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nellasbookplanet · 3 months

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Book recs: black science fiction

As february and black history month nears its end, if you're a reader let's not forget to read and appreciate books by black authors the rest of the year as well! If you're a sci-fi fan like me, perhaps this list can help find some good books to sink your teeth into.

Bleak dystopias, high tech space adventures, alien monsters, alternate dimensions, mash-ups of sci-fi and fantasy - this list features a little bit of everything for genre fiction fans!

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Something massive and alien crashes into the ocean off the coast of Nigeria. Three people, a marine biologist, a rapper, and a soldier, find themselves at the center of this presence, attempting to shepherd an alien ambassador as chaos spreads in the city. A strange novel that mixes the supernatural with the alien, shifts between many different POVs, and gives a one of a kind look at a possible first contact.

Nubia: The Awakening (Nubia series) by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Hayes

Young adult. Three teens living in the slums of an enviromentally ravaged New York find that something powerful is awakening within them. They’re all children of refugees of Nubia, a utopian African island nation that sank as the climate worsened, and realize now that their parents have been hiding aspects of their heritage from them. But as they come into their own, someone seeks to use their abilities to his own ends, against their own people.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Novella. After having failed at establishing a new colony, starship Calypso fights to make it back to Earth. Acting captain Jacklyn Albright is already struggling against the threats of interstellar space and impending starvation when the ship throws her a new danger: something is hiding on the ship, picking off her crew one by one in bloody, gruesome ways. A quick, excellent read if you want some good Alien vibes.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. Includes darker examinations of agency and consent, so enter with caution.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in world-building, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he’s exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Rosewater (The Wormwood trilogy) by Tade Thompson

In Nigeria lies Rosewater, a city bordering on a strange, alien biodome. Its motives are unknown, but it’s having an undeniable effect on the surrounding life. Kaaro, former criminal and current psychic agent for the government, is one of the people changed by it. When other psychics like him begin getting killed, Kaaro must take it upon himself to find out the truth about the biodome and its intentions.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

Young adult. A century ago, an astronomer discovered a possibly Earth-like planet. Now, a team of veteran astronauts and carefully chosen teenagers are preparing to embark on a twenty-three year trip to get there. But space is dangerous, and the team has no one to rely on but each other if - or when - something goes wrong. An introspective slowburn of a story, this focuses more on character work than action.

The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

After the planet Sadira is left uninhabitable, its few survivors are forced to move to a new world. On Cygnus Beta, they work to rebuild their society alongside their distant relatives of the planet, while trying to preserve what remains of their culture. Focused less on hard science or action, The Best of All Possible Worlds is more about culture, romance and the ethics and practicalities of telepathy.

Mirage (Mirage duology) by Somaiya Daud

Young adult. Eighteen-year-old Amani lives on an isolated moon under the oppressive occupation of the Valthek empire. When Amani is abducted, she finds herself someplace wholly unexpected: the royal palace. As it turns out, she's nearly identical to the half-Valthek, and widely hated, princess Maram, who is in need of a body double. If Amani ever wants to make it back home or see her people freed from oppression, she will have to play her role as princess perfectly. While sci-fi, this one more has the vibe of a fantasy.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship’s leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed work force as they travel toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship’s sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

Where It Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon

The planet Swazembi is a utopia of color and beauty, the most beautiful of all its citizens being the Rare Indigo. Lileala was just named Rare Indigo, but her strict yet pampered life gets upended when her beautiful skin is struck by a mysterious sickness, leaving it covered in scars and scabs. Meanwhile, voices start to whisper in Lileala's mind, bringing to the surface a past long forgotten involving her entire society.

Eacaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus duology) by Nicky Drayden

Seske is the heir to the leader of a clan living inside a gigantic, spacefaring beast, of which they frequently need to catch a new one to reside in as their presence slowly kills the beast from the inside. While I found the ending rushed with regards to plot and character, the worldbuilding is very fresh and the overall plot of survival and class struggle an interesting one. It’s also sapphic!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah*

In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences in private prisons can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all to real possible future.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed duology) by Octavia E. Butler*

In a bleak future, Lauren Olamina lives with her family in a gated community, one of few still safe places in a time of chaos. When her community falls, Lauren is forced on the run. As she makes her way toward possible safety, she picks up a following of other refugees, and sows the seeds of a new ideology which may one day be the saviour of mankind. Very bleak and scarily realistic, Parable of the Sower will make you both fear for mankind and regain your hope for humanity.

