speculative fiction – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] Bloodmarked, by Tracy Deonn

he black and white ebook cover of Bloodmarked, depicting a young Black woman and white man back to back in a battle stance surrounded by magical energies. The cover is displayed on a Kindle that is being held by a Black woman's hand(my hand) in front of an old-fashioned historical American building on a cold rainy day.

(Buy this book) What I expected from the hotly anticipated sequel to Legendborn: Our heroine Bree, having discovered she’s the bearer of a magical legacy from her slave-owning white ancestors that supercharge the gifts inherited from her mother’s ancestral line, raises up a network of fierce Black women rootcrafters, takes on the Round Table, andContinue reading “[REVIEW] Bloodmarked, by Tracy Deonn”

[REVIEW] Can You Sign My Tentacle? by Brandon O’Brien

A Black woman's (my) hand holds the paperback of Can You Sign My Tentacle up in front of a fancy hotel elevator. The cover depicts an elder God, half human half writhing tentacles, eyes fathomless, purple dreadlocks poppin', holding a sharpie marker in one outstretched, ageless hand.

(Buy this book.) The author of this speculative poetry collection is from Trinidad and Tobago. I’ve never been there, but I imagine that being islands, there are beaches there, with waves that flow across the sand and lap against the rocks in the same way that these poems flow across your eyes and lap againstContinue reading “[REVIEW] Can You Sign My Tentacle? by Brandon O’Brien”

[READING CHALLENGE] Diversity is Scary!

(Click here to jump[scare] straight to the booklist.) Welcome to October, fellow readers. With Halloween coming up, I think it’s a good time for spooky diverse reads. For much of modern horror history, difference often was the horror. Now, diverse writers are turning those tropes on their heads and giving us nuanced takes on fearContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Diversity is Scary!”

Last Week In Books: End Of Year Quickie

2021 is over in four days, fellow readers. I have been wearing the same pajamas since Christmas day, drunk twice my body weight in hot chocolate and watched every movie from my childhood on a reality-bending loop. Let’s dispense with the pleasantries and get into the links so that we can all get back toContinue reading “Last Week In Books: End Of Year Quickie”

[REVIEW] Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, original text by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings

A Black woman's hand holds a tablet displaying the orange cover of Parable of the Sower in front of a speeding train window, passing by a grassy field. The book cover depicts a Black teenaged girl with long dreadlocks, half her face hidden, standing in front of stylized flames and mountains.

(Buy it on Bookshop here.) I just moved back to America, and man, it is weird. Watching the news from America in preparation for my return sometimes felt like watching a large angry monster run towards a cliff with someone you love strapped to their back, screaming. I haven’t lived in my country for 15Continue reading “[REVIEW] Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, original text by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings”

[Booklist] 1984 Is Trash: Dystopias From The Global Majority

An Asian woman with sunglasses and a ponytail stands with her back to the camera. She is wearing a stylish leather jacket with two cameo faces worked into the leather of the back, and more along the shoulders and gusset.

Why yes, I did wake up and choose violence today. Why do you ask? Let me first say that for the time, place and the politics of its day, 1984 was brilliant. It contained very pertinent criticism of post-WWII European governments, strong warnings about government surveillance and police states, and it revolutionized social science fictionContinue reading “[Booklist] 1984 Is Trash: Dystopias From The Global Majority”

[REVIEW] Docile, by K.M. Sparza

(Find out more on Bookshop) This book was kinda trash. Now look–I love a good trashy book. Y’all have seen my no-bodice-left-unripped romance novel reviews. A little bit of junk food never hurt anybody, and the same goes for books. But this book is not Twinkies, Takis and giant sour pickles. This book is mysteryContinue reading “[REVIEW] Docile, by K.M. Sparza”

[REVIEW] Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice

(Find it HERE.) Evan Whitesky is a loving father, doting husband, and pretty good moose hunter who lives on an Anishinaabe reserve in Northern Canada. As he preps for the upcoming winter, a massive power outage cuts the reserve entirely off from the outside world. While Evan and his family are somewhat secure, partially becauseContinue reading “[REVIEW] Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice”

[BOOKLIST] Earth Is Ghetto: A Booklist Where Aliens Land Everywhere

Yellow brick wall with red mosaic "Space Invaders"-style alien in top right corner.

“Earth is ghetto / I want to leave / Can you beam me up / I’m out on the street by the corner store / You know the one on 15th…“ I’m sure many of you have heard the viral song by Aliah Sheffield by now–it’s the toast of TikTok. If not, take a moment andContinue reading “[BOOKLIST] Earth Is Ghetto: A Booklist Where Aliens Land Everywhere”

Last Week in Books, Jan 31-Feb 6: Let’s Bring This Back, Shall We?

A screenshot of a tweet that says "#BlackHistoryMonth I post this every year and I pay $2 a month to keep it open. I compiled a free Black history library equipped with pdfs, ebooks and little video on: SNCC, The Black Panther Party, Harriet Tubman, Zora Neale Hurston, Garvey, Malcolm, Fanon:

Happy Black History Month! Let’s take a quick look back at some of the most interesting diverse books news from last week. OG Black speculative fiction writer Gerald L Coleman has put together the dopest, most definitive list of Black science fiction and fantasy I’ve EVER seen. Please check it out.[ Gerald L Coleman] ThisContinue reading “Last Week in Books, Jan 31-Feb 6: Let’s Bring This Back, Shall We?”