Zengrrl's Book Review: Dominion (An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora) Edited by Zelda Knight & Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald .. #Dominion #NetGalley #BookReview

) Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora, edited by Zelda Knight and Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald.

Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora is a collection of speculative fiction and poetry written by Africans and the African Diaspora (a term used to describe the worldwide collection of communities descended from native sub-Saharan Africans or people from sub-Saharan Africa, predominantly in the Americas). It contains one poem and twelve short speculative fiction stories, ten of which are brand new.

The offerings fall into the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror genres, many combining genres, and as with any anthology, there were some stories that I really enjoyed and others that weren’t exactly to my taste.

Among those I really enjoyed was “The Unclean” by Nuzo Onoh. It’s a horror story of an arranged marriage gone horribly wrong, with a heavy supernatural element.

“The Satellite Charmer” by Mame Bougouma Diene also stuck with me long after reading. It is a story set in a version of Africa pillaged by Asian mega-corporations equipped with terrifying technology, centered around a man trying to do the best for those he loves and failing miserably.

I also enjoyed “A Maji Maji Chronicle” by Eugen Bacon, featuring two visitors from the future who time-travel to cause mischief in Africa’s past, with an underlying message of how power can corrupt.

But there really wasn’t a bad story in the bunch, and I loved that many used African folklore as inspiration. I should mention there is some content that many be viewed as disturbing (violence against women, familial abuse, child death, body horror), but that’s the nature of horror in general.

If you’re looking for some unique stories and writer voices in your sci-fi/horror reading, you’ll definitely want to check out Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora, edited by Zelda Knight and Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald.

I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received an advance e-book copy for review purposes from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other way. My opinion is honest, and as always, my own.

Disclaimer: This post uses Amazon affiliate links. It doesn’t add anything to your cost, should you choose to purchase something. Thanks!

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About zengrrl

I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!