List Submitted by the Leading Edge.
Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler
In this brilliant Young Adult novel by renowned author Octavia Butler, 18-year-old Lauren Olamina must navigate the treacherous landscape of 2025 California while grappling with a unique mental capacity called “hyperempathy,” which enables her to literally feel what those around her are feeling. (And in a time ripe with violence, her condition often feels like much more of a disability than an ability.)
There are, however, scenes of peace and spiritual enlightenment interspersed amidst the blood and carnage of Lauren’s world. Butler crafts a thought-provoking, comfort-shattering story of the future with a sturdy, authoritative protagonist at the helm.
The Lesson: A Mind Bending Novel, Cadwell Turnbull
Aliens make the U.S. Virgin Islands their new home in this well-crafted, unique novel. New author Cadwell Turnbull tells the story of the invasion by the Ynaa (a race of aliens superior to humans) through the eyes of a wide net of interconnected characters, including a college professor with a failing marriage, a young man with a fascination for the otherworldly, and the Ynaa ambassador herself.
The Lesson is an overwhelmingly human story placed in the context of the unearthly.
War Girls, Tochi Onyebuchi
Nigeria in 2172 is racked with a bloody, nuclear war brought on by climate change and a shortage of resources. After becoming separated, sisters Onyii and Ify must rely on their different skillsets to reunite—and fight for a peaceful existence. Tochi Onyebuchi crafts themes of family, racial tension, and humanity into this dystopian YA tale. Based on the Nigerian Civil War, War Girls is a suspense-filled story with a surprising conclusion.
If you enjoyed this list on mind bending fiction by black authors, be sure to check out the rest of our Sci-Fi contenct at The Ritual.
There are elements of Clive Barker in the telling of these 8 macabre tales, with brutal frankness, and anger at the unjust nature of life, death, and a capricious god. The tales, like the judgments within, pass quickly and savagely. They are easy to read but linger afterward. An enjoyable collection for fans of the nastier side of horror.”
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