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Sauúti Terrors
Co-editors Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton and Cheryl S. Ntumy bring us a powerful and haunting collection of short stories from the groundbreaking Sauútiverse, following the success of Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology. Sauúti Terrors tells of the doomed, the damned, the shunned, the cunning, the destroyers, the noxious, and more, in the worlds of the living, the in-between and the dead. Unravel the darkest stories in the deepest parts of the Sauúti five-planet system with its two suns, and orbiting a binary star.
Bringing together African and African diaspora writers, the collection features five-time Bram Stoker Award winner and recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award Linda D. Addison and other prominent speculative fiction authors, including T.L. Huchu, Xan van Rooyen, Jamal Hodge, Ishola Abdulwasiu Ayodele, Wole Talabi, Mazi Nwonwu, Kofi Nyameye, D.S. Falowo, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, J. Umeh, Moustapha Mbacké Diop, Miguel O. Mitchell, DaVaun Sanders and Nerine Dorman.
The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous, with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.
Bringing together African and African diaspora writers, the collection features five-time Bram Stoker Award winner and recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award Linda D. Addison and other prominent speculative fiction authors, including T.L. Huchu, Xan van Rooyen, Jamal Hodge, Ishola Abdulwasiu Ayodele, Wole Talabi, Mazi Nwonwu, Kofi Nyameye, D.S. Falowo, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, J. Umeh, Moustapha Mbacké Diop, Miguel O. Mitchell, DaVaun Sanders and Nerine Dorman.
The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous, with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.
416 pages, Hardcover
Published February 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 17, 2026
Sauúti Terrors is a new anthology that takes the opportunity to continue exploring the Sauútiverse, an Africa-inspired secondary world consisting of five planets, where sound has a pivotal role as the source of power; all edited by the hands of Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton and Cheryl S. Ntumi, published by Flame Tree Press.
I certainly find complicated to review an anthology of this scope, especially if we take into account the diversity across voices and styles; but across all the pieces we can appreciate different executions on a recurring motif: dark moments, relatively slow burn horror that takes its sweet time to build the atmosphere, letting the reader to fill the gaps with their imagination.
The inclusion of poetry is also quite adequate if we take into account how sound is such an important element in the Sauútiverse; in terms of enjoyment, I would pick in particular two of the stories: Endlings, by Nerine Dorman; and The Final Flight of the Ungu-ugnu, by Wole Talabi (but to be fair, most of them are excellent, I think enjoyment depends more on which kind of horror structure you prefer).
Sauúti Terrors is a well-balanced anthology, perfect if you are looking for horror that allows you to dive into this rich African-centered universe while also giving a taste of many talented authors. I'm dying to continue exploring the Sauútiverse!
I certainly find complicated to review an anthology of this scope, especially if we take into account the diversity across voices and styles; but across all the pieces we can appreciate different executions on a recurring motif: dark moments, relatively slow burn horror that takes its sweet time to build the atmosphere, letting the reader to fill the gaps with their imagination.
The inclusion of poetry is also quite adequate if we take into account how sound is such an important element in the Sauútiverse; in terms of enjoyment, I would pick in particular two of the stories: Endlings, by Nerine Dorman; and The Final Flight of the Ungu-ugnu, by Wole Talabi (but to be fair, most of them are excellent, I think enjoyment depends more on which kind of horror structure you prefer).
Sauúti Terrors is a well-balanced anthology, perfect if you are looking for horror that allows you to dive into this rich African-centered universe while also giving a taste of many talented authors. I'm dying to continue exploring the Sauútiverse!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What an absolutely brilliant collection of short stories, with a main theme of Arican and African writers with dashings of horror, myth and legend by the bucket load and a nice helping of terror for good measure.
Some of my favourites were "The Rawness of You" , "The Unspoken" and "Ripples in the Blood".
A big 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
Some of my favourites were "The Rawness of You" , "The Unspoken" and "Ripples in the Blood".
