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Ivor W. Hartmann (ed.) AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers (English Edition). Storytime 2016. 406 S. Paperback – ISBN-13: 978-0987008961 E-Book – ASIN: B00AEUH112 |
I’ve just finished »AfroSF«, the first ever genuine anthology of science fiction short stories by African writers. The book was published in 2013 by Ivor W. Hartmann, a writer and publisher from Zimbabwe.
»AfroSF« gives us 22 stories from 22 African authors from different countries. It starts with »Moom!« by Nnedi Okorafor, a story with a strong hint of mystery about a swordfish, and ends with »Proposition 23«, a cyberpunk story by Efe Okogu, in which artificial intelligence seeks to dominate and control humanity. Others are space flights, aliens or horror stories covering a wide range of topics.
What impresses me most is the strong African perspective. The stories take place in Africa, have Africans as protagonists, and deal with African affairs and features like corruption, abuse of power, superstition, and so on. You wouldn’t find this so consisently implemented in an European anthology.
If you enjoy reading smart short stories and are ready to broaden your horizons, you should grab this book.
»AfroSF« is available as paperback in many countries. German retailers offer it on their homepages, so your local bookstore should have no problem to order it. But have a look at the prices. They differ between 15,99 and 18,99 Euro. There is also an ebook version, but I’ve found it only at Amazon’s.
Homepage of Ivor W. Hartmann