Welcome to one of my favorite kinds of posts, lists of books I love! Without any number limit. If you’re looking to read some books by Black authors this Black History Month, I’ve got some recommendations, specifically 18 great science fiction and fantasy books by Black authors . At the end of the post, I’ve also listed some books on my TBR, didn’t feel fair leaving them out when it’s not their fault I haven’t read them yet. Except for the ones that aren’t out yet, there it’s maaaybe a bit their fault.

Secondary World Fantasy

Raybearer (Raybearer #1) by Jordan Ifueko – epic YA fantasy with a beautiful, detailed world inspired by West Africa. My full review

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N.K. Jemisin – epic fantasy with earth-shattering magic. My mini-review

Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1) by L. Penelope – romantic fantasy in a divided world My mini-review

Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle #1) by C.L. Polk – romance, mystery and politics in a world similar to the early 1900s My full review

Folklore/mythology inspired

(otherwise knowns as – these didn’t fit my real/imaginary world/time groups)

Redemption in Indigo  by Karen Lord – this one is like sitting down with a storyteller who’s letting you in on few secrets. My mini-review

The Jumbies (The Jumbies #1) by Tracey Baptiste – middle-grade monster story My mini-review

The Deep by Rivers Solomon (Goodreads Author), Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes – novella with mermaid-like people dealing with generational trauma My mini-review

Historical Fantasy

Dread Nation  by Justina Ireland – zombies interrupt the US civil, badass and funny MC is good at killing them. My mini-review

The Conductors (Murder and Magic #1) by Nicole Glover – married couple, former Underground Railroad Conductors solve crime Full review to come tomorrow

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (Fatma el-Sha’arawi #2) by P. Djèlí Clark – mystery solving in steampunk Cairo with djinn. My mini-review

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark – the KKK with interdimensional monsters. My mini-review

Mem by Bethany C. Morrow – historical sci fi (?) where people can extract memories, questions about personhood and identity. My mini-review

Contemporary Fantasy

Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn – YA Arthurian legend retelling, unputdownable, high paced, lots of things that fit perfectly together, a favorite among my favorites. My full, gushing, review

A Song Below Water (A Song Below Water #1) by Bethany C. Morrow – a siren finding her voice and her sister finding out about herself, very grounded in the present, on the background of the Black Lives Matter movement. My mini-review

Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown – a very strong book coming of age story where the character overcomes different kinds of trauma. My mini-review

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi – a near-future dystopian novella. My mini-review

Science Fiction

Escaping Exodus(Escaping Exodus #1) by Nicky Drayden – a matriarchal society on a huge living spaceship. My full review

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez – a very thoughtful sci fi book with interesting characters and capitalism critique. My mini-review

Science-Fiction or Fantasy books by Black authors on the TBR

• Son of the Storm  (The Nameless Republic #1) by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
• The Library of the Dead(Edinburgh Nights #1) by T.L. Huchu
• The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
• Three for the Road: Stories from the World of Dread Nation(Dread Nation) by Justina Ireland
• Elemental(Shadows of Otherside #1) by Whitney Hill
• The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
• Scarlet Odyssey(Scarlet Odyssey #1) by C.T. Rwizi
• Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus
• The Undertakers(Murder and Magic #2) by Nicole Glover
• Bacchanal by Veronica Henry
• The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull
• Lost Gods(Lost Gods #1) by Micah Yongo
• Symbiosis(Escaping Exodus #2) by Nicky Drayden
• A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope  by Patrice Caldwell
• The Belles(The Belles #1) by Dhonielle Clayton
• Black Sun(Between Earth and Sky #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse
• The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
• By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story(The Sky Pirate Chronicles #1) by Antoine Bandele
• Soulstar(The Kingston Cycle #3) by C.L. Polk
• Kingdom of Souls(Kingdom of Souls #1) by Rena Barron
• Tavern(Dargath Chronicles #1) by Deston J. Munden
• The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
• A Master of Djinn(Fatma el-Sha’arawi #3) by P. Djèlí Clark
• The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
• Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston
• Empire’s Wake(Exiles of a Gilded Moon #1) by Dustin R. Cummings
• Root Magic by Eden Royce
• Witches Steeped in Gold(Witches Steeped in Gold #1) by Ciannon Smart

If you liked this post of 18 Great Science Fiction and Fantasy books by Black Authors, you might also be interested in my list of new releases: 84 Speculative Fiction Books by Black Authors – New Releases for 2021