A big 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
March 2, 2026
Having previously enjoyed both the Mothersound anthology and Bacon’s novella set in the same universe, I couldn’t wait to pick up Sauúti Terrors so I preordered it. I am glad I did.
The collection includes a wide range of styles, including speculative poetry. Some stories feel more straightforwardly ‘horror’ than others; there are many with really effective slow burn / slow build tension and suspense and a few that veer into body horror territory. Inevitably, with an anthology some stories stood out to me more than others; some of my favourites were Wole Talabi’s, Cheryl Ntumy’s, and Kofi Nyameye’s. For me, this collection included both new-to-me authors and authors whose work I’ve read previously and I am happy to have discovered some new writers to read further from.
There are a few editorial touches that make this collection feel really special: each story includes a haiku on its themes and a brief introduction that welcomes the reader to the story. Finally, while it is not generally something I comment on, I would be really doing a disservice if I did not mention the beauty of the hardcover by Flame Tree Press. The metallic cover, decorated page edges, and gold bookmarks are splendid.
Note: for this collection, the editors provide a list of content warnings themselves. I normally write my own list, but in this case I have replicated the editors’ content warnings below verbatim. I have put them behind spoiler tags since technically, my reproducing them here ‘reveals’ part of the book’s contents. The book does not specify which warning(s) correspond to which short stories.
The collection includes a wide range of styles, including speculative poetry. Some stories feel more straightforwardly ‘horror’ than others; there are many with really effective slow burn / slow build tension and suspense and a few that veer into body horror territory. Inevitably, with an anthology some stories stood out to me more than others; some of my favourites were Wole Talabi’s, Cheryl Ntumy’s, and Kofi Nyameye’s. For me, this collection included both new-to-me authors and authors whose work I’ve read previously and I am happy to have discovered some new writers to read further from.
There are a few editorial touches that make this collection feel really special: each story includes a haiku on its themes and a brief introduction that welcomes the reader to the story. Finally, while it is not generally something I comment on, I would be really doing a disservice if I did not mention the beauty of the hardcover by Flame Tree Press. The metallic cover, decorated page edges, and gold bookmarks are splendid.
Note: for this collection, the editors provide a list of content warnings themselves. I normally write my own list, but in this case I have replicated the editors’ content warnings below verbatim. I have put them behind spoiler tags since technically, my reproducing them here ‘reveals’ part of the book’s contents. The book does not specify which warning(s) correspond to which short stories.
February 17, 2026
This review is also posted at: https://fanfiaddict.com/review-sauuti...
Last year I had the opportunity to read Eugen Bacon’s The Nga’phandileh Whisperer and was thrust into the shared and Afrocentric, Sauutiverse. Bacon’s story was unique and wildly inventive, so when I was given the chance to read more in the Sauútiverse, I leapt at the chance. While horror isn't my first choice, I ended up really enjoying Sauúti Terrors, the latest short story anthology from the Sauúti Collective.
Of course, with every short story anthology or collection, there is variation between authors. Writing styles. Themes. The creepiness. The worlds that they only get a few pages to both set up and tear down all at once. I’m happy to report that the writing and imagination is top notch in this wonderful collection. There are a few stories that managed to dig somewhere inside of me and it’s going to take some work to draw them out and forget about them. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
While I have read a piece of the Sauútiverse, I did not have an opportunity to read their previous collective anthology, Mothersound, which featured many of the same contributors as this anthology. There are threads of connectivity between stories in this collection, but they are there because of the established planetary system that the authors of the Sauúti Collective have established. From their website:
The Sauútiverse is an Africa-inspired secondary world with both humanoid and non-humanoid creatures living in a 5-planet, binary star system. All the humanoids have a shared history, having evolved from a much older race that developed on one of the planets – Wiimb-ó – before spreading out. The basic Theme and Focus of the Sauútiverse is an exploration of the nature of sound as power. Focus is given to sounds, music, language and speaking and it is linked to their shared biologies and cultures and histories.
