Wole Talabi

The debut fantasy novel from an award-winning Nigerian author A mythic tale of disgruntled gods, revenge, and a heist across two worlds, perfect for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Neil Gaiman, Marlon James, and Karen Lord Shigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus with a long and secretive past, everything changes for him. Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood and navigate the parameters of their new relationship in the shadow of her past. But the elder gods that run the Orisha spirit company have other plans for Shigidi, and they are not all aligned—or good. From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma will encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business, and a spectacular heist across two worlds that will change Shigidi’s understanding of himself forever and determine the fate of the Orisha spirit company.

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

"Here are 8 original visions of Africanfuturism: science fiction stories by both emerging and seasoned African writers staking a claim to Africa's place in the future. These are powerful visions focused on the African experience and hopes and fears, exploring African sciences, philosophies, adaptations to technology and visions of the future both centred on and spiralling out of Africa. You will find stories of the near and almost-present future, tales set on strange and wonderful new planets, stories of a changed Earth, stories that dazzle the imagination and stimulate the mind. Stories that capture the essence of what we talk about when we talk about Africanfuturism." -- Goodreads.com

An Anthology

Africanfuturism

Convergence Problems

Advance Reader Copy of Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology, an anthology of short stories set in the first shared world created by all-African authors and artists.

The Sauútiverse Anthology

Mothersound

The Regression Test

Stacy Hardy

Olufunke Ogundimu

Makena Onjerika

Nonyelum Ekwempu

Now in its nineteenth year the Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize, and is awarded to a short story by an African writer published in English, whether in Africa or elsewhere. Kenyan writer Makena Onjerika has won the 2018 Caine Prize for her short story entitled “Fanta Blackcurrant”. This collection brings together the five 2018 shortlisted stories: American Dreamby Nonyelum Ekwempu (Nigeria) The Armed Letter Writersby Olofunke Ogundimu (Nigeria) Fanta Blackcurrant by Makena Onjerika (Kenya) Involution by Stacy Hardy (South Africa) Wednesday’s Storyby Wole Talabi (Nigeria) It also includes 12 stories written at the Caine Prize Writers’Workshop, which took place in Rwanda in April 2018: No Ordinary Soirée by Paula Akugizibwe Tie Kidi by Awuor Onyango Calling the Clouds Home by Heran T. Abate America by Caroline Numuhire All Things Bright and Beautiful by Troy Onyango Departure by Nsah Mala Where Rivers Go to Die by Dilman Dila Ngozi by Bongani Sibanda The Weaving of Death by Lucky Grace Isingizwe Redemption Song by Arinze Ifeakandu Spaceman by Bongani Kona Grief is the Gift that Breaks the Spirit Open by Eloghosa Osunde

The Caine Prize for African Writing 2018

Redemption Song and other stories

'Pemi Aguda

Edwin Okolo

The Naked The Naked Convos

Kiah

Bankole Oluwole

Pamela Tetteh

Uche Okonkwo

Osemhen Akhibi

Olawale Adetula

Chioma Odukwe

Gbolahan Adeola

Marilyn Eshikena

Wale Lawal

Tokunbo Aworinde

A mother's warning to her young daughter not to leave home . . . A question that changes a relationship in ways no one could have predicted . . . A silence that speaks more than words ever could . . . TheNakedConvos brings you an emotional, thought-provoking, inspiring and altogether fascinating invitation to exploration, honesty, vulnerability, connection, celebration of relationships, and self-discovery. Have you ever read a story that left you feeling naked, vulnerable and exposed? These Words Expose Us is an anthology of stories from young, award-winning Nigerian writers, including Uche Okonkwo, Pemi Aguda, Gbolahan Adeola, Osemhen Akhibi and many, many more. From Lagos to Benin, Ibadan to New York, these are our stories - the stories we never tell, the stories we suspect our neighbors live, the stories our friends and lovers are afraid to tell us. But they are only stories made of words. Just words. Even if These Words Expose Us.

