10 awesome science fiction and fantasy books by Black authors

3. Binti by Nnedi Okorofor

Binti is a little bit different than some of the other entries in this list in that it’s a series of novellas that were originally published through Tor.com. The first one (also named Binti, after the main character) came out in 2015, and made a huge splash by winning several prestigious sci-fi and fantasy book awards. Two more have come out since, bringing Binti’s story full circle. Since they’re quick reads, these are great to gobble up and still get the feeling of a full series.

Binti’s story revolves around a young girl of the Himba tribe, the first of her people to be offered a place at the prestigious Oomza University. Oomza is the highest seat of higher learning…and it is in space. Binti must take on a daring journey to get there, leaving her family and everything she knows behind for the good of her tribe.

Of course, the real adventure gets kicking once she’s out in the great expanse. She comes face to face with one of the alien races that humans have been contending with: the Meduse. These jellyfish-like aliens attack and take over the transport ship Binti is on, setting her on a journey of understanding and transformation that her background and personality make her uniquely suited for.

It’s hard to say much more without giving away the game, but suffice it to say that Binti is the sort of science fiction that fans of Speaker of the Dead might find right up their alley. Like many of the best stories in the genre, it fearlessly examines ideas of what contact with extraterrestrial species could look like, and how common ground might be closer than we think.

It’s worth noting here that if you enjoy Binti, Nnedi Okorofor has a bunch of other books as well.