My favorite novel. --Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"A magical writer--one of the greatest of the twentieth century."
--Margaret Atwood
"African literature is incomplete and unthinkable without the works of
Chinua Achebe." --Toni Morrison
The second novel in Chinua Achebe's masterful African trilogy, following
Things Fall Apart and preceding No Longer at Ease
When Things Fall Apart ends, colonial rule has been introduced to
Umuofia, and the character of the nation, its values, freedoms,
religious and socio-political foundations have substantially and
irrevocably been altered. Arrow of God, the second novel in Chinua
Achebe's The African Trilogy, moves the historical narrative
forward. This time, the action revolves around Ezeulu, the headstrong
chief priest of the god Ulu, which is worshipped by the six villages of
Umuaro. The novel is a meditation on the nature, uses, and
responsibility of power and leadership. Ezeulu finds that his authority
is increasingly under threat from rivals within his nation and
functionaries of the newly established British colonial government. Yet
he sees himself as untouchable. He is forced, with tragic consequences,
to reconcile conflicting impulses in his own nature--a need to serve the
protecting deity of his Umuaro people; a desire to retain control over
their religious observances; and a need to gain increased personal power
by pushing his authority to the limits. He ultimately fails as he leads
his people to their own destruction, and consequently, his personal
tragedy arises. Arrow of God is an unforgettable portrayal of the loss
of faith, and the downfall of a man in a society forever altered by
colonialism.
