Books like The Dahomean

From 1967 to 1971, Frank Yerby departed from his books based in the old American south and wrote four novels taking place in other settings. They were An Odor of Sanctity in Moorish Spain, Goat Song in Classical Athens, Judas My Brother, and this one in early 19th Century Dahomey (now Benin). All are rich in historical detail and looked to have been well-researched.The Dahomean has for its hero (protagonist; you wouldn’t want to be a Yerby hero) one Nyasanu, son of a chief who rises to power and then crashes and burns. The novel is 415 pages long and is full of references to Dahohmean culture, laws, and beliefs. There are the familiar Yerby literary devices. The hero/protagonist is quite talented and capable. He has too many women and there is at least one who swears if he leaves her she will simply die. Homosexual characters are ignoble and disgusting (one wonders if that was Yerby’s belief). Both author and hero find much to fault in their world, but in this book, it’s contrasted favorably with the early 19th Century Southern way of life.The plot is rather simple; it could have happened in a hundred pages but for the anthropological lessons. Still, it’s an interesting read. It will continue in A Darkness at Ingraham’s Crest.