Binti (Binti trilogy) by Nnedi Okorafor

Young adult novella. Binti is the first of the Himba people to be accepted into the prestigious Oomza University, the finest place of higher learning in all the galaxy. But as she embarks on her interstellar journey, the unthinkable happens: her ship is attacked by the terrifying Meduse, an alien race at war with Oomza University.

War Girls (War Girls duology) by Tochi Onyebuchi

In an enviromentally fraught future, the Nigerian civil war has flared back up, utilizing cybernetics and mechs to enhance its soldiers. Two sisters, by bond if not by blood, are separated and end up on differing sides of the struggle. Brutal and dark, with themes of dehumanization of soldiers through cybernetics that turn them into weapons, and the effect and trauma this has on them.

The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds duology) by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s a catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying. As such she has a very special job in traveling to these worlds, hoping to keep her position long enough to gain citizenship in the walled-off Wiley City, away from the wastes where she grew up. But her job is dangerous, especially when she gets on the tracks of a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. Really cool worldbuilding and characters, also featuring a sapphic lead!

The Fifth Season (The Broken Eart trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin*

In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter. While mostly fantasy in genre, this series does have some sci-fi flavor, and is genuinely some of the best books I've ever read, please read them.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings*

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine's mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

South African-set scifi featuring gods ancient and new, robots finding sentience, dik-diks, and a gay teen with mind control abilities. An ancient goddess seeks to return to her true power no matter how many humans she has to sacrifice to get there. A little bit all over the place but very creative and fresh.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson*

Young adult. Young artist June Costa lives in Palmares Tres, a beautiful, matriarchal city relying heavily on tradition, one of which is the Summer King. The most recent Summer King is Enki, a bold boy and fellow artist. With him at her side, June seeks to finally find fame and recognition through her art, breaking through the generational divide of her home. But growing close to Enki is dangerous, because he, like all Summer Kings, is destined to die.

The Blood Trials (The Blood Gifted duology) by N.E. Davenport

After Ikenna's grandfather is assasinated, she is convinced that only a member of the Praetorian guard, elite soldiers, could’ve killed him. Seeking to uncover his killer, Ikenna enrolls in a dangerous trial to join the Praetorians which only a quarter of applicants survive. For Ikenna, the stakes are even higher, as she's hiding forbidden blood magic which could cost her her life. Mix of fantasy and sci-fi. While I didn’t super vibe with this one, I suspect fans of action packed romantasy will enjoy it.

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

1960s classic. Rydra Wong is a space captain, linguist and poet who is set on learning to understand Babel-17, a language which is humanity's only clue at the enemy in an interstaller war. But Babel-17 is more than just a language, and studying it may change Rydra forever.

Pet (Pet duology) by Akwaeke Emezi

Young adult novella. Jam lives in a utopian future that has been freed of monsters and the systems which created and upheld them. But then she meets Pet, a dangerous creature claiming to be hunting a monster still among them, prepared to stop at nothing to find them. While I personally found the word-building in Pet lacking, it deftly handles dark subjects of what makes a human a monster.

Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool

Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes

Alternate history in which Africans colonized South America while vikings colonized the North. The vikings sell abducted Celts and Franks as slaves to the South, one of which is eleven-years-old Irish boy Aidan O'Dere, who was just bought by a Southern plantation owner.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Young adult dystopia. Ellie lives in a future where humanity is under the control of the alien Ilori. All art is forbidden, but Ellie keeps a secret library; when one of her books disappears, she fears discovery and execution. M0Rr1S, born in a lab and raised to be emotionless, finds her library, and though he should deliver her for execution, he finds himself obsessed with human music. Together the two embark on a roadtrip which may save humanity.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

