Recs if you like A Song of Legends Lost...

Representations of the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction. Recommendations welcome!

Fantasy settings based on African geography, cultures, folklore, myths, legends, or histories — inspired by the Quest with Asian stories of this kind. Suggestions welcome!

I'm sure some of these are already on your TBR, so might as well add some more! Let me know if I am missing any of your favorites!

Do you feel like you've read everything there is to read? Or get annoyed that the same books are on all the rec lists? Well, here are some more obscure masterpieces!

Some of the covers are terrible - especially among the older or self-pubbed books; there's a few YA in here; and some that are science fantasy rather than 'pure' fantasy. But trust me: they're all EXCELLENT. (And if you already love a bunch of these, let's be friends!)

no dude bro fantasy books on this list

Lately I’ve been craving that old school fantasy, but much more diverse than what you’d generally think of when you think of old school fantasy. So this list will be queer epic/high fantasy full of high stakes adventure and perhaps magic, but specifically that has the VIBES. vibes are essential.

As a note I haven’t read all of these books yet but I am making my way through them, and if any of them are not the match I think they are I’ll remove them (or feel free to comment to let me know!)

an engaging collection that captures the depth and diversity of African storytelling, blending tradition, history, and modern life through powerful voices.

Books where a woman is has another consciousness inside her head communicating with her. A personal favorite trope of mine. Feel free to comment books to add!

A list of all the books featured as monthly picks for the Illumicrate Sub. ◽️ Not Including sequels or special editions outside of the monthly sub.◽️ I will include new books about a month after release to avoid spoilers.

adult fantasy with black main characters & black and/or african cultural influences

Pulled from Reactor Magazine's (Tor.com) announcement. See the article for a list of short stories as well.

Works not in database: We Begin Where Infinity Ends - Somto Ihezue The Tin Man's Ghost - Ray Nayler The Millay Illusion - Sarah Pinsker When He Calls Your Name - Catherynne M. Valente The Twenty-One Second God - Peter Watts Night & Day - ed. Ellen Datlow Starling House - Alix E. Harrow (ILLUSTRATED EDITION, ILLUS. BY ROVINA CAI) Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene Volumes 1-3 (graphic adaptation)

Note: The Revelation Space Collection by Alastair Reynolds is actually for volumes 1 & 2

Titles not available on PageBound: Descent by Wole Talabi (Clarkesworld Magazine) Novella Novelettes Human Voices by Isabel J. Kim (Lightspeed Magazine) We Begin Where Infinity Ends by Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld) Short Stories Autogas Ferryman by Champ Wongsatayanont (Nightmate Magazine) Because I Held His Name Like a Key - Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons) Commensalism, Or the Labyrinth's Vessels - Albert Nkereuwem (Will This Be a Problem) Ichthyosis by M.L. Krishnan (Fantasy Magazine) The Octopus Dreams of Personhood by Hannah Yang (Diabolical Plots) Poetry After the Storm – Ishita Basu Mallik (The Deadlands) In an attempt to seduce Death my sister starts calling him Love – Karan Kapoor (Strange Horizons) Set It Off (1996) – Fans’ Cut – Nova Cypress Black (Strange Horizons) The Language of Fireflies – Angela Liu (The Deadlands) The oblique light at Kakushima (a memory of persimmons) – Ryu Ando | 安堵 龍 (Strange Horizons) Narrative Non-fiction A Conjuror’s Manifesto: Notes on the Afrosurreal – Shyheim Williams (Strange Horizons) Photon Torpedoes Break the Space Muqarnas: SFF Audiovisuals and Anti-Muslim Violence – Tanvir Ahmed (Strange Horizons) Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler – Susana M. Morris (Amistad) The Outspoken and the Incendiary – Terry Bisson (PM Press) The Secret History of Indian Science Fiction – Gautam Bhatia (Alter Magazine) Other categories not listed include Community Award, Ember Award, Podcasts, Critics