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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
