Review: 'Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction' edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight
Pub. Date: 11/15/2022
Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge; Tordotcom
"[A] magnificent and wide-ranging anthology . . . A must-read for all genre fans."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
From award-winning editorial team Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight comes an anthology of thirty-two original stories showcasing the breadth of fantasy and science fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora.
A group of cabinet ministers query a supercomputer containing the minds of the country’s ancestors. A child robot on a dying planet uncovers signs of fragile new life. A descendent of a rain goddess inherits her grandmother’s ability to change her appearance—and perhaps the world.
Created in the legacy of the seminal, award-winning anthology series Dark Matter, Africa Risen celebrates the vibrancy, diversity, and reach of African and Afro-Diasporic SFF and reaffirms that Africa is not rising—it’s already here.
Speculative Fiction, as I said, is a wonder. And so is the African continent. Everyone who has looked at a map of Africa knows the wide expanse of land, culture, and history it covers. Africa Risen practically sings with the many different voices it contains and while each voice sings its own tune, these stories nonetheless come together into a unified song. Various themes come to the fore in this collection, specifically concerns about climate, the searching of a home, the desire for connection with one's self and with the past, and the unlimited capacity of the human mind to wonder. Whether these stories take place in Morocco or Ghana or South-Africa, they are united by these very human themes. But no matter how united they are, each author brings a unique skill and way of writing to the table. Each story is infused with a specific culture, with particular details that rise above the idea of 'Africa' as a block. Yes, these stories are united, but they are also a sign of the diversity of this continent, of the way each element adds to the whole.
Africa Risen contains 32 stories, meaning this is quite a large collection. As such I can't really describe or discuss every single story. For a full list of the authors included, please scroll down. For now, I'll just describe some of my favourites and the ones that intrigued me most, so that you nonetheless get a taste of what Africa Risen has to offer. 'March Magic' by WC Dunlap was the story that made me fall in love with this collection. With her marsh and her people under threat, Mama rises again and calls to her her sisters from across the US. It is a story of diaspora, of sisterhood, of unity under pressure, and of violence. I loved the rhythmic urgency of it, the way it felt both deeply grounded and yet utterly fantastical. Another favourite was 'A Dream of Electric Mothers' by Wole Talabi, where an AI Mother, made up of everyone's memories becomes a source of potential wisdom. It was really touching and I loved the mix between culture and technology Talabi explored. 'Housewarming for a Lion Goddess' by Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga is a beautiful mix of reality and mythology, of past trauma and present difficulty. It is very lyrical without departing from real life. 'A Knight in Tunisia' by Alex Jennings felt like a really different story, in the sense that it felt very modern and speculative. It is like an introspective take on the superhero narrative, set in Northern Africa.
In their introduction Thomas, Ekpeki, and Knight describe the growing recognition of African voices in the Speculative Fiction genre and state that '[t]his anthology is inspired by this exciting growth and celebrates African and Afrodiasporic writers and the many stories they have to share with the world.' What struck me most was the beautiful balance they achieve between African and Afrodiasporic writers, almost showing the way African storytelling and mythology have found roots all across the world. To a large extent this spread is due to the injustices and crime of slavery, but Africa Risen also shows how universally true these African stories are.
Authors Included:
- Dilman Dila
- WC Dunlap
- Steven Barnes
- Joshua Uchenna Omenga
- Russell Nichols
- Nuzo Onoh
- Franka Seph
- Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
- Wole Talabi
- Sandra Jackson-Opoku
- Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga
- Alex Jennings
- Mirette Bahgat
- Timi Odueso
- Maurice Broaddus
- Tlotlo Tsamaase
- Tobias S. BUckell
- Somto Ihezue Onyedikachi
- Tananarive Due
- Ytasha Womack
- Oyedotun Damilola Muees
- Alexis Brooks de Vita
- Tobi Ogundiran
- Moustapha Mbacke Diop
- Akua Lezli Hope
- Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo
- Shingai Njeri Kagunda
- Ada Nnadi
- Ivana Akotowaa Ofori
- Chinelo Onwualu
- Danian Darrell Jerry
- Dare Segun Falowo
I give this book...
5 Universes!
While not every story in a collection can or will be a hit, Africa Risen is consistently refreshing, intriguing, surprising, and touching.
I'm really starting to like anthologies lately, if only because they expose me to so many different authors or takes than I would normally get. And Africa is so diverse it's nice to see that reflected here.
ReplyDeleteI do love anthologies as well because, like you say, you can get a taste of so many different authors and genres! This one definitely introduced me to some new favourites!
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