That theme of sound, music, language and speaking is definitely an ever-present foundation for much of the collection, whether explicitly stated or implicit in its execution. It can be hard to grasp for some as Western culture often doesn’t have much of an oral tradition when it comes to stories, but it was fascinating to see executed here.
Whenever I review anthologies, I like to choose a few stories to highlight, and Sauúti Terrors is no exception.
-The Final Flight of the Ungu-ugnu by Wole Talabi is an after-action report of a missing spaceship told through various reports, voice recordings, and flight logs. What we see is a slowly (although not too slowly -- this is one of the shorter works in Sauúti Terrors) developing tale of something…horrifying happening to the ill-fated crew of the Ungu-ugnu.
-I also loved The Unspoken by Kofi Nyameye. When I was in college, I saw the Denzel Washington film, The Fallen and reading this short work had some of the same hallmarks of that under-rated movie. There is a cosmic horror aspect to this one and something inescapable about the fate of our characters no matter what choices they make.
-The second full story in the book, Kyi’yaji by Xan Van Rooyen is a marvel. From the book’s own description of the story: “On the planet Wiimb-o, over 800 people died when the anti-music group Zaxulo committed ritual suicide on stage. Their method? An unholy combination of ear-shredding, mind-breaking sounds.” There is some similarities to Talabi’s story in its formatting, but there is more of a narrative that plays out as its revealed what happened when the “anti-music” band commit suicide and also induce mass death in the audience as well.
I found many of the stories to be a “slow burn” type of horror, but there were definitely some where I felt some terror from the very start, providing some variety to the collection. Throughout much of the writings in Sauúti Terrors, whether story or poetry, there are themes that (seemed to me) wouldn’t be there without the generational trauma from European colonization that led to the African diaspora. Of course, the Sauútiverse is merely inspired by African cultures, not actually taken from Earth and placed on other planets, so it isn’t a one-to-one comparison, but in the many authors’ writings the pain of colonialism still rears its ugly head and is perhaps well-suited to a horror collection such as this.
When I decided to devote time to writing reviews of books I’d read, I made a conscious decision to pick up more works by women and people of color. I’ve found some amazing works over the past few years by simply being more open to literature from other cultures and outside my typical insular bubble. If that’s something you aspire to as well, Sauúti Terrors is the perfect book for you. Reading through the biographies of the authors and contributors to this volume blew me away with the diversity and what they had to share with readers of all backgrounds.
I highly recommend Sauúti Terrors as both a short story collection as well as a place to find some of your new favorite voices in the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror spaces on your bookshelf.
Last year I had the opportunity to read Eugen Bacon’s The Nga’phandileh Whisperer and was thrust into the shared and Afrocentric, Sauutiverse. Bacon’s story was unique and wildly inventive, so when I was given the chance to read more in the Sauútiverse, I leapt at the chance. While horror isn't my first choice, I ended up really enjoying Sauúti Terrors, the latest short story anthology from the Sauúti Collective.
Of course, with every short story anthology or collection, there is variation between authors. Writing styles. Themes. The creepiness. The worlds that they only get a few pages to both set up and tear down all at once. I’m happy to report that the writing and imagination is top notch in this wonderful collection. There are a few stories that managed to dig somewhere inside of me and it’s going to take some work to draw them out and forget about them. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
While I have read a piece of the Sauútiverse, I did not have an opportunity to read their previous collective anthology, Mothersound, which featured many of the same contributors as this anthology. There are threads of connectivity between stories in this collection, but they are there because of the established planetary system that the authors of the Sauúti Collective have established. From their website:
The Sauútiverse is an Africa-inspired secondary world with both humanoid and non-humanoid creatures living in a 5-planet, binary star system. All the humanoids have a shared history, having evolved from a much older race that developed on one of the planets – Wiimb-ó – before spreading out. The basic Theme and Focus of the Sauútiverse is an exploration of the nature of sound as power. Focus is given to sounds, music, language and speaking and it is linked to their shared biologies and cultures and histