When considering famous authors and their works of science fiction and fantasy, many of us think first of straight white men. But if we expand our vision of what makes great fantasy, a whole universe of possibilities opens up to us. Some of the best fantasy and sci-fi novels come from authors in marginalized groups.
With February being Black History Month, we wanted to shine a light on fantasy and sci-fi books written by Black authors. You might say that you can't read all the books on this list before February is over, and, you're probably right. Good thing that you don't need to relegate these books to one month. You can celebrate the contributions made by Black authors to fantasy and science fiction all year long! These books are just a place to begin opening your eyes to all that fantasy can be, outside of Anglo-Saxon mythos.
1. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
The Rage of Dragons is the first book in Evan Winter's The Burning series, and it is also his debut novel. Winter worked as a cinematographer and director for years before his love of fantasy led him to fulfill his dream of writing an epic fantasy series. This first novel in the series has been named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time.
A centuries-long war has shaped the Omehi people into a society that knows nothing other than battle and bloodshed. A rare few men and women possess gifts that allow them to gain strength or summon dragons, but the rest of the people are basically fodder. Tau is not gifted, but he refuses to die without a fight. The Rage of Dragons, and the rest of The Burning series, follows Tau on his often bleak journey to survive and become a great warrior.
2. Children of Blood & Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi is not just an author. She is also an actress, model, West-African historian, and writing teacher. But as an author, Adeyemi has greatly impacted the fantasy genre. Children of Blood & Bone is the first in her Legacy of Orïsha series, a young adult fantasy with West-African mythology and culture. It also made Time's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, and is currently being adapted into a movie with a 2027 release.
Children of Blood & Bone uses its fantasy setting to spark conversation about oppression, colonialism, and power. After the king has all magic wielders killed, including Zélie's mother, Zélie must fight for her people to bring the magic back. She must go up against the crown prince who is determined to keep magic from ever returning to the land. Through Zélie's journey, she discovers what it means to wield power and hope.
3. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
A young adult fantasy that deserves attention from adults as well is the Legendborn Cycle series. Tracy Deonn makes Arthurian legend more accessible to Black people, and helps enhance the magic of Merlin with this urban fantasy tale. The first book in the series, Legendborn, was an instant bestseller for the New York Times and won the 2021 Coretta Scott King-Joe Steptoe award for new talent.
The Legendborn Cycle begins with Bree Matthews accepting a spot at UNC-Chapel Hill in order to escape the trauma of her mother's death. She doesn't expect to witness magic at school, let alone learn that she has magic within herself. The knowledge that descendants of King Arthur's knights are preparing for a magical war, and that they are somehow connected to her mother's death motivates Bree to uncover the secrets of the Legendborn society and tap into her hidden power.
4. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Saying that N.K. Jemisin is an incredible author is an understatement. Her Broken Earth Trilogy won three consecutive Hugo awards. Not only is The Fifth Season, the first book in the trilogy, on Time's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, but Jemisin was invited to write the introduction to that list. Her science fiction and fantasy worlds are unparalleled, and, if we were into gatekeeping, we would say that you're not a true fantasy fan until you've read Jemisin.
The Fifth Season is a blend of fantasy and science fiction, where the world is dying and war breaks out between people just trying to survive. Essun must travel through this world in search of her husband who kidnapped their daughter. She will do whatever it takes to find her daughter, even as the world burns around her.
5. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Octavia E. Butler was a queen of fantasy and science fiction long before many other books on this list were even dreamed of. Her works earned her the PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award, even though she didn't receive fame and recognition until later in life. Her 1979 novel, Kindred, is one of her most popular and a great starting point if you want to read all of her books.
Kindred is a time-travel fantasy in which Dana, a young Black woman in 1970s California, finds herself transported to the antebellum South. Each time she travels to the past, she stays longer, and she begins to wonder if eventually she'll be stuck in this time period forever. Dana must also come to terms with helping the man who has enslaved her and others, because if she doesn't, she will not exist in the future.
6. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Marlon James set out to write a fantasy based in African mythology and history, and he blew us all away with his Dark Star Trilogy. The first book in the series, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, is another of Time's 100 best fantasy novels, and it is praised for how expertly James weaves African-rooted fantasy into the genre.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf follows Tracker, a mercenary with a keen sense of smell, as he searches for a missing child. While he normally works alone, his client has hired a team of eccentric characters to find this boy. The next two books in the trilogy are the same story, but from other characters' points of view.
7. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
Saara El-Arifi has several incredible fantasy novels and series, so it can be difficult to know where to start. Her works are inspired by West African and Arabian mythologies, and feature enough history to also be categorized as historical fiction. Her highest-rated series overall is The Ending Fire Trilogy, with the first book being The Final Strife.
The world of The Ending Fire Trilogy is run by blood. Those with red blood are the elite, magical, ruling class. Those with blue blood are the impoverished working class. And those with clear blood are enslaved. In The Final Strife, three young women who were born into different classes join together to begin the only type of revolution that will make the rulers take notice: a bloody one.
8. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates is best known for his nonfiction articles on race, power, and activism for marginalized groups. His bestseller, Between the World and Me, won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction. But his first fantasy novel, The Water Dancer, proves that whether writing about reality or magic, Coates packs a gut-punch for his readers.
The Water Dancer is the story of Hiram Walker, an enslaved boy in Virginia who gains a powerful gift on the day his mother dies. This gift of controlling water ends up saving Hiram's life after almost drowning, and he becomes determined to use it to escape to freedom. The book follows Hiram through the stops of the Underground Railroad, using fantasy to teach the brutal realities of history.
9. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Nnedi Okorafor is another author with an entire list of great fantasy and science fiction novels. Her Binti series is one of the most popular, winning a Hugo award and a Nebula award. But we're highlighting her debut into adult fantasy, Who Fears Death, which is on Time's list of top fantasy and is a winner of the World Fantasy Award. Who Fears Death is also being developed into a TV series for HBO, with George R.R. Martin as a producer.
A baby girl born in a post-apocalyptic Africa is named Onyesonwu, meaning "Who Fears Death?" She is raised to learn magic by a village shaman and must use her abilities to save the few remaining of her people from the genocide occurring against them. Onyesonwu must overcome many different trials to obtain her destiny and fight for her people.
10. Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Natasha Bowen takes inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, but delves deeper into African mythology and folklore to create the beautiful Skin of the Sea series. The first book of the series, with the same name as the series itself, blends a story of mermaids, gods, ancient powers, and some of the darkest parts of Black history.
Simi is a Mami Wata, a mermaid who brings the souls lost at sea to the afterlife. But when a living boy falls off a slave ship, Simi breaks the rules of the gods by saving him. To keep her fellow Mami Wata from suffering her punishment, Simi travels to visit the supreme god and entreat their forgiveness. The journey grows more dangerous as secrets about Simi's past begin to unravel.
11. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
P. Djèlí Clark is a master storyteller. He's won Hugo, Nebula, and Sturgeon awards, and was nominated for a World Fantasy award as well. His Dead Djinn Universe is made up of mostly novellas, with A Master of Djinn being the first novel-length story. The way he blends historical fiction and fantasy makes a gripping and entertaining read.
A Master of Djinn takes place in an alternative of 1912 Cairo, where magic and genies (djinn) exist alongside steampunk technology. When a man claiming to have returned from the dead murders the cult members who worshipped him, Agent Fatma of the Ministry of Alchemy must stop him and expose him as an imposter. She races against time as his magic is capable of destroying everything.
12. The Changeling by Victor LaValle
Victor LaValle rounds out our list with his dark fairy tale, The Changeling. Horror fantasy fans will not want to miss this story, and LaValle's other novels and short stories are also works of genius. The Changeling is an urban fantasy that captures the fears surrounding parenthood, marriage, and all the ways we may fail. It has been adapted into a TV series on Apple TV and also made Time Magazine's list of best fantasies.
Apollo's father disappeared when he was young, and since then, his dreams have been strange and often terrifying. When his wife exhibits odd behavior after the birth of their first child, Apollo thinks it's just post-partum depression. But Emma does something unthinkable and afterwards, disappears with the baby. Apollo must find his family while grappling with his dreams and following the otherworldly clues those dreams give him.