Black Sci-fi and Fantasy Authors

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Hello travelers,

As I am sure many of you are aware, there is a huge push for racial justice in America, with 50 states and 18 countries participating in the protests. While I am unable to participate in any of the marches in my area, I have done what I can with signing petitions. Recently, I saw a hashtag going around social media called #BlackoutBestsellerList with the goal of making all of the New York Times Bestsellers be from Black authors. This could be accomplished if everyone bought two books by black authors before June 20th. I'll admit, I was a little late to the game, but that doesn't mean I can't participate and maybe we can continue this push in the coming weeks.

While there is no way to list every book out there by black authors, I thought I would make a list with some that are not just the typical academic African-American literature. That's not to say there's anything wrong with those books; in fact, they're a great place to start. But not everyone enjoys reading classics all the time. Maybe you're like me and always walk to the Sci-fi/Fantasy section of your bookstores first. And maybe you, like me, have noticed those sections are predominantly white. So here's a list of SFF fiction by black authors that you should consider checking out (or purchase to help support an underrepresented community in writing and publication). I have not read all of these but I do want to read these.

  The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter-- Described as Game of Thrones meets Gladiator. This world has been at war for 200 years and the Omehi have structured their culture around this fact. Some are lucky to have the power to call upon dragons or turn themselves into a stronger killing machine. Everyone else does not matter. Tau has no gift and plans to escape into a quiet life of marriage and family but when a brutal massacre leaves him alone, his plans turn to revenge against the people who betrayed him. The second book in this series, The Fires of Vengeance, is scheduled to come out in July.

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi- Climate change and nuclear disasters have made the earth unlivable. Wars are fought with flying machines and soldiers are given bionic limbs and artificial organs to help them fight and survive the radiated climates. Sisters Onyii and Ify want a future of peace and hope together and they will fight a war to get there. Book two, Rebel Sisters, is scheduled to come out in October.


Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron-- Arrah is from a family of witchdoctors but each year, she fails to call forth her own powers. There is a deadly last resort: trade years of her own life for scraps of magic. But when she discovers the Demon King is stirring and his hungry for souls, she must decide if she will trade her life to stop him. Book two, Reaper of Souls, is expected to be released in February 2021.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark- A steampunk, alternate history story that follows Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr as he trains his new partner, Agent Onsi, as they attempt to perform an exorcism on a possessed tram car. A simple task becomes more complicated as demon's origins are revealed. Clark has short stories in this same universe.

Children of Blood and Bone and  by Tomi Adeyemi--  Zelie Adebola  was born a maji but the king destroyed magic and hunted the maji into extinction. When she is given the opportunity to bring magic back, it is a chance to free her people from the years of oppression and injustice but her plans go awry when she develops feelings for the prince. Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the second book in this series and was released in 2019.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon-- The water dwelling descendants of African slave women tossed overboard live idyllic lives, having forgotten their past by bestowing it on the historian, Yetu. Traumatized by the memories, she flees to the surface. There she discovers that her people must reclaim their memories if they are to survive.

David Mogo, Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa-- A Nigerian God-Punk set in Lagos. David Mogo is a demigod who works as a freelance Godhunter in order to scrape together enough money to survive. When he captures a high god for a wizard, he realizes he's made a terrible mistake when the wizard tries to take Lagos for himself.

Pet by Akaeke Emezi-- In a world where monsters don't exist, Jam encounters a creature named Pet that claims to be there to hunt a monster that may be lurking in the house of Jam's best friend, Redemption. Now, Jam has to protect her friend while answering the question, how do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo- A war has caused the gods to disappear, leaving two girls, separated at birth, behind. Goddesses growing up believing they are human, Naala and Sinai are slowly drawn back together as their power awakens but Eze Ochichiri, who rules over Nri and is the one who brought the old gods to their knees, is drawn to them as well.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor- Binti is the first of the Himba people to attend Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But the rest of Oomza do not share or respect her customs. She's willing to endure in order to gain the knowledge that she seeks but traveling to the University brings her into the war between Oomza and the Meduse, an alien race that is the stuff of nightmares. If she wants to survive, she will need both her people's gifts and the wisdom on the University. All three books are available.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna-- Deka prays the blood ceremony will reveal red blood so she may join her village but when her blood runs gold, she is faced with a consequence worse than death. Then a woman comes to her with a choice, submit to her fate int he village or join the alaki and fight for the emperor.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanna A. Brown-- Malik pledges to kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for his younger sister's freedom from an evil spirit. Karina plans to use ancient magic to resurrect her assassinated mother but requires the beating heart of a king. She pledges to marry anyone who wins the Solstasia competition. Malik cheats his way into the contest. They are destined to kill each other but their attraction may prevent them from fulfilling their tasks. The second book is scheduled to come out in 2021.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko-- Tarisai longs for a place to belong. She is sent by her mother to compete to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince's Council of 11. Those chosen will be joined together through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. But her mother has a magical wish that Tarisai must obey: Kill the Crown Prince. Tarisai does not want to be a pawn but may not be strong enough to choose a different path.

The Kishi by Antoine Bandele-- A monk seeking redemption must save a village from a demon.

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson-- Inspired by the Yoruba of West Africa and the North African Roman Empire, this fantasy novella follows a menagerie owner's son who falls in love with a soldier from across the sea.

The Queen of Zazzau by J.S. Emuakpor-- inspired by the true story of the Hausa warrior queen, Amina of Zazzau, this historical fantasy follows the hair of a crumbling kingdom who asks for the assistance of a god of war.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl-- This is an Afrofuturistic steampunk story that explores a world where the Congo developed steam technology before Europe.

The Dreamblood Duology by N.K. Jemisin-- set in an Egypt inspired fantasy world that includes the books The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun.  In it, the city-state of Gujaareh is at peace where the priests of the dream-goddess harvest magic from the sleeping mind to heal, soothe, and kill those judged corrupt. But when someone or something starts murdering the dreamers, the Gatherer Ehiru must protect the one he was supposed to kill or watch the city be devoured in war and forbidden magic.

As you can see, these are just a few of the books available that have been written by Black authors and, I for one, want more. This is obviously not an exhaustive list. If you know of any others that I should check out, please let me know in the comments. If you want some more suggestions for books by black authors, I'd like to recommend you check out Jesse from Bowties and Books.

If you're interested in #BlackoutBestsellerList, here is a link to the Guardian article that I read about it. 

I hope you found this post interesting and, hopefully, you found a new author to check out.

Until next time, travelers.