Gladly! The pieces on this list arenât limited to specifically anti-colonial science fiction and fantasy, but they do center related and relevant topics, themes, etc.
Anything by NK Jemisin. She is the best speculative fiction writer of her generation and probably the best speculative fiction writer alive. She is easily one of the best writers working right now, across all genres. Thatâs not hyperbole. She deserves all the hype.
Anything by Octavia Butler. She needs no introduction. Her short fiction is incredible; âBloodchildâ is one of the pieces that inspired me to write.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon. Excellent. Just read it.
The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelley P. Chan. It broke my heart and it'll break yours.
Babel by RF Kuang. Youâve probably already heard of this book because Harper Voyager marketed the shit out of it and was right to do so. Is it subtle? Uh, no. But itâs very good. Kuang writes a compulsively readable story, thatâs for sure.
The Unbroken by CL Clark. An exploration of what happens when conscription blurs the line between colonizer and colonized.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo.
So Long Been Dreaming: Post-Colonial Science Fiction and Fantasy (anthology) edited by Nalo Hopkinson.
Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora (anthology) edited by Sheree Renée Thomas.
Severely underhyped books of assorted speculative genres:
The Blood Trials by NE Davenport. Given the chokehold romantasy currently has on the public itâs insane to me that this book hasnât sold a billion copies.
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez. Itâll change you.
The Tigerâs Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera.
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull.
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun. Ignore the marketing, this book is YA (maybe NA) and youâll appreciate it more if you approach it as such.
Read widely. Read diversely. People of the Caucasian persuasion need to stop getting pissy when the story doesnât immediately center them and they donât automatically relate to everything the character says and does and is. Just let yourself get swept up in the storyâeven if it touches on (gasp!) racismâand maybe, just maybe, itâll reveal something to you.
Or maybe not! Marginalized sff authors do not have to and should not have to educate their readers. But if I see one more white person complain about how Black characters are fundamentally annoying because they complain too much Iâm going to fling myself into the sun
Thanks for coming to my ted talk I didnât want to do it but here I am
