Hi there Disco Dancers!
Today I wanted to share some brilliant Black sci fi with you all. Growing up, I loved sci fi. I devoured books by Brian Aldiss, Philip K Dick, Frank Herbert. But I didn’t see authors or people like me in that space. Things are thankfully different now! Here are some recent favourites:
The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
This is a wild ride of a book set in a future South Africa, featuring:
An AI uprising
South African demigods
A crazy mutant virus
Black queer love
A trans politician
A pop star with multiple sclerosis and powers
It’s a crazy mish mash but it really, really works!
Clap Back by Nalo Hopkinson
This is a fantastic short story about an artist with uses nano technology to make ‘African inspired’ art which recounts African people’s memories, and the Black activist who suspects there’s exploitation involved.
Augmented by Kenechi Udogu
This is a YA book set in a post apocalyptic London where people live in bubbles to protect them from the heat, and some people can sing to plants to make them grow. When a girl discovers she had that ability, she must decide whether she wants to be ‘augmented’ and use her power for the state, but she doesn’t have the whole picture.
I thought this was really fun, but did end a little too conveniently for me, obviously setting it up for a sequel. Too many things happened ‘by chance’ and took me out of it right at the end. It’s worth it for the sci fi concepts though, the vision of alternative London is really captivating. I definitely want more!
Love,
Disco
