Fantasy Books by Black Authors

In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth: They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

Affectionately dubbed “the Nigerian Harry Potter,” Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one’s place in the world. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone!

When Apollo Kagwa’s father disappeared, he left his son a box of books and strange recurring dreams. Now Apollo is a father himself — and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo’s old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo’s quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.

From beloved actor and producer Omar Epps and writer Clarence A. Haynes comes the biggest epic fantasy of the year. A powerful saga of three teens, the children of refugees from a fallen African utopia, who must navigate their newfound powers in a climate-ravaged New York City.

In the stunning first novel in Marlon James’s Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child.

The must-read Black mermaid fantasy series that #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls “epic and original,” in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves.

A modern-day YA romantic fantasy series opener about a glamorous magical world of social elites, forbidden love, and a dark magic that could destroy it all. Brimming with ballgowns and betrayal, magic and mystery, decadence and darkness, House of Marionne is perfect for readers who crave morally gray characters, irresistible romance, dark academia, and a deeply intoxicating and original world.

In the first book of a visionary fantasy trilogy with its roots in the mythology of Africa and Arabia that “sings of rebellion, love, and the courage it takes to stand up to tyranny” (Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.

From the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom. The Water Dancer is a propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity to those from whom everything was stolen.

In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Iron Widow, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted …

A genre-defying novel from the award-winning author NPR describes as “like [Madeline] L’Engle … glorious.” A singular book that explores themes of identity and justice. Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. She prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity — and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death. Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: Stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known to train for the biggest battle of her life. But she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be — not even Deka herself.

Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic. A Phoenix First Must Burn will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: The heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.

Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: Warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: The saga of the dark queen. From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.

A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she’s not the first — and she may not be the last … It’s watching. It’s taking. It’s your turn.

The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky. Across Nigeria, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life. Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. And they’re willing to fight an entire war to get there.

A witch and a non-magical girl get stuck in an endless cycle of meet-cutes and breakups in this heart-stopping romantic young adult fantasy.

Two sisters must fight to the death to win the crown in the first installment of a gripping, action-packed duology set in an ancient North African-inspired fantasy world that subtly but powerfully challenges our notions of power, history, and identity.