . Then I calmed down and opened it up and had a great time. "Cool," I thought, "now time to review something new and interesting that expands my horizons beyond the world of prose". I am just starting said horizon-expanding review when an idle google search teaches me that The Half God of Rainfall is not just a poem by a playwright, but a poem that was about to be staged in my city. In the spirit of "why broaden one horizon when you can broaden two", what follows is therefore my thoughts not just on The Half-God of rainfall in its written form, but of the performance that brought it to life in the Kiln Theatre, Kilburn in May 2019.
The Half-God of Rainfall is a story of ancient deities and their impact on the lives of mortals, told through a distinctly modern lens. Its hero is Demi (Kwame Odoom), the child of Zeus and a mortal woman. His mother, Modupe (Rakie Ayola), was given the protection of Osún, the Òrisà of rivers, only to have that protection fail due to a contest between the Òrisà's God of Thunder and Zeus, with a mortal of the winner's choice as a prize. Demi, Half-God of Rainfall, is born immediately from his mother's rape and grows up with his mother's love and grief, and his own uncontrollable powers. We meet him by the side of a basketball court, barred from play because of his tendency to literally flood the land when he cries, at the moment he turns his ability to "make it rain" from a literal ability into a figurative one and begins his rise to the top of world-class basketball - and attracts the notice of both the Òrisà and the Greek pantheon. 
The language of Half-God is gorgeous and full of rhyme and flow that demands to be "voiced", even if you're just talking in your own head on a packed train carriage. On the page, it's subtle and fluid, and the transformation and feeling of "discovery" as each of those rhymes and lyrical moments appears in sound is one that I completely delighted in. Running through this is an exploration of dialect and narrative mode, from lines of dialogue that feel lifted from classical translations or myth retellings to more modern vernacular, like the exploration of "Nigerian tongues round American accents" on the children's basketball court. It makes for a rich reading experience that translates as well as you'd expect - even if the details are unexpectedly different - to stage, where it falls on just two actors to play out this range of voices and to differentiate the revolving set of gods and mortals of these various pantheons for the audience's benefit. 
Demi's journey from crying child to vengeful young man happens quickly, and it feels like his character gains most going from page to stage, allowing us to follow as he goes from from excited child to confident, self-assured demigod to an inevitable path to hubris and downfall. Of course, it's inherently quite funny to watch a tall adult man play a child on stage (see also Philip Schuyler Hamilton), and like the Hamilton character, our amusement at Demi's character is abruptly cut short when we realise he's grown up to match his actor's physicality, and we have to start taking his ambitions and their possible destructive results seriously. Because Kwame Odoom doubles as other characters, most notably Sàngó, Òrisà God of thunder, who is definitely not powerless (although he spends much of the story claiming he is), the ability to sell Demi's youthful journey is even more impressive.
While the title is ostensibly about her son, it's Demi's mother Modupe who (intentionally) steals the show. Unlike the older myths it riffs off, where women are included simply to be owned and use by men and to suffer without agency, this narrative galvanises her as a woman whose life has been shaped by male violence and impunity, but never taken from her. Despite all their powers and schemes, the male characters all ultimately end up as fuel for her arc, rather than the other way around. It's interesting to contrast the text, which puts her at the head of a chorus of similarly wronged women who were assaulted at the hands of Zeus or other men who used their power to take what they wanted from the women around them, and the stage show, which with just a single woman centres far more explicitly on Modupe's individual rage. It's reflective of Modupe's relative isolation throughout the entire play: because of the way the character doubling falls out, Rakie Ayola plays a lot of secondary characters at the point they intersect with Demi, as well as being the Zeus and the Osún to Odoom's Sàngó. It means that, at pivotal moments where Modupe interacts with these characters, she's in fact alone on the stage, her protectors and her attackers all embodied within the same actor and therefore, on some level, reflected in her own character. It's a powerful concept, well executed.
In poetic form, Half God of Rainfall took very little time to put me under its spell; on stage, it takes a little longer, with deceptively light-hearted initial scenes at the start; it's not until the gods take to the stage that the production really gets to show off its actors' talents and the versatility of its storytelling mode. The inevitable constraints of time and space are such that, for most of you reading this, it's not going to be possible to check out the Kiln's staging of this fascinating work - though if North London is in your radius before May 17, I urge you to check it out! - but for me it was an unusual opportunity to experience a text that already pushed me out of my comfort zone in a new way. Anyone interested in explorations of myth and epic form with a focus that goes beyond the well-trodden world of European legend would be well served by checking out Ellams' work, and if you ever get a chance to see it staged? Even better.

