2025: Black speculative fiction book (ex. Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, Black horror, fantasy, etc)
Book recommendations/suggestions for the Read, Seed, Water, Feed 2025 book challenge. Find your next book!
read, seed, water, feed book challenge - about prompt support posts
about prompt support posts
All of the prompt support posts (those that begin with "2025: Book written by...", for example) are organized similar to each other.
Each of these posts was created to support the Read, Seed, Water Feed book challenge on Storygraph that I am hosting. They were also created to support learning outside of the university, collective educational efforts, finding new authors to read, finding books, and more.
For each book challenge prompt, I will share the following sections:
- one or more slides with books I have read or am currently reading that I recommend for the prompt
- a list of additional books from my TBR (to-be-read) list for the prompt
- a text listing of the books that I shared in the slides
I might share one or more of the following in addition, depending on capacity and other factors:
- other supportive text as appropriate, such as countries included
- some quotes, notes, and/or reflections about one or more of the books
- links to other posts on the site where I discuss the books or prompt in more detail
I did many things to minimize hierarchy within these posts, and there will still be some things that might feel odd, such as split galleries of slides, which was a choice made to address current limitations in how the galleries work.
If interested, find bingo cards, more background on the prompts, and other reflections, on the Reading Challenge page and if on Storygraph, join the challenge.
Mostly, my goal for prompt support posts is to share books for each prompt, as suggestions and as examples. This section will be first on every post and may be skipped.
Thank you for reading.
Recommended Books
Books I've read or am currently reading that I recommend for this prompt.
![Black speculative fiction book (ex. Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, Black horror, fantasy, etc). Read, Seed, Water, Feed: A 2025 Reading Challenge on Storygraph. Text reads: “Black Speculative Literature is science fiction, fantasy, horror, and alternate realities centering Black African and diasporic cultures, mythologies, and philosophies. It must not center the white Western gaze. […] No matter what we call it, however, it is understood that the impetus of Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and Black Speculative Literature is to center African and African diasporic culture, thought, mythos, philosophy, and worldviews. Black Speculative Literature looks not to the past and its violent oppression of Blackness, but rather to the future, to imagine alternate possibilities of Blackness that can be lived in safety, creativity, and freedom.” Text is from Hope Wabuke in her 2020 essay, “Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and the Language of Black Speculative Literature” in LA Review of Books. Black background with white text and quote is in a warm light beige box with medium brown text.](https://water.ghost.io/content/images/2025/04/rswf2025pr20-p2.jpg)
Read, Seed, Water, Feed 2025 reading challenge prompt and description, showing books recommended that I have read or am currently reading. All recommended books are listed lower in the post in the section “Recommended Books in a List.”
More novels arranged by series..
Read, Seed, Water, Feed 2025 reading challenge prompt and description, showing books recommended that I have read or am currently reading. All recommended books are listed lower in the post in the section “Recommended Books in a List.”
More Books from my TBR List
For some prompts, I’m trying to diversify what I read; for others, deepening my knowledge while also growing my perspective. For some prompts, there are definitely more books on my to-be-read (TBR) list than the ones I share that I have read or am currently reading. Here are some of those books:
Novels
- Redemption in Indigo (2010) by Karen Lord
Young adult
- Somadina (2025) by Akwaeke Emezi
Short Stories
- Skin Folk (2001) by Nalo Hopkinson
Nonfiction
- The Afrofuturist Evolution (2025) by Ytasha Womack
- Queer Times, Black Futures (2019) by Kara Keeling
repeated and added notes..
This category, or my perception of this category, assumes an expansive definition and vision of Black Speculative Fiction, such as the one shared by Ugandan American poet and writer Hope Wabuke in her 2020 essay, “Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and the Language of Black Speculative Literature” in LA Review of Books. Here is an excerpt:
“Black Speculative Literature is science fiction, fantasy, horror, and alternate realities centering Black African and diasporic cultures, mythologies, and philosophies. It must not center the white Western gaze. […] No matter what we call it, however, it is understood that the impetus of Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and Black Speculative Literature is to center African and African diasporic culture, thought, mythos, philosophy, and worldviews. Black Speculative Literature looks not to the past and its violent oppression of Blackness, but rather to the future, to imagine alternate possibilities of Blackness that can be lived in safety, creativity, and freedom.”
Read the essay here:
Rebecca Evans:quality(75)/https%3A%2F%2Fassets.lareviewofbooks.org%2Fuploads%2F202008WabukeAfrofuturism2.png)
Link to the essay "Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and the Language of Black Speculative Literature” by Hope Wabuke
Recommended Books in a List
As a list, books I've read or am currently reading that I recommend for this prompt:
Coming-of-age speculative fiction novels
Long Division (2013) by Kiese Laymon
Young adult
Bitter (2022) by Akwaeke Emezi
Historical fiction novels with speculative fiction, fantasy, magical realism, and/or Black horror
Kindred (1979) by Octavia E. Butler
A Master of Djinn (2021) by P. Djèlí Clark.
