Can’t-Wait Wednesday, aka Waiting on Wednesday, is a weekly meme originating from Jill at Breaking the Spine and now hosted by Wishful Endings. If you’re interested in participating, stop by Wishful Endings to link up your posts.
October is Black Speculative Fiction month, and I’m participating in #BlackSFFathon and the Black Lives Matter Book Bingo Challenge, and I also wanted to do a few other posts highlighting speculative fiction by Black authors. I also did a similar post back in August, Tarot Black Lives Matter Bingo edition. I’m obviously not great about doing Can’t Wait Wednesday regularly, which is why I’ll squeeze in more than one book when I do get round to them.
I’d like to add in an honorary mention for Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark and The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk which released last week and I’m super looking forward to reading.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.
So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.
Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems….
Soulstar by C.L. Polk
This is the final book in the Kingston Cycle and this time the focus will be on Robin Thorpe, and amazing character. I’m super curious to see how the series wraps up and to be in Robin’s head. I’ve previously reviewed both Witchmark and Stormsong.
For years, Robin Thorpe has kept her head down, staying among her people in the Riverside neighborhood and hiding the magic that would have her imprisoned by the state. But when Grace Hensley comes knocking on Clan Thorpe’s door, Robin’s days of hiding are at an end. As freed witches flood the streets of Kingston, scrambling to reintegrate with a kingdom that destroyed their lives, Robin begins to plot a course that will ensure a freer, juster Aeland. At the same time, she has to face her long-bottled feelings for the childhood love that vanished into an asylum twenty years ago.
Can Robin find happiness among the rising tides of revolution? Can Kingston survive the blizzards that threaten, the desperate monarchy, and the birth throes of democracy? Find out as the Kingston Cycle comes to an end.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
The Conductors by Nicole Glover
I’m interested in this because I loved the post-civil war setting in Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, and I’m curious to see more books in that setting, specifically written with Black author’s perspective on the period.
A compelling debut by a new voice in fantasy fiction, The Conductors features the magic and mystery of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files written with the sensibility and historical setting of Octavia Butler’s Kindred: Introducing Hetty Rhodes, a magic-user and former conductor on the Underground Railroad who now solves crimes in post–Civil War Philadelphia.
As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Hetty Rhodes helped usher dozens of people north with her wits and magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband Benjy have settled in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. When they find one of their friends slain in an alley, Hetty and Benjy bury the body and set off to find answers. But the secrets and intricate lies of the elites of Black Philadelphia only serve to dredge up more questions. To solve this mystery, they will have to face ugly truths all around them, including the ones about each other.
In this vibrant and original novel, Nicole Glover joins a roster of contemporary writers within fantasy, such as Victor LaValle and Zen Cho, who use speculative fiction to delve into important historical and cultural threads.
Image by hudsoncrafted from Pixabay
Great picks! These all sound interesting, but it’s A Master of Djinn that’s immediately going on my TBR!
Yes! I can’t wait for Master of Djinn, I think I bring it up daily somewhere on the internet
I actually have all of these on my TBR:-) I’m especially excited for A Master of Djinn since I just read and loved Ring Shout!
Me too, I think I might try Ring Shout this weekend, see if I can handle the horror
What a wonderful haul… I’ve just nipped across and bought A Dead Djinn in Cairo:)). Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! Hope you like it!
Soulstar has the prettiest cover and I can’t wait to read The Conductors. Lots of good choices here!