DOMINION
AN ANTHOLOGY OF SPECULATIVE FICTION FROM AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
VOLUME ONE
Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora (Volume One)
Collection ©2020 Zelda Knight (Limited)
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. The authors and poets in this anthology retain their individual copyrights. No part of this anthology may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written consent, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, reviews, and so on. This is a work of fiction. Any semblance to persons, names, characters, organizations, places, events or incidents is the product of imagination. Any resemblance to the aforementioned is otherwise purely subliminal from our shared ancestors.
www.aurelialeo.com
Previous Publications:
A Maji Maji Chronicle © Eugen Bacon [Backstory Magazine Volume 1, Issue 1 (Swinburne University of Technology, 2016)]
The Unclean © Nuzo Onoh [Unhallowed Graves (Canaan-Star Publishing, 2015)]
Sleep Papa, Sleep © Suyi Davies Okungbowa [(Lights Out: Resurrection (The Naked Convos, 2016)]
ISBN-13: 978-1-946024-88-6 (ebook)
ISBN-13: 978-1-946024-79-4 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-946024-89-3 (hardcover)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020931970
Line Editing by Joshua Omenga
Editing by Zelda Knight & Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald
Book Design by Samuel Marzioli (www.marzioli.blogspot.com)
Cover Illustration © Henrique DLD (www.artstation.com/henriquedld)
Book Cover Design © Maria Spada (www.mariaspada.com)
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition: August 2020
10987654321
CONTENTS
Dedication
Special Thanks
Foreword © Tananarive Due
Trickin’, written by Nicole Givens Kurtz
Red_Bati, written by Dilman Dila
A Maji Maji Chronicle, written by Eugen Bacon
The Unclean, written by Nuzo Onoh
A Mastery of German, written by Marian Denise Moore
Convergence in Chorus Architecture, written by Dare Segun Falowo
Emily, written by Marian Denise Moore
To Say Nothing of Lost Figurines, written by Rafeeat Aliyu
Sleep Papa, Sleep, written by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Clanfall: Death of Kings, written by Odida Nyabundi
The Satellite Charmer, written by Mame Bougouma Diene
Thresher of Men, written by Michael Boatman
Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon, written by Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald
About the Editors
About the Contributors
SHORT SYNOPSES
“Trickin’” © Nicole Givens Kurtz: An old god rises up each fall to test his subjects.
“Red_Bati” © Dilman Dila: Once an old woman’s pet, a robot sent to mine an asteroid faces an existential crisis.
“A Maji Maji Chronicle” © Eugen Bacon: A magician and his son time-travel to Ngoni country and try to change the course of history.
“The Unclean” © Nuzo Onoh: A dead child returns to haunt his grieving mother with terrifying consequences.
“A Mastery of German” © Marian Denise Moore: Candace, an ambitious middle manager, is handed a project that will force her to confront the ethical ramifications of her company’s latest project—the monetization of human memory.
“Convergence in Chorus Architecture” © Dare Segun Falowo: Osupa, a newborn village in pre-colonial Yorubaland populated by refugees of war, is recovering after a great storm when a young man and woman are struck by lightning, causing three priests to divine the coming intrusion of a titanic object from beyond the sky.
“To Say Nothing of Lost Figurines” © Rafeeat Aliyu: A magician teams up with a disgruntled civil servant to find his missing wand.
“Sleep Papa, Sleep” © Suyi Davies Okungbowa: A taboo error in a black market trade brings a man face-to-face with his deceased father—literally.
“Clanfall: Death of Kings” © Odida Nyabundi: The death of a King sets off a chain of events that ensnare a trickster, an insane killing machine, and a princess, threatening to upend their post-apocalyptic world.
“The Satellite Charmer” © Mame Bougouma Diene: Africa is caught in the tug-of-war between two warring Chinas, and for Ibrahima torn between the lashings of his soul and the pain of the world around him, what will emerge?
“Thresher of Men” © Michael Boatman: When the Goddess of Vengeance locates the souls of her stolen believers, she comes to a midwestern town with a terrible past, seeking the darkest reparations.
“Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon” © Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald: In a post-apocalyptic world devastated by nuclear war, survivors gather in Ife-Iyoku, the spiritual capital of ancient Oyo Empire, where they are altered in fantastic ways by its magic and power.
PRAISE
“The sheer range of the stories in Dominion is a testament to the genius of Black authors working around the world today.” — T.L. Huchu, Award-winning and Critically-acclaimed Author of The Hairdresser of Harare
“Dominion is worth picking up not just for the wealth it contains, but because it's an important anthology, one that will help shape this decade of reading.” — Cat Rambo, Nebula Award-winning Author and former President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
“The Dominion Anthology contains an explosion of new voices and creativity from all across the diaspora. It’s a feast of ideas that connects the old and the new, a song of new songs, and an exciting new collection of writers that I expect we’ll see even greater things from in the near future.” — Tobias S. Buckell, New York Times Bestselling, World Fantasy Award-winning, Hugo and Nebula Nominated Author
“Dominion is a massive achievement—the first new anthology with African editorship in some years. Established writers like Dilman Dila, Mame Bougouma Diene, Ekpeki Oghenechovwe, and Dare Segun Falowo join writers from Africa and the Diaspora. Each story is a coruscating world of its own.” — Geoff Ryman, Award-winning and Critically-acclaimed Author of Air
“I love this anthology. New voices, new visions—science fiction would be much poorer without it.” — Pat Cadigan, Hugo, Locus & Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Author of Synners and Vice President of the British Science Fiction Association
“The Dominion Anthology is an excellent addition to the imaginative writing of authors of African/African Diasporan descent. The stories provide an exciting and thought-provoking journey. It’s a mind-expanding book where the authors weave cultural details from their respective origins that are fascinating and enlightening. Dominion belongs in every speculative fiction anthology collection.” — Milton J. Davis, Black Fantastic Author and Owner of MVmedia, LLC
“IF ONE IS LUCKY, A SOLITARY FANTASY CAN TOTALLY TRANSFORM ONE MILLION REALITIES.”
— Maya Angelou
A special thanks to all of our Kickstarter backers!
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