Middle grade
Root Magic (2021) by Eden Royce
Novels - Afrofuturism, w/dystopia, fantasy, and/or magic
Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) by Nalo Hopkinson
Fledgling (2005) by Octavia E. Butler
Midnight Robber (2000) by Nalo Hopkinson
Sister Mine (2013) by Nalo Hopkinson
An Unkindness of Ghosts (2017) by Rivers Solomon
Speculative fiction novels with…
hunting/haunting/being hunted/horror... healing/heartbreak/creating community and much more..
Chain-Gang All-Stars (2023) by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Model Home (2024) by Rivers Solomon
The Reformatory (2023) by Tananarive Due
Sorrowland (2021) by Rivers Solomon
Speculative fiction novels with fantasy, magic and/or magical realism
Blackheart Man (2024) by Nalo Hopkinson
The New Moon's Arms (2007) by Nalo Hopkinson
Song of Solomon (1977) by Toni Morrison
Young adult
Pet (2019) by Akwaeke Emezi
Middle grade
Conjure Island (2023) by Eden Royce
Africanfuturism & Africanjujuism novels
Noor (2021) by Nnedi Okorafor
Who Fears Death (2010) by Nnedi Okorafor
Nonfiction
Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture (2013) by Ytasha L. Womack
Novellas
The Black God's Drums (2018) by P. Djèlí Clark
A Dead Djinn in Cairo (2016) by P. Djèlí Clark
The Deep (2019) by Rivers Solomon
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (2019) by P. Djèlí Clark
Remote Control (2021) by Nnedi Okorafor
Ring Shout (2020) by P. Djèlí Clark
Short stories
The Angel of Khan el-Khalili (2017) by P. Djèlí Clark
How Long 'til Black Future Month? (2018) by N.K. Jemisin
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer (2022) by Janelle Monáe
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (2023) by Edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams
Shades in Shadow: An Inheritance Triptych (2015) by N.K. Jemisin
Sycorax's Daughters (2017) by Ed. Linda D. Addison, Kinitra Brooks, Susana Morris
Octavia Butler
June 22, 1947 - Feb 24, 2006
Patternist series
Wild Seed (1980) by Octavia E. Butler
Mind of My Mind (1977) by Octavia E. Butler
Clay's Ark (1984) by Octavia E. Butler
Patternmaster (1976) by Octavia E. Butler
Lilith’s Brood/Xenogenesis
Dawn (1987) by Octavia E. Butler
Adulthood Rites (1988) by Octavia E. Butler
Imago (1989) by Octavia E. Butler
Parable series
Parable of the Sower (1993) by Octavia E. Butler
Parable of the Talents (1998) by Octavia E. Butler
N. K. Jemisin
Inheritance Trilogy
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010) by N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Kingdoms (2010) by N.K. Jemisin
The Kingdom of Gods (2011) by N.K. Jemisin
The Awakened Kingdom (2014) by N.K. Jemisin #3.5
The Broken Earth
The Fifth Season (2015) by N.K. Jemisin
The Obelisk Gate (2016) by N.K. Jemisin
The Stone Sky (2017) by N.K. Jemisin
The Great Cities Duology
The City We Became (2020) by N.K. Jemisin
The World We Make (2022) by N.K. Jemisin
Valjeanne Jeffers
September 24, 1959 - July 18, 2022
Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective
steamfunk, horror
Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective (2013) by Valjeanne Jeffers
Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective II: The Case of the Powerless Witch (2016) by Valjeanne Jeffers
Mona Livelong: Paranormal Detective III: The Case of the Vanishing Child (2021) by Valjeanne Jeffers
Nnedi Okorafor
The Desert Magician's Duology
Shadow Speaker (2007) by Nnedi Okorafor
Like Thunder (2023) by Nnedi Okorafor
Binti Trilogy
Binti (2015) by Nnedi Okorafor
Home (2017) by Nnedi Okorafor
The Night Masquerade (2018) by Nnedi Okorafor
The Nsibidi Scripts
Young adult
Akata Warrior (2017) by Nnedi Okorafor
Akata Witch (2011) by Nnedi Okorafor
Akata Woman (2022) by Nnedi Okorafor
Tomi Adeyemi
Legacy of Orïsha
Young adult
Children of Anguish and Anarchy (2024) by Tomi Adeyemi
Children of Blood and Bone (2018) by Tomi Adeyemi
Children of Virtue and Vengeance (2019) by Tomi Adeyemi
Get any/all of these books wherever you get your books.
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Thank you for reading.
