Coming Soon

Preview: The AFROFuturist Bible Part One

I am currently writing a novella called "The AFROFuturist Bible".  In the next few blog posts, I will be offering to my readers, a fictional exploration of religion, myths and AFROFuturism. Enjoy. Comments, criticisms, and questions are welcome.  -- Stafford L Battle

Credits: Music by Otis McDonald (YouTube Audio Library); Art from Pixabay

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Part One

Introduction:


Two grime-encrusted intruders wearing patchwork military gear approached my private picnic on the beach. Online Social Media had promised me a pristine parcel of manicured green grass on the sultry west coast of Africa where persistent ocean waves smashed rhythmically against jagged rocks. 

I had surrendered polished, antique Roman gold coins to ensure exquisite cuisine, anonymity and sharp salty breezes for romantic tranquility to charm an enchanting female by displaying my wit, wealth and masculine prowess. The distant strangers hoisted rusty, Asian-manufactured, semi-automatic weapons. Prey masquerading as predator; a desperate tactic in hostile times. 

 This was a distressing distraction. 

It brought to mind, the first prophecy in my AFROFuturist Bible:  “Mami Wata rules us all. The strong will always succeed until the weak get smarter.” I had written it, I own it, and it haunts me in my dreams and when I awoke in tangled sheets of cotton. When you swear an oath to celestial beings, there is very little wiggle space, limited possibilities to dishonor your commitment without suffering dire consequences. 

 I expected ruinous retribution for any transgressions against Mami Wata, the Eternal African Matriarch and founder of all human religions and mythologies on this world. I wondered if this was just another test of my resolve — what or who was I willing to sacrifice?

****** Just a taste of my story . . .  more to come*****

Podcast Alert: My Amazing Aunt Raven Part 2

Part Two of "My Amazing Aunt Raven" is now available online. 

I offer my sincere thanks to  Ariel Therkiel for her excellent work to promote AFROCentric speculative fiction. We must support creators like her.

Be sure to visit her Patreon Page at: https://www.patreon.com/talesfromablackuniverse

Listen to Part Two of "My Amazing Aunt Raven" Is Here!

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New Podcast Alert: My Amazing Aunt Raven Part 1

 

New podcast alert!

Part 1 of 
My Amazing Aunt Raven 

by @StaffordBattle is available.

Hear it -- click here.

30-Second Book Review: We've Got Zombies and Hotdogs!

The fantastical duo of Steven Barnes and Tananarive both award-winning, AFROFuturism sci-fi writers, offer readers their take on the Zombie Apocalypse in the books  Devil's Wake and the sequel Dominio Falls.  These are different walking dead monsters with new traits that can surprise or trick the unwary human dinner entre.  But as always, the genre explores the psychology of the human survivors; zombies are just the storm.  So, we have a multi-cultural clutch of teenagers, on a rickety bus, angry at the world, themselves, and the shortage of contact lens solution.

Be sure to watch the entertaining and enlightening short horror film "Danger Word" based on the books written by Due and Barnes.

Danger Word (Horror Short)
Starring Frankie Faison and Saoirse Scott

30-Second Comic Review

Anyone interested in AFROFuturistic graphic novels  will take a liking to "Brother Man". It is a classic and sometimes difficult to find. Luckily, I have an autographed book.

The details and fine art are what makes this work impressive. 

30 Second Book Review of Blue Light by W. Mosley

Blue Light by Walter Mosley is not a simple book. Mosley wanders far from the quick, slick paperback mysteries that made him famous and wealthy, to offer his fans a large dose of sci-fi. For anyone willing to take the mystical journey, they will discover Blue Light to be a finely tuned literary psychedelic hit. Great writing and exotic concepts that scream "AFROFuturism was alive and well in the 1960s! Where were you?"

In the green valleys of California, special individuals are responding to a sudden boost in human evolution from a celestial Blue Light. Via various viewpoints, we are immersed in the effects of the beam. This includes benefits and horrors. Mosley challenges the reader to dig deeper into considering who we are now, and what we could become with a little push from the Gods.

Enjoyable and readable but requires attention. 