The Half-God of Rainfall is really excellent read. Short but packs a real punch. Inua Ellams is a real talent.

It actually reminded me of a story I'd been writing in my head for while, and I was almost upset that Ellams got there first.
However, I think Ellams did a better job than I ever could; it was compelling, lyrical, and mythic.
Give this book a go!

Sometimes, not as often as I would like, but sometimes I do steer away from my usually preferred genres and try something new. This one was just something new and I am so glad that I chose this one to try out because it’s such a fresh and new experience for me that I was just left really satisfied at the end of it.

For a book with a page count of under hundred, this one manages to pack quite a punch. It tells a tale of Yorùbá and Greek deities, spanning a number of years. A story told in verse with all the epic scope it can reach with powerful words and addressing the way women have been treated in many of the myths across the globe. I didn’t quite know what to expect going in and I think that was the best way to read this one. It managed to surprise me in the best way possible.

It is the story of Demi, a child born out of a rape, his mother was raped by Zeus and of Modupe, the Nigerian woman faced the atrocities committed by Zeus and raised Demi. Modupe is such a strong women, with raw power of her own and we see that near the end of the book, it was such a satisfying to read about it too. Demi is a successful basketball player, his talent and his power shines through without shadowing his mother’s tale.

There’s such an engaging use of language here and with the story itself moving at a great pace, this was a phenomenal experience. It’s short but it’s powerful in leaving its impact on you with its deep and lyrical writing. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Ellams’ more works.

My thanks to Harper Collins/4th Estate for an eARC via NetGalley of Inua Ellams’ ‘The Half-God of Rainfall’ in exchange for an honest review. I have since purchased it as an ebook.

In this prose poem Ellams skilfully blends Yoruba and Greek mythology in a story about a gifted young Nigerian basketball player and his mother, who has to protect him from the whims of the Gods.

I am not really someone who reads much poetry though often feel that I should try to incorporate more. However, I am always drawn to fiction that incorporates mythological themes and characters and this sounded quite intriguing.

After a couple of attempts I opted to read this aloud to myself as I find this is really what I need to appreciate poetry. I didn’t feel that I was able to fully understand its story and themes though recognised the power and lyrical beauty of the text. However, this is my failing as someone who struggles with poetry.

I didn't realise this was poetry when I recieved the arc in exchange for a review. I don't normally read poetry novels, they're not really my thing but this was an extremely well written, emotive and interesting story set between Nigerian and the US. Following a woman and her half god basketball playing son who angers the gods by gaining too much praise. It mixes gods from different cultures though trigger warnings for rape

This was an interesting collection of work. I was not entirely sure of this was prose or a verse piece. The language used was really good and this helped make the characters stand out more. The story overall was good and I liked how it progressed and had a particular focus when on Demi and Modupe. This was constructed really well and helped sell the story.

This is a strange and yet wonderful book at the same time. It's a mix of mythology and modern told in a poetry style. The book tells the story of the abuses women face and there is a lot in this book. It's a short book with a powerful story that I think everyone should take a chance on.

From the award-winning poet and playwright behind Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall is an epic story and a lyrical exploration of pride, power and female revenge.

When I read this book was about Gods, I knew I had to give this a look and how Ellams uses Gods, I find completely brilliant in this book. Creating a story where different Gods from different cultures are in a feud against one another, in this case the Greek and African Gods, makes for a book that keeps you reading. The behaviour of Zeus is used here in a uncomfortable and uncompromising way but the end makes up for it.

Madupe is such a strong character, full of emotion and raw with power - she makes for such a phenomenal heroine in this book especially in the final scenes where we see that revenge come to fruition, that last line of the book making for such a fantastic finish to the tale. Demi of course grows up and his story is just as potent, where we find a tale of talent, power and what you do with it.

A short but powerful book, The Half God Of Rainfall is a great read that keeps you hooked until the end - it reminded me in moments of a more lyrical and deep American Gods, especially with the story of Demi, and it won’t disappoint you.

This is a really thought-provoking poem that pulls together the clash of gods ancient and modern, the power of family love against the powers of the world and how to both ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.

It's hard to compare this to other books, because it's not really like anything I've read before, but if you liked American Gods by Neil Gaiman or the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, I think you'd like this book; albeit this is a poem rather than a novel.

A prose-poem about the birth and life of a half-god; Ellams' writing style is poignant and the imagery harrowing, it makes for an exceptional albeit disturbing work of art.