Lelah lives in future Botswana, but despite money and fame she finds herself in an unhappy marriage, her body controlled via microchip by her husband. After burying the body of an accidental hit and run, Lelah's life gets worse when the ghost of her victim returns to enact bloody vengeance.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Young adult. Fen de la Guerre, living in a quarantined Gulf Coast left devestated by storms and sickness, is forced on the run with a newborn after her tribe is attacked. Hoping to get the child to safety, Fen seeks to get to the other side of the wall, she teams up with a scientist from the outside the quarantine zone.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

A neo-victorian alternate history, in which a part of Congo was kept safe from colonisation, becoming Everfair, a safe haven for both the people of Congo and former slaves returning from America. Here they must struggle to keep this home safe for them all.

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Space opera. Enitan just wants to live a quiet life in the aftermath of a failed war of conquest, but when her lover is killed and her sister kidnapped, she's forced to leave her plans behind to save her sister.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: The City We Became (Great Cities duology) by N.K. Jemisin, The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

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hollymbryan · 2 years

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Blog Tour + #Review: NUBIA: THE AWAKENING by Omar Epps and Clarence A. Haynes! #tbrbeyondtours

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for the YA novel from acclaimed actor Omar Epps and author Clarence A. Haynes, Nubia: The Awakening! I’ve got all the book and author details below, along with my review.

About the Book

title: Nubia: The Awakening authors: Omar Epps and Clarence A. Haynes publisher: Delacorte Press release date: 8 November 2022

From beloved actor and producer Omar Epps and writer Clarence A. Haynes comes the biggest epic fantasy of the year. A powerful saga of three teens, the children of refugees from a fallen African utopia, who must navigate their newfound powers in a climate-ravaged New York City. Perfect for fans of Black Panther and Children of Blood and Bone. For Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho, Nubia is a mystery. Before they were born, a massive storm destroyed their ancestral homeland, forcing their families to flee across the ocean to New York City. Nubia, a utopic island nation off the coast of West Africa, was no more, and their parents’ sorrow was too deep for them to share much of their history beyond the folklore. But New York, ravaged by climate change and class division, is far from a safe haven for refugees, and Nubians live as outcasts, struggling to survive in the constantly flooding lower half of Manhattan, while the rich thrive in the tech-driven sky city known as the Up High. To many, being Nubian means you’re fated for a life plagued by difficulties and disrespect. But Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho are beginning to feel there might be more. Something within them is changing, giving each of them extraordinary powers. Extraordinary and terrifying powers that seem to be tied to the secrets their parents have kept from them. And there are people Up High watching, eager to do anything they can to become even more powerful than they already are. Now Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho will be faced with the choice–do they use their inheritance to lift their people, or to leave them behind. The fate of their city, and their people, hangs in the balance.

Content Warning: Violence, death, domestic abuse, brief mention of sexual assault

Add to Goodreads: Nubia: The Awakening Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Indigo | Indiebound

About the Authors

Actor and producer Omar Epps was first introduced to audiences as Q in Ernest Dickerson’s cult classic Juice, opposite Tupac Shakur. He has gone on to star in the beloved romance Love & Basketball, as Dr. Eric Foreman in the massively popular TV show House, as Jeff Cole in In Too Deep, as Isaac Johnson in Shooter, as Darnell in This Is Us, and in many many more television shows and major motion pictures. His self-published memoir is From Fatherless to Fatherhood. Nubia: The Awakening is his first novel.

Connect with Omar: Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | IMDB

Clarence A. Haynes has worked as an editor for a variety of publishers that include Penguin Random House and Amazon Publishing as well as Legacy Lit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. He has edited top-selling fiction titles like The Hundredth Queen, Scarlet Odyssey, Legacy of Lies, These Toxic Things, and The Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller The Vine Witch, along with its two sequels. He is also the author of the nonfiction work The Legacy of Jim Crow, published as part of Penguin Workshop’s True History series.

Connect with Clarence: Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

My 3-Star Review

I’ve been so excited for Nubia: The Awakening since I first heard about it. I’m a huge fan of Omar Epps and was excited to see what he and Clarence Haynes had come up with in this afro-futurist YA novel. While I enjoyed it, it was definitely a case of wanting to love it more than I actually did.

This novel deals with some important societal topics: racism, classism, climate change, oligarchy, and over-policing. It was interesting to see these dealt with in a near-future society. In a lot of ways, on the surface this book reminded me of Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older: near-future or alternate timeline NYC, refugees from an African or Afro-Caribbean island that no longer exists, parents who refuse to talk about where they came from, and teens discovering they have magical powers connected to that disappeared home. Unfortunately, in this book the pacing was off in a way I find hard to describe, and it’s still unclear exactly what these magical powers are. I liked the MCs, though, and the way the novel alternated between the three POVs of Zuberi, Lencho, and Uzochi. I’m hoping the second book will explain and expound on what the teens can and/or should do with their newly-found powers.

Rating: 3 stars

**Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

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literanarchy · 1 year

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Blessed is an awakening that stirs beautiful memories in the heart.

Rhadopis of Nubia by Naguib Mahfouz

#rhadopis of nubia #naguib mahfouz #egyptian literature #nobel laureate #quotes #literary quotes #memories in the heart #awakenings

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oracleofmadness · 2 years

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

This was an intense, fast-paced read that brought a lot of attention to where our world could be heading but in a fantasy setting.

Three teenagers that live in NYC around the year 2080, I believe, are connected not just by shared history and nationality but because they have discovered they have powers. Nubians fled their homeland in this tumultuous future when global warming began massively affecting this planet. Now many live in a rough district of NYC while the rich live in the sky, literally (a city built in the sky).

This story covers some dense topics particularly global warming and class segregation. It shows how those with power may take advantage but offers hope with the Nubians being finally able to start fighting back. These three teens with powers are just the beginning as is this book. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Out November 8, 2022!

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readsbymoonlight · 1 year

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Book: Nubia: The Awakening

Author: Omar Epps & Clarence A. Haynes

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Recommended for: Its unique worldbuilding and new form of climate fiction

Published: 8th November, 2022

As someone who studied environment in school, it struck me pretty fast upon reading this book how likely the future described in it could unfold. Honestly, as long as you keep track in any way with the news, I'm sure you know that the climate crisis is upon us. And even if you don't, you'd still notice the drastic changes in weather patterns lately. But I digress. The point is that a book that mentions climate disasters in any way makes me happy, especially when it's done so well, painting a grim picture, no doubt, but hopefully opens some eyes. Beyond that, the New York in Epps and Haynes' imagination is rife with class and wealth differences, ones that make living hellish for some and utopian for others. Sounds familiar? Well, the book is a pretty straightforward indictment of these things. It was a bit too obtuse for me in the beginning, especially when reading Zuberi's point of view. There were parts that made it very YA (though I was wrong about Zuberi being the main focus/character) such as the forced lingo (why does it have to be a scholar-pack when it can be a backpack?)and contrived romance. But otherwise, the story was very unique and fresh. The story centres very much on community. Though our protagonists keep their powers secret at the beginning, it's quickly made clear that the community will help and, in turn, they would help the community. It's unexpected since most books always put such importance in hiding, in not trusting anyone, and especially not adults. The way the kinetic (the powers) manifest is so special as well, forcing me to work to keep up with the lore of the world, but also opening my mind to new possibilities because of it. All in all, it was a really smooth and easy read. My issue was that I couldn't quite relate with the characters. They were, in their own ways, focussed on one thing only, and that made them more bland than I would have liked, even if their worldviews were challenged. Another issue I have is there seemed not to have been high enough stakes during the climax. The whole book was setting up for something and it happens, but it was expected and wasn't resolved in a very good way. I'm sorry for being vague but it could be considered a spoiler and perhaps you'll know what I mean if you read it. At the same time, everything escalated too quickly but not in a way that made sense. It felt more like we're being set up for the next book, not this one. Though the world is an interesting one, with stories and magic I'd love to revisit, I think there's a bar this book is not quite hitting to get me to the next one.

