10 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 BookshelfWhat 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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Dragons in a Bag
by Zetta Elliott
This middle-grade urban fantasy novel embraces speculative fiction storytelling by creating an adventure for a young boy named Jaxon. Dragons are used figuratively to introduce heavy topics like gentrification. Jaxon is sent to spend time with a grumpy, old lady his mother affectionately calls Ma. He soon discovers the elder is not his grandmother but a witch! But now she needs his help and she wants him to take baby dragons to a land where they will be safe. Even though Jaxon is surprised by this turn of events, he musters up the courage to make sure the dragons make it safely.
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$7.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found
by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Here’s another middle-grade urban story that embraces just as much mystery as it does fantasy. Set in Echo City, Brooklyn, New York, a young magician named Kingston is determined to find his father, who was a great magician that suddenly disappeared without a trace after a magic trick went wrong. Kingston comes across his father’s box that he believes can help locate his father and restore his city to its magical, former glory. However, Kingston and his friends will have to be careful as they look for clues as someone else seeks the box as well.
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$8.99Buy 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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$10.99Buy 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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$12.99Buy 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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$18.99Buy 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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$18.00Buy 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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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Parable of the Talents
by Octavia E. Butler
Let’s wrap this list up with one of the most celebrated Black voices in speculative fiction. Written in the late 1990s but set in 2030, a future California exists as a post-apocalyptic state that is torn between politics and theology, community and individualism. Lauren has survived “The Pox” which has devastated the nation socially and economically. Now, the survivors are being captured and forced into submitting to a rising group of religious fanatics that are causing more harm than good.
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$26.00Buy from Other Retailers:
