As always, I love a good anthology. This one, from editors Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight, showcases science-fiction and fantasy from both African authors and authors of African descent living elsewhere on the globe (mostly the Caribbean and the United States). Also, as always, I love reading SFF based in cultural traditions I’m less familiar with, and Africa has an enormous diversity of cultures to choose from. This one features 33 stories from 33 authors. I’ve heard of a few of them, and read some other short fiction from a few as well, but this is not an anthology built on existing star power.
This is not a particularly fun or light-hearted analogy. Life informs art, and (I’m generalizing here, because Africa is an enormous place) Africa has generally not had the best time of it the last few centuries. Numerous stories are based on the transatlantic slave trade. Stories from the North American authors are usually about slavery and/or present-day racism. Some of it is very contemporary; the pandemic and Black Lives Matter both come up. Many of the stories from African authors are about colonialism and all the injustices and atrocities that came of it. And more contemporary issues such as economic and environmental injustice come up as well.
Content warnings for this include sexual assault, domestic violence, cannibalism, and female genital mutilation.
Some of my favorite stories I particularly want to mention:
“The Deification of Igodo” by Joshua Uchenna Omenga. A very mythological-feeling story about a greedy king who seeks to become a god and falls short.
“Housewarming for a Lion Goddess” by Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga. Interesting story that combines detailed descriptions of food preparation (really made me hungry) with a goddess dealing with guilt over failing her people.
“The Sugar Mill” by Tobias S. Buckell. A real estate agent in Jamaica is trying to sell an old sugar plantation to a wealthy American couple who want to turn it into a yoga studio, while the ghosts of his enslaved ancestors provide a kind of Greek chorus talking about all the horrible things that happened there.
“The Lady of the Yellow-Painted Library” by Tobi Ogundiran. It is a universal truth across all cultures that you do not fuck with librarians.
“When the Mami Wata Met a Demon” by Moustapha Mbacké Diop. A child drives a jinn away who had been possessing his mother.
“A Soul of Small Places” by Mame Bougouma Diene & Woppa Diallo. A girl in Senegal transforms into a cannibal demon and hunts down and devours rapists.
“The Taloned Beast” by Chinelo Onwualu. A man frees himself, and an enslaved dragon, from the service of his abusive uncle.
Comes out November 15.