These Words Expose Us

Annalee Newitz

Tobias S. Buckell

Leonard Richardson

Alastair Reynolds

Sarah Gailey

Premee Mohamed

Rich Larson

Neil Clarke

Greg Egan

Julianna Baggott

Yoon Ha Lee

Suzanne Palmer

Meg Elison

Naomi Kritzer

A.T. Greenblatt

Nian Yu

Chinelo Onwualu

Marie Vibbert

Grace Chan

S.L. Huang

M. Bennardo

Jessica Reisman

Ray Nayler

R.S.A. Garcia

Ai Jiang

Hannah Yang

Isabel J. Kim

Congyun "Mu Ming" Gu

J.C. Hsyu

For decades, science fiction has compelled us to imagine futures both inspiring and cautionary. Whether it's a cryptic message encountered by a survey ship, the discovery of alien life in the distant reaches of space, a window into a future Earth, or the adventures of well-meaning AI, science fiction inspires our imagination and delivers a lens through which we can view ourselves and the world around us. At the very heart of the genre is short fiction, the secret lab that has introduced many of the new ideas, techniques, and voices prominent across all other media. In The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Eight, Hugo and Locus Award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a comprehensive year-in-review of 2022's short fiction markets and selects thirty-one of its best stories from the wealth of magazines, anthologies, podcasts, and collections that make up the field. In these pages you'll find works by both the new and established authors who are setting the pace for science fiction today and into tomorrow. Start your journey here.

The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 8

"A jaw-dropping collection....Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." —Publishers Weekly (starred review), and a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Spring 2024 Roundup pick "Deftly entwining his Nigerian culture with sf and Afrofuturism, Talabi uses each story to analyze Africa’s rapidly evolving relationship with technology. For fans of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian works and P. Djèlí Clark’s speculative fiction, Convergence Problems provides an Afrocentric sf narrative that is sure to captivate." — Raychel Bennet, Booklist (starred review) "Written with an emotional economy few storytellers can master....A fascinating and riveting exploration of what the future may hold—for better or worse." —Kirkus From the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Nommo award nominated author of Shigidi and The Brass Head Of Obalufon comes a stunning new collection of stories that investigate the rapidly changing role of technology and belief in our lives as we search for meaning, for knowledge, for justice; constantly converging on our future selves. In “An Arc of Electric Skin,” a roadside mechanic seeking justice volunteers to undergo a procedure that will increase the electrical conductivity of his skin by orders of magnitude. In “Blowout,” a woman races against time and a previously undocumented geological phenomenon to save her brother on the surface of Mars. In “Ganger,” a young woman trapped in a city run by machines must transfer her consciousness into an artificial body and find a way to give her life purpose. In “Debut,” Nairobi-based technical support engineer tries to understand what is happening when an AI art system begins malfunctioning in ways that could change the world. The sixteen stories of Convergence Problems, which include work published for the first time in this collection, rare stories, and recently acclaimed work, showcase Talabi at his creative best: playful and profound, exciting and experimental, always interesting.

Linda D. Addison

Molly Tanzer

Milton J. Davis

Spencer Nitkey

Russell Nichols

RJ Taylor

Devon Mihesuah

Benjamin Blattberg

Risa Wolf

Strange. Beautiful. Shocking. Surreal. APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards. We publish every other month. Issue 130 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews. EDITORIAL Musings from Maryland: Editorial by Lesley Conner ORIGINAL FICTION Nine Theories of Time by Spencer Nitkey To Live and Die in Dixieland by Russell Nichols The First Promise We Break by Risa Wolf Tenure by Devon Mihesuah It Rises and Falls and Rises Again by RJ Taylor Strata by Benjamin Blattberg CLASSIC FICTION An Arc of Electric Skin by Wole Talabi In the Garden of Ibn Ghazi by Molly Tanzer NONFICTION Always and Forever by Milton J. Davis Never Let the Light Go Out by Linda D. Addison REVIEWS Words for Thought: Short Fiction Review by A.C. Wise Book Review: A Spindle Splintered Alix E. Harrow (reviewed by Lesley Conner) Book Review: Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus (reviewed by Tracy Robinson) INTERVIEWS Interview with Author Spencer Nitkey by Andrea Johnson Interview with Author RJ Taylor by Andrea Johnson Interview with Cover Artist JR Slattum by Bradley Powers

Apex Magazine Issue 130

The debut fantasy novel from award-winning Nigerian author Wole Talabi, presenting a mythic tale of disgruntled gods, revenge, and a heist across two worlds.Shigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus with a long and secretive past, everything changes for him.Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood and navigate the parameters of their new relationship in the shadow of her past. But the elder gods that run the Orisha spirit company have other plans for Shigidi, and they are not all aligned-or good.From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma will encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business, and a spectacular heist across two worlds that will change Shigidi's understanding of himself forever and determine the fate of the Orisha spirit company.

Shigidi

Wole Talabi

Books

Your next favorite book is out there