Diverse Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reads
Britney S Lewis made a post on Threads, about the sharply declining numbers of books published by Black authors.
I've put together a list of fantasy and sci-fi books by BIPOC authors. Even just checking books out of the library can help an enormous amount; it tells publishers that people want these authors around.
Links are to Storygraph, and books are adult unless otherwise indicated. Most of these are the first in a series, but all series are complete unless otherwise specified.
Let's start with N.K. Jemisin, who is extremely versatile (not to mention brilliant). Do you like urban fantasy? The City We Became is about living cities, specifically New York. The Fifth Season is post-apocalyptic, on a world with devastating seismic shifts. There are magic-users who can help control those shifts, and society both fears and needs them. The dedication is "for all those who have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question". Are you a fan of mythology? The Killing Moon is the first in a duology based on Ancient Egypt.
Moving to Octavia E. Butler, Kindred sees a modern day Black woman sent back to the South at a time of slavery. Parable of the Sower is like no other dystopia I've encountered - there's a Goodreads review of the sequel which reads "this is one of the best books I've ever read... I never want to read it again", and I can't sum it up any better. Butler is so good that people are drawing parallels between this series and modern day events, decades after they were written.
Looking towards the YA section, Legendborn by Tracy Deonn sets a Black girl amongst the Legendborn, the descendants of King Arthur and his knights. Bree is grief-struck after the death of her mother, and looking for a fresh start, and of course she gets more than she'd bargained for. Series still in progress, three books out of four released.
Another YA series, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is about selecting the next ruling council to support the young prince. Each council member is hand-selected from different factions of the Empire. Tarisai grew up outside the confines of society, however, and she doesn't always like what she encounters.
Saara El-Arifi's The Final Strife is an adult series about a three-fold caste system. Sylah is described by the author as "a drug-addicted chosen one who TOTALLY misses her calling", Anoor was raised with every comfort, and Hassa is part of the enslaved Ghost caste.
Leslye Penelope's The Monsters We Defy is a personal favourite - set in Washington DC in 1925, Clara - who is able to commune with spirits - gets caught up in a magical heist.
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole is a Jamaican-inspired fantasy about the aftermath of a war, and how that affects the Chosen One, especially when her sister bonds with a dragon, meaning she has to go and live and train with the enemy.
Sticking with dragons, To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose features an Indigenous fifteen-year-old who forms a bond with a rare dragon, and is accepted (unwillingly) into the dragon academy. If she does not succeed, her dragon will be killed, and plenty don't want her to succeed. The next in the series is out in January!
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is an alternative China. A sister takes her brother's name and his destiny following his death, and it leads her first to a monastery, and later to a rebellion against the Mongol rulers.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is also set in an alternative China with the 18 year old protagonist Zetian dealing with the death of a sibling. Zetian uses it to fuel her rage and seek revenge on the pilot responsible. Giant robots require two pilots, a male and female pair, and Zetian discovers that girls are predominantly seen as sacrifices to a greater cause - but she's determined not to be one of them.
Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne is an Indian-inspired epic fantasy, featuring a princess imprisoned by her brother, a maid with forbidden power, and a plant-based disease which is spreading its roots through the population. Suri also has a standalone book coming out in October, described as romantic fantasy, about a knight and a witch and a multitude of lifetimes.
Vaishnavi Patel writes about Indian mythology in Kaikeyi and Goddess of the River which cover characters from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata respectively. Kaikeyi is the re-imagining of a female villain, which I loved. Patel has recently published Ten Incarnations of Rebellion which I am excited to read.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes a range of typically Mexican-inspired works. Gods of Jade and Shadow features Mayan mythology and a girl from 1920s Mexico. I also adore The Beautiful Ones, which is society with a dash of telekinesis.
Then there are the authors on my TBR:
C.L. Clark's The Unbroken (rebellion against colonialism? I'm in)
M.H. Ayinde's A Song of Legends Lost (pre-colonial cultures, ancient tech meets ancestor magic)
Wole Talabi's Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (a heist on the British Museum!)
Sara Omer's The Gryphon King (South-West Asian-inspired, female knights)
Jackson P. Brown's The Reaper (urban fantasy set in London with a tea-drinking Grim Reaper)
Brittany N Williams's That Self-Same Metal (YA about a craftswoman who creates blades for Shakespeare's acting troupe).
Salinee Goldenberg's The Last Phi Hunter (Thai-inspired about a ghost hunter on a quest who encounters a pregnant woman)
Let me know if you have any more to add, or what you think about the suggestions!