Disclaimer: e-ARC obtained from NetGalley, photo found on Google

#book review #4*s #Nubia: The Awakening #Omar Epps #Clarence A. Haynes #NetGalley #sci-fi #fantasy #YA

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booksteacupandreviews · 1 year

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Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps, Clarence A. Haynes - YA dystopian fantasy

Stunning, gripping, complicated, and tense #YA #dystopian #fantasy Thanks for the free book @PRHGlobal Check out full #bookreview ⬇️

Nubia: The Awakening Nubia is gripping, fast paced, tense and amazing YA dystopian fantasy. Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps, Clarence A. Haynes Publication Date : November 8, 2022 Publisher : Delacorte Press Read Date : December 2, 2022 Genre : YA, Fantasy Pages : 368 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5. Tea for this book : White + Saffron Tea Disclaimer : Many thanks to PRH International for…

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#Book Blog #book blog feature #Book blogger #Book review #book review blog #Books Teacup and Reviews #Clarence A. Haynes #Climate change #colonial magic #Dystopian #Futuristic #Indian Book Blogger #Nubia: The Awakening #Omar Epps #oppressive government #PRH Global #racism and classism #reviewer #YA Fantasy

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bookishfeylin · 2 years

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Black Fantasy TBR Part 1

It's taking so long to compile all my books that I might as well release my tbr one portion at a time. This isn't really that organized, but here's the first part of my fantasy (and a little bit of scifi) tbr listed out for people who are curious and/or want to see more fantasy books with Black protagonists:

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps and Clarence A. Haynes

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Abengoni: First Calling by Charles R. Saunders

Across the Broken Tide by Lakase Cousino

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams

Kingdom of Feathers by Deborah Grace White

Priestess of nKu by Milton J Davis

Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Queen of Zazzau by J.S. Emuakpor

Elysium by Nora Sakavic

Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Dream Country by Ashaye Brown

The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

She Steals Justice by J. Clark

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

The Hope of Aferi: The Wolf Queen by Cerece Rennie Murphy

A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

The Blazing Star by Imani Josey

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne Brown

Bones to the Wind by Tatiana Obey

Treachery of Water by Angela J. Ford

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle

Beautiful Nightmare by L.C. Son

Conquest by Celeste Harte

Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

Magic Dark, Magic Divine by A.J. Locke

Shadow's Dissident by Ariel Paiement

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

Mirage by Somaiya Daud

A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole

This was mostly stand-alones and duologies, so the next part of my tbr should be mostly trilogies and longer series.

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bookaddict24-7 · 2 years

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(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (November 8th, 2022)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

Whiteout by Various

The Q by Amy Tintera

The Secrets We Keep by Cassie Gustafson

Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima

Black Internet Effect by Shavone Charles & Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrator)

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell

Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Haynes

New Sequels:

Gleanings (The Arc of the Scythe 3.5) by Neal Shusterman & Various

Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn

Cursed (Gilded #2) by Marissa Meyer

Charm (Crave #5) by Tracy Wolff

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Happy reading!

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sistahscifi · 1 year

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For the last day of Black History // Black Future Month, Sistah Scifi is highlighting Nubia: The Awakening. Nubia is an Afrofuturist, YA science fiction novel by @clarenceahaynes and @omarepps that weaves in the themes of climate change, class division, and references West and Southern African cultural traditions. Clarence A. Haynes says, "Nubia is oriented towards Black Futures, offering a fantastic take on how our world could evolve, keeping in mind things like climate change and tech innovations." In this clip, the authors discuss the research that went into developing the world of the Nubian cultural enclave nestled in the New York borough of Manhattan in the year 2098. Check out the full clip on our Instagram page @sistahscifi🔥. Get your copy of Nubia: The Awakening signed by Omar Epps at Sistah Scifi's @instagram, @facebook, @twitter, @tiktok, or @shopify shop. Please note orders including this title will ship March 15! Nubia will also be available at the Sistah Scifi Book Vending Machine at @MixedCoffeeShop and @BlackCoffeeNw starting Friday March 3rd. Audiobook available on @librofm. Better yet, check Nubia out from your local #library!!! Author - @omarepps and @clarenceahaynes Publisher - @penguinrandomhouse @delacortepress This gorgeous picture of Nubia: The Awakening taken by and reposted from @just_keep_chasing_pages . #bookstagram #booksofig #booksofinstagram #igbooks #instabooks #instareads #addictedtobooks #tbr #goodreads #yafantasy #yafiction #ForTheCulture #WeGotUs #yafantasybooks #WestAfricanYAFantasy #SistahScifi #OmarEpps #clarencehaynes #sistahscifiwinedownwednesday #blackfantasy #yareads #yascifi #youngadultscifi #blackyareads #blackyascifi #blackreads #blackownedscifibookstore #sistahscifibookvendingmachine #NubiaTheAwakening (at Sistah Scifi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpOQ3xXJ0LU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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samueldelany · 2 years

