Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction From Africa and the African Diaspora edited by Zelda Knight and Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald

Publisher – Aurelia Leo

Published – Out Now

Price – £15.28 paperback £7.67 Kindle eBook

Dominion is the first anthology of speculative fiction and poetry by Africans and the African Diaspora. An old god rises up each fall to test his subjects. Once an old woman's pet, a robot sent to mine an asteroid faces an existential crisis. A magician and his son time-travel to Ngoni country and try to change the course of history. A dead child returns to haunt his grieving mother with terrifying consequences. Candace, an ambitious middle manager, is handed a project that will force her to confront the ethical ramifications of her company's latest project—the monetization of human memory. Osupa, a newborn village in pre-colonial Yorubaland populated by refugees of war, is recovering after a great storm when a young man and woman are struck by lightning, causing three priests to divine the coming intrusion of a titanic object from beyond the sky.

A magician teams up with a disgruntled civil servant to find his missing wand. A taboo error in a black market trade brings a man face-to-face with his deceased father—literally. The death of a King sets off a chain of events that ensnare a trickster, an insane killing machine, and a princess, threatening to upend their post-apocalyptic world. Africa is caught in the tug-of-war between two warring Chinas, and for Ibrahima torn between the lashings of his soul and the pain of the world around him, what will emerge? When the Goddess of Vengeance locates the souls of her stolen believers, she comes to a midwestern town with a terrible past, seeking the darkest reparations. In a post-apocalyptic world devastated by nuclear war, survivors gather in Ife-Iyoku, the spiritual capital of the ancient Oyo Empire, where they are altered in fantastic ways by its magic and power.

Since I’ve been blogging, I’ve really been glad to get back into reading anthologies again. Collections are a great way to both find new authors to look out for and also explore a topic in myriad ways. If a genre just has every author giving us the same old story that genre is in trouble. Happily, that certainly was not the case in the enticing collection Dominion – An Anthology of Speculative Fiction From Africa and The African Diaspora edited by Zelda Knight and Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald which offers a fantastic collection of fantasy and science fiction authors are assembled to give us a wealth of new stories to enjoy.

Amongst the stories I enjoyed were: -

Trickin’ by Nicole Givens Kurtz

Starting the collection is this memorable story that mixes both science fiction dystopia with a touch of fantasy and horror. It is Halloween and Raoul awaken from a cave to enjoy himself tormenting the city once more below in a deadly game of Trick or Treat. It’s unpredictable, brutal, unsettling and lets the reader work out what is going on. One of my favourites.

Red_Bati by Dilman Dila

This time we move to deep space and another of my favourite tales starting with a dead Gran talking to her robot dog. That arresting image then moves to a tale of sentient robots fighting to stay alive after being judged as defective. It’s gloriously creative as we get to know Red_Bati’s life story and a lot more about the world they work in. Funny, alarming, tense and thoughtful the story delivers everything nimbly without confusing the reader.

A Maji Maji Chronicle by Eugene Bacon

In 1905 in German East Africa and a powerful magician and his apprentice arrive from a thousand years in the future to test the ability to alter time. Loved this story for on the one hand just being a beautifully written piece of storytelling as our shape-shifting duo explore this time and start making changes but it also casts a light on a truly horrible piece of human history and exploitation by European colonisers. Despite its initial humour and lightness, the tone of the tale shifts to something more subdued and thought-provoking.

The Unclean by Nuzo Onoh

One of the best horror tales I’ve read. This deals with the treatment of women; superstition and what you would do for the child you loved. We first meet Desdemona at the foot of a tree sitting near the dead corpse of her husband for which she is accused of murder and knows in a few hours she too will be dead. Over flashbacks we see Desdemona the daughter of a powerful man placed in an arranged marriage to an abusive husband. This tale is atmospheric and deals sensitively with subjects such as rape, sexual abuse, grief, and death of children. It is though unnerving in it’s feel of Desdemona getting swept up in political games and then supernatural ones and has one of the tensest final scenes that had me gripped.

A Mastery of German by Marian Denise Moore

We are given the mystery of how a 65 year old man both speaks perfect German and can explain what it feels like to be an eleven-year old girl. Our narrator to explain what is going on is Candace a trouble shooter for a medical science company deciding on a new project’s termination or support. This is a tale of memory and raises some fascinating ethical ideas of is it right to trade in them and also the advantages of removing or adding some. Moore links this to the feeling of a diaspora that casts long shadows and also could be an opportunity for hope. Thoughtful and human as all the best SF is.

Emily by Marian Denise Moore

Inspired by an ad for someone in the 19th century seeking the return of their 7 year old slave this poem is a tale of possibilities good and terrible. Haunting and also a reminder not all stories will we know the end to.

Sleep Papa, Sleep by Suyi Okungbowa Davies

This dark fantasy tale is one of regret. Max has a sideline in trading human body parts for people to use in magic. This is a risky business dealing both with dangerous men and very prone to making supernatural mistakes. Suddenly Max finds a haunting very close to home will wreck his life choices. An impressive story creating in a very short space of time a whole magical black market and also giving us a human being who if filled with guilt and remorse. Quite a haunting tale by the chilling end.

Thresher of Men by Michael Boatman

This is a horror revenge tale as the white men responsible for several appalling acts of violence suddenly find a vengeful god summoned for a unique and grisly night of justice. Prepare for body horror and an examination of how brutality often gets carefully erased from the history books by the people responsible for it.

Ife-Oyoku, The Tale of Imadeyunauaggbon by Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald

Finishing the collection, a truly epid tale of a future country in Africa that survives nuclear war and gains magical superhuman abilities. Initially a slice of life tale exploring this civilization it then moves into a violent ending that also explores the inequalities in a world where women are still judged as just there foe childbirth and not taking active roles in their country. Loved the scope and ambition of the story delivering all of this in just a few pages.

This is a fine collection and one I think lovers of science fiction, fantasy and horror will definitely enjoy. Huge variety and a showcase of impressive writing. You’ll find yourself with many many more authors to now look up! Strongly recommended!