Nigerian speculative fiction writer Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki has revealed the full cover of his forthcoming debut novel, Birth of Orisha, completing the cover artwork with a back cover and spine that connect with the previously unveiled front cover.
The writer shared the completed design following Open Country Magazine‘s initial front-cover reveal earlier in the month. The full cover reveal brings together artwork by John Jennings, who illustrated the front cover, and Nigerian artist Ozobiani Ezeogu, who created the back cover. Wilson Oghenemudiakevwe Ofiavwe designed the spine.
In an interview with Brittle Paper (written by Praise Okeoghene Vandeh) published on the same day, Ekpeki explained that he wanted the two covers and the spine to work together as a single image, telling a connected story about birth, destruction and transformation. He described the artwork as a visual representation of Afrocosmology, the framework through which he explores the connections between African cosmological traditions, spirituality, science, and technology.
The front cover depicts a foetus suspended in deep space, surrounded by stars and Ifá binary. According to Ekpeki, the image represents potential and the beginning of existence. The spine functions as a black hole, while the back cover presents a fully realised Orisha against a devastated landscape. An umbilical cord that extends across the design also functions as a wormhole, connecting the two figures as different stages of the same being.
Ekpeki explained to Brittle Paper that the imagery draws on Ifá, including its binary system and the symbolism of the Odù. He identified Ọ̀ṣẹ́ Méjì, associated with fertility, children and birth, and Òfún Méjì, associated with realisation, culmination and destruction, as central to the cover’s visual language.
The author also described the novel as an “ArtæFACT,” a term he uses for a literary form in which the writing, artwork, physical design, and accompanying scholarly material work together to tell the story.
Birth of Orisha is the first book in Ekpeki’s planned Orisha Cycle trilogy, which will continue with War of Orisha and Death of Orisha. The novel is scheduled for publication on February 16, 2027, through CAEZIK SF & Fantasy.
Preorder the book here.
