Speculative Fiction Must-Reads by Black Authors
Speculative fiction is defined as a type of fiction closely associated with science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. It’s a method of writing where elements of our reality can be changed or stretched in a fictional world to give characters more options and possibilities. Most, if not all fantasy is speculative, but not all science fiction and horror fall into speculative storytelling.
However, Black speculative fiction is becoming more prevalent among readers and writers. Elements such as time travel, ancestral magic, gods, the supernatural, alternate histories, and dystopian stories allow Black authors to deliver endless possibilities of Black people surviving and overcoming the impossible in worlds similar to our reality.
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Add to BookshelfParable of the Sower
by Octavia E. Butler
The radically speculative odyssey of a young Black woman in a post-apocalyptic America and the community she cultivates despite the horrors of climate change and social inequality. Parable of the Sower and its sequel, Parable of the Talents, both celebrate the classic Butlerian themes of alienation and transcendence, violence and spirituality, slavery and freedom, and separation and community.
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$24.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Binti: The Complete Trilogy
by Nnedi Okorafor
In her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, Nnedi Okorafor introduced us to Binti, a young Himba girl with the chance of a lifetime: To attend the prestigious Oomza University. Despite her family’s concerns, Binti’s talent for mathematics and her aptitude with astrolabes make her a prime candidate to undertake this interstellar journey. But everything changes when the jellyfish-like Medusae attack Binti’s spaceship, leaving her the only survivor. Now, Binti must fend for herself, alone on a ship full of the beings who murdered her crew, with five days until she reaches her destination.
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$20.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours
by Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi finds never-ending ways to warp keys — both physically and figuratively — to change the realities of her characters in this robust anthology. While keys are the plot drivers in this book of short stories, it’s what people do with the keys that brings these stories full circle. From the mysterious and mystical locked diary to the keys that hold the fate of lovers, each key represents something vital to each story. Speculative elements are used here to shine a light on identity, social issues, and the concept of morality.
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$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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A Phoenix First Must Burn
by Patrice Caldwell
A beautiful, inspiring Afrofuturistic anthology of sixteen stories from Black bestselling and emerging authors celebrates Black marginalized journeys. From stories about love to revolutionary movements, this anthology turns witches and other outcasts into heroines as they try to save themselves and others from cold, dreary worlds. The book title is inspired by the mother of Afrofuturism, Octavia E. Butler, and is a fitting description of the stories included. Black womanhood and Black queer representation are on full display here in beautiful speculative prose that crosses time, galaxies and species.
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$12.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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The Gilded Ones
by Namina Forna
This high-fantasy novel starts off with Deka who is fearful of what will happen during her village’s upcoming yearly ceremony. If she succeeds, she will remain safe in her village, but if she doesn’t she will meet a fate worse than death. She tries to manifest red blood to prove she belongs but soon discovers she has gold blood — which has grave consequences. After meeting a mysterious lady that offers her a choice of staying in a village that doesn’t want her or joining a group of female warriors, the choice is clear.
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$13.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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This Great Hemisphere
by Mateo Askaripour
Welcome to the Northwestern Hemisphere, 2529. An equally exciting and terrifying world born from the ashes of our own, where almost half of the people are born invisible, and thus relegated to second-class citizenship. Sweetmint, a young invisible woman, must evade and outsmart all who aim to destroy her and her people, braving a world full of hard truths that many would rather remain hidden. A rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt invisible. A powerful, captivating novel about how far we’ll go to protect the ones we love, and what happens when we resist the narratives others write about us.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead
“An American masterpiece” (NPR) that chronicles the story of Cora, a young slave girl’s adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. In Colson Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: Engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora embarks on a harrowing flight from one state to the next, encountering, like Gulliver, strange yet familiar iterations of her own world at each stop.
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$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Cool. Awkward. Black.
by Karen Strong
This YA anthology brings together past, present, and future settings while using speculative fiction to drive rich world-building. From magical bookstores to enchanting sketchbooks, these authors put a fun and engaging spin on what it means to be Black, nerdy, geeky, and awkward. These Black pre-teens and teenagers navigate their worlds with the help of a little bit of magic, optimism, and book smarts.
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$19.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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Conjure Women
by Afia Atakora
Celebrated author Afia Atakora did extensive research for this historical speculative fantasy. Three women, including a mother and daughter as well as the daughter of their master, have a shared experience using faith, midwifery, and a Black American spiritual practice known as Hoodoo. Set during the Civil War on a plantation, Rue doesn’t want to be a midwife like her mother Miss May Belle. However, Miss May Belle wants her daughter to embrace who and what she is — a healer.
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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Black Leopard, Red Wolf
by Marlon James
If you are a more daring reader looking for a Black epic fantasy novel, this one is for you. With over six hundred pages of rich, hearty prose, this fantasy is truly the beginning of something special you can follow for years to come. A mercenary known as Tracker is tasked with finding a missing child. What sets Tracker apart from the rest is he has a gifted nose, similar to animals, and can pick up scents ordinary humans can not. His new crew to find the missing boy includes a wide range of peculiar characters including a man that can shape-shift into a leopard. Infusing African mythology with a unique and original world, this fantasy pushes the genre to new heights.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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The Water Dancer
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Here’s another beautiful and captivating piece of historical speculative fiction. Hiram is overcome with grief after his mother is sold into bondage, leaving only his memories to cling to. Unbeknownst to Hiram, his mother left him with a strange and unique gift of magical powers. After a brief but unforgettable brush with death, Hiram decides to set out on a mission of freedom. Hiram doesn’t just free himself but goes through several channels to free others. In this remarkable book, Coates infuses the Underground Railroad with a sense of magic, highlighting the power of the unsung heroes who went to great lengths to make lives better for so many people.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
