Faye Oliander

25 African Sci-fi & Fantasy Books

I had so much fun last year putting together my list of 25 Asian-inspired fantasy books for the launch of The Sword of Kaigen that I’ve been looking for an excuse to post a similar list of African sci-fi and fantasy ever since. While I don’t have a new African-inspired book coming out (yet), I did just start releasing my new West African-inspired serial, Rage and Whisper for free and figured that was a good enough excuse to go ahead with this list!

Below, you’ll find new releases and classics, adult fiction and YA, Afrofuturism and sword and sorcery. From Angola to Morocco, there should be an African SFF story here for everyone!

1. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

In a South African-inspired fantasy world where gifted women have the power to call down dragons and gifted men can transform into fighting machines, a swordsman with no magical gifts seeks revenge on the people who betrayed him.

2. Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo

This YA fantasy follows a pair of identical twin girls, separated at birth, both unwittingly bearing the power of lost gods.

3. The Kishi by Antoine Bandele

A monk in search of redemption is the only one who can save a village beset by a demon in this dark fantasy inspired by Angolan mythology.

4. Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron

This dark fantasy follows a young witch doctor trying to come into her power in a West African-inspired world where magic comes at a price and ambition can wake demons.

5. Acacia by David Anthony Durham

Compared to George R. R. Martin’s work, this high fantasy follows the four children of a king on a quest to avenge their father’s death and restore their lost empire.

6. A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson

A menagerie owner’s son falls in love with a soldier from across the sea in this romantic fantasy novella, which takes influence from the Yoruba of West Africa and the North African Roman Empire. (See also: Kai Ashante Wilson’s Sorcerer of the Wildeeps)

7. David Mogo Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Described as Nigerian God-punk, this urban fantasy follows a freelance godhunter on adventures through the streets of a futuristic Lagos.

8. War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

This dystopian sci-fi adventure follows a pair of sisters through a war-torn Nigeria full of flying mecha and cyborgs. (See also: Tochi Onyebuchi’s Beasts Made of Night and Crown of Thunder)

9. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

A young heroine embarks on a quest to restore magic to a world inspired by the Yoruba mythology of Nigeria. YA fantasy. (See also: Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Virtue and Vengeance)

10. Imaro by Charles R. Saunders

This heroic fantasy chronicles the adventures of a larger-than-life warrior struggling to overcome adversity and find acceptance in a sprawling world based on pre-colonial Africa.

11. The Queen of Zazzau by J. S. Emuakpor

The heir to a crumbling kingdom seeks the help of a god of war in this historical fantasy, based on the true story of the Hausa warrior queen, Amina of Zazzau.

12. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Marlon James’ dark fantasy follows a mercenary hired to find a mysterious missing child.

13. A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

A pair of sisters vie for the throne of a kingdom of fey and magic in this North African-inspired YA fantasy.

14. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

Beukes’ wild urban fantasy follows a young heroine through the seedy underbelly of a city teeming with crime and magical animals.

15. Everfair by Nisi Shawl

This Afrofuturistic steampunk story explores an alternate history in which the Congo developed steam technology ahead of Europe.

16. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

A girl with supernatural powers finds new purpose as a warrior after being cast out by her community in this West African-inspired YA fantasy (slated for release May 2020).

17. The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm by Nancy Farmer

Set in 2194 Zimbabwe, this YA adventure follows three kidnapped children trying to find their way home and the three magical detectives hired to find them. (See also: Nancy Farmer’s A Girl Named Disaster)

18. Temper by Nicky Drayden

This Afrofuturistic fantasy tells a tale of demons, temptation, and the relationship between brothers. (See also: Nicky Drayden’s The Prey of Gods and Escaping Exodus).

19. The Dreamblood Duology by N. K. Jemisin

Jemisin’s Egyptian-inspired epic fantasy includes The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun.

20. Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Set in a reimagined Uganda, this historical fantasy tells the story of several generations of a single family trying to break an old curse.

21. Lost Gods by Micah Yongo

A teenage assassin finds himself hunted by fellow assassins he once considered family in this epic fantasy inspired by Africa and the Middle East.

22. Mirage by Somaiya Daud

A young poet is kidnapped into a world of danger and court intrigue this Moroccan-inspired space fantasy.

23. Rosewater by Tade Thompson

The first book in Thompson’s Wormwood Trilogy, this science fiction thriller follows a rogue government agent through a Nigeria under threat of alien invasion.

24. The Wolf Queen by Cerece Rennie Murphy

A young heroine sets out to reclaim her past and restore an ancient magic in this romantic action fantasy.

25. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

The first ever Himba student at an interstellar university has to strike a balance between her new life among the stars and the traditions of her people in the midst of a war with an alien race. Science fiction novella. (See also: Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch, Who Fears Death, and Zahara the Windseeker)

26. Lion’s Blood by Steven Barnes

I really didn’t mean for this list to exceed 25 books, but I belatedly realized that I wanted to include Lion’s Blood because it’s the only African-inspired speculative fiction work that asks the same question as my own books: what if historical Africa had not only avoided colonization but was itself a colonial power? The similarities pretty much end there, as Lion’s Blood and its sequel, Zulu Heart, take place in 1863 rather than modern-day, and explore their African-dominated alternate history through the eyes of a Celtic slave.

As I mentioned above, I’ve started releasing an African-inspired serial called Rage and Whisper. This standalone sci-fi/fantasy follows five teenage prodigies through a school-wide fighting tournament in the West African dominated world of Duna. If you want to read that free, you can start here. The first book of my Theonite Series is also available for free through my newsletter.

If you’re a super nerd and want to know all about my West African world-building, you can check out my source bibliography here (and if you pick up any of the listed sources, please, please get in touch so we can talk about them! You have no idea how happy that would make me).