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winningthesweepstakes · 1 year

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Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps and Clarence E. Haynes

Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps and Clarence E. Haynes. Random House, 2022. 9780593428641 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover Genre: Science fiction or fantasy What did you like about the book? Nubia: An ancient and legendary African island that was destroyed by a devastating storm. Now, in 2090, the island is all but a faraway dream for Nubian…

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#Random House

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aclslibrarian · 2 months

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NUBIA: THE RECKONING

UnCovered Review by Collette Jones, ACLS Egg Harbor City Branch

Omar Epps and Clarence A. Haynes' NUBIA: THE RECKONING picks up directly from the pulse-pounding cliffhanger of THE AWAKENING, thrusting Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho into a dystopian New York City where their newfound Nubian powers become the target of a ruthless government. While the sequel doubles down on action and world-building, it stumbles slightly in character development and narrative coherence. The world-building flourishes in this sequel. We delve deeper into the lost history and forgotten magic of Nubia, uncovering secrets that heighten the intrigue. The futuristic dystopia of Tri-State East feels fleshed out, showcasing both its oppressive nature and pockets of resistance. However, some readers might find the world-building elements occasionally overshadowing the character development.

The story explodes with conflicts. Uzochi, hailed as the "Nubian Catalyst," faces not only the power-hungry Sky King but also his own conflicted cousin, Lencho, now a pawn in the government's game. The introduction of an ancient, malevolent force adds another layer of danger, but its connection to the overall narrative feels somewhat forced. The characters grapple with internal conflicts and external pressures. Uzochi struggles with the weight of leadership and the burden of his abilities. Zuberi's loyalty is tested, and Lencho's descent into darkness is explored, albeit not always with the nuance it deserves. The supporting characters, particularly Sandra, offer complexity and depth, enriching the narrative tapestry.

Epps and Haynes deliver action-packed sequences that are sure to keep readers engaged. The final battle is epic in scope, showcasing the full potential of the Nubian powers. The action sequences are undoubtedly thrilling, showcasing the characters' evolving abilities in creative and cinematic ways. Zuberi's command over water and Uzochi's manipulation of energy are particularly well-explored, leading to some truly epic battles. However, the relentless pace leaves little room for character introspection, hindering their emotional growth. Lencho's descent into villainy feels rushed, and Zuberi remains somewhat stagnant, despite her pivotal role.

The world-building shines, expanding on the rich tapestry of Nubian history and culture. We delve deeper into the island's tragic fall and the struggles of its diaspora, adding weight to the characters' motivations. The depiction of a climate-ravaged New York is both bleak and hauntingly beautiful, creating a captivating backdrop for the unfolding drama. Epps and Haynes' writing is clear and engaging, but occasionally falls into exposition dumps, especially when introducing new characters or plot points. The dialogue, however, is sharp and witty, capturing the distinct personalities of the characters, particularly Lencho's humor.

Overall, NUBIA: THE RECKONING is a satisfying continuation, offering a thrilling escape into a world of extraordinary powers and high-stakes conflicts. However, its focus on action comes at the expense of deeper character exploration and a more cohesive narrative. If you enjoyed the fast-paced adventure of THE AWAKENING, this sequel will not disappoint. But for those seeking profound character development and a tightly woven plot, it might leave you wanting more. The novel tackles themes of power, identity, and the fight against oppression. It echoes real-world struggles for justice and equality, adding depth to the fantastical setting.

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