Celebrate Black Voices 2023: Sci-Fi/Fantasy for AdultsLike this list

20 items

• This Cursed House

  Sandeen, Del,

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  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.

• Akata Woman

  Okorafor, Nnedi,

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  In the third book of the Akata series, fifteen-year-old Sunny embarks on a mission to find a precious object and return it to the spider deity Udide. However, defeating the guardians of Udide's ghazal will put all of Sunny's hard lessons and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Goliath

  Onyebuchi, Tochi,

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  In the 2050s, Earth has begun to empty. Those with the means and the privilege have departed the great cities of the United States for the more comfortable confines of space colonies. Those left behind salvage what they can from the collapsing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Moon Witch, Spider King

  James, Marlon, 1970-

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  In this second installment of the Dark Star trilogy, Sogolon the Moon Witch takes center stage. It's the story of a century-long feud—seen through the eyes of a 177-year-old witch—that Sogolon had with the Aesi, chancellor to the king. It is said…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ballad of Perilous Graves

  Jennings, Alex, 1979-

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  In a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic, a battle for the city's soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this vibrant and imaginative debut contemporary fantasy

• The Blood Trials

  Davenport, N. E.,

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  After her grandfather is assassinated, Ikenna, bent on revenge, pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials where she subjects herself to racism to hide the power that—if found out—would lead to her execution. Blood was spilled between the Republic of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Even Though I Knew the End

  Polk, C. L. (Chelsea L.),

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  A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above. An exiled augur…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fledgling

  a Novel

  Butler, Octavia E.,

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  Octavia Butler's last novel is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Braking Day

  Oyebanji, Adam,

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  It's been over a century since three generation ships escaped an Earth dominated by artificial intelligence in pursuit of a life on a distant planet orbiting Tau Ceti. Now, it's nearly Braking Day, when the ships will begin their long-awaited…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sorrowland

  Solomon, Rivers,

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  Vern escapes the religious compound where she was raised and gives birth to twins in the forest, raising them away from the influence of the outside world. Her community won't let her go that easily, however, and as they pursue, she breaks the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ring Shout

  Or, Hunting Ku Kluxes in the End Times

  Clark, P. Djèlí,

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  In this dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan's reign of terror, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Symbiosis

  a Novel

  Drayden, Nicky,

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  Seske Kaleigh is the young heir to the command of a starship that is comprised of the insides of a whale-like space beast. Adalla is her best friend and lover of a lower caste. The young girls are among the descendants of Africa, who resettled among…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lesson

  a Novel

  Turnbull, Cadwell, 1987-

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  An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years the people of the US Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of superadvanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Falling in Love With Hominids

  Hopkinson, Nalo,

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  In this long-awaited collection, Hopkinson continues to expand the boundaries of culture and imagination. Whether she is retelling The Tempest as a new Caribbean myth, filling a shopping mall with unfulfilled ghosts, or herding chickens that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Rage of Dragons

  Winter, Evan,

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  The Omehi society has been built around war and only war. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine. Everyone…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• No Gods, No Monsters

  a Novel

  Turnbull, Cadwell, 1987-

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  Laina's brother has been shot by a police officer, or so Laina has been told. In the protests that follow, monsters come out of the dark and secrets about the world unfold. 2022 Lambda Literary Award Winner for Speculative LGBTQ Fiction.

• Flowers for the Sea

  Rocklyn, Zin E.,

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  In this dark fantasy novella, Iraxi is one of the last survivors of a flooded kingdom, living on a ship permanently at sea. In the final days of Iraxi's pregnancy, she wonders if her child might be something other than human. 2021 Nebula Award…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How Long 'til Black Future Month?

  Jemisin, N. K.,

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  Three-time Hugo Award winner and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin challenges and delights readers with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption that sharply examine modern society in her first collection of short…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fifth Season

  Jemisin, N. K.,

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  In 2018, N.K. Jemisin became the first author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row for her Broken Earth trilogy, of which this novel is the first installment. Essun is a small town woman who returns home to discover that her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The City We Became

  Jemisin, N. K.,

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  Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She's got six. When a young man crosses the bridge into New York City, something changes. He doesn't remember who he is, where he's…Read moreRead more of this annotation