Olaju - The Edge of Origins

by Peter Chizoba Danial

OLAJU: THE EDGE OF ORIGINS follows three young planters of the NKPURU OSISI creatures (meaning Tree people in the IGBO language) as they journey to save the cultivation of the earth after the high priest decides to take control of creation itself.

They will undergo several feats of peril and rise beyond their default purpose to save the earth and existence itself. While trying to achieve the impossible, they will soon witness secrets from the dawn of existence.

180 pages, Graphic Novel

Published December 1, 2022

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by West-African mythology, Olaju - The Edge of Origins is the first volume of a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel series. Set in the early days of Earths creating, it follows the Nkpuru Osisi (or tree people) tasked by the goddess Ashari with planting and cultivating the earth so that it might ready one day for humans. But when the elder of the tree people betrays them all an unleashes devastating dark magic on this new world, an unlikely group of planters must embark on a quest to stop him and save the future of Earth.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Not only is art truly stunning, but the story is gripping and action-packed, populated with a wonderful cast of characters. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next volume! I received a copy of this graphic novel for review, all opinions are my own.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could do partial stars as this book is 4.5 and only that low because of length. I found myself wishing for more pages to read. It should be noted that this first volume ends with a bit of a cliff hanger so it is really the spirit of greed keeping me from marking 5 stars.
I find that I had to read this volume twice for full enjoyment as I am personally and regrettably ignorant to West-African mythology. The first time I read the story to get the flow and the second time I read the story and looked up anything that felt like it was probably referential.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Peter Chizoba Daniel at New York ComicCon 2023. I don’t read many graphic novels because I get absorbed by the artwork and lose the story line. However, his description of the story and history of the work caught my interest. The artwork is stunning. I had to go through after I finished reading it to pay attention to the visual details missed the first time through. Beyond that, the characters are engaging and the story arc is fast paced and intriguing. I look forward to more works in this series going forward.

[Cara (Wilde Book Garden) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Absolutely stunning art, and I really enjoyed the story and worldbuilding!