30-Second Book Review: Black God's Drum by P. Dejli Clark

Black God's Drum by P. Djeli Clark is an ornate account of an alternative America around the time of the Civil War. This is pure steampunk set in the deep south; a multi-cultural literary jambalaya composed of opposing religions, shoot-outs on the streets, hot politics, and African magic. A young black woman becomes the tool of warring gods and that just the start of the conflicts.

The author paints a complex mosaic filled with memorable characters and situations. This is a notable example of world-building with a finely tuned imagination and historical palette.

30-Second book Review: Kitombo

A 30-Second Book Review: Kitombo by R. Jones. You can call this AFROFuturisum from a historical perspective; royal intrigue, murderous spies, bloody field actions,  miraculous survival and heroic deaths with characters you actually care about. It is a short piece that feels like a thick slice from a much larger and grander work. There is plenty of background details and foreshadowing that offers detailed worldbuilding for a historical novel with fantasy elements.

Jones used real events from the period when Europe first attempted to enslave all of Africa and steal its riches. Instead, the Portuguese armies were met with brute force from the advanced kingdoms of Africa that repelled the armored, white invaders and their medieval tech. Black soliders armed with cannons and muskets using precise military tactics were able to defend their lands and take revenge on their enemies black and white.

Inspirational and enlightening.

Resurrecting the King Video

A little taste of my book Resurrecting the King.

30 Second Film Review: First Black Horror Film (1940s)

The American film industry (Holywood) was reaching hi-gear during the 1940s with new technologies and expanded venues to reach the viewing masses. Typical of those times, people of color regardless of talent or money, were excluded from the big profits. However, "Black" Hollywood did have some notable creativity that should be acknowledged.

If you are a fan of the old black and white movies, Son of Ingagi will give you great pleasure. If you are merely curious about the intrigues behind the movie, this is a movie sleuth's paradise; there are many skeletons in the closet of this film to expose and ponder.

The free version is of the movie is/was available on YouTube and other venues.

Happy Black History Month!

The AFROFuturist: 30-second Review of NOVA From A Godfather of AFROF...

The AFROFuturist: 30-second Review of NOVA From A Godfather of AFROF...: Some readers say the sci-fi classic Nova by the great Samuel Delany is a daunting task to take on, but I disagree. Yes, it is a multi-l...

30-second Review of NOVA From A Godfather of AFROFuturism

Some readers say the sci-fi classic Nova by the great Samuel Delany is a daunting task to take on, but I disagree. Yes, it is a multi-layered book that any serious devotee of Afrocentric speculative fiction should embrace. Yes, this is not a fast read nor a weekend project. But the end result will leave you with many thoughts to ponder.

If you don't know Delany (who is still with us), you don't know AFROfuturism.

30-Second Book Review: Black Empire by George Schuyler

In the 1930s, Black people in America were fantasizing about constructing invincible flying warships, promoting hi-tech agriculture to feed millions, stockpiling destructive ray guns, and secretly rallying behind a mad genius who was plotting to take over the world using advanced science and superior intellect.  This Black mastermind who wove devious webs of intrigue interlaced with murder and mystery is what conservative writer George Schuyler offered to readers in a weekly newspaper serial. He considered his stories "hokum" and merely parodies of the back-to-Africa movement, but his themes were early AFROFuturism at its best. Melodramatic danger, dark romance, week-to-week cliff-hangers, surprise turnabouts, and hard-won bloody victories make Schuyler's Black Empire (a combination of his published short stories)  a treasure chest of Afrocentric speculative fiction.

30-Second Book Review: Octavia Butler's Wild Seed

Wild Seed is one of my favorite books which happens to be authored by Octavia Butler. I recently re-read it and was thoroughly knocked over but the depth of her writing, again. In my opinion, this story is much stronger than "Black Panther" that in its own right is a great movie. However, it seems that modern Hollywood producers prefers comic book heroes over more realistic depictions of how powerful Black people could survive and prosper on this planet. Wild Seed is based on many historical facts and not just a fictional hi-tech kingdom ruled by a Black king. (Yet, I will always embrace Wakanda.)

For this Black History Month in 2019, we should take another look at many of the Black Speculative Fiction Classics available to us. Start with Wild Seed.

New Intro for My 30-Second Book Reviews