10 awesome science fiction and fantasy books by Black authors

From The Rage of Dragons to The Broken Earth, from heavy epics to fun romps, here are 10 of the best fantasy and sci-fi book series by Black authors.

It’s no secret that the world — and the U.S. in particular — has been reckoning with some important issues for the past few weeks. Problems of systemic racism have come to the fore in a massively visible way that they haven’t since the 1960s. The coronavirus is still around, lurking in the wings. Leaders bicker, and people take to the streets to protest police violence and demand equality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

The chances are pretty good that you already know about all of that, and it’s not exactly what we’re here to talk about in this article. Something that’s happened in the current climate is that a lot more readers are searching out books by Black authors. Publishing is an industry that has long struggled with representation and diversity, and while it’s starting to take some steps forward, it’s still easy to imagine that there are plenty of people out there who may never even have read a fantasy or science fiction book by a Black author.

So I come to you with some good news: these books and authors are out there, and there are many brilliant works that you should consider checking out. To make your lives a bit easier, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best fantasy and science fiction books (and series) by Black authors. They span a variety of age levels and tones, so whether you’re looking for your next heavy epic or a book you can share with the kids, there’s something here to fit the bill.

And, as a disclaimer…when I began research for this piece, I had a list of over 30 authors working in the field. So if you’ve read everything here, or if you are looking for more, get out there and do some legwork! Your next favorite series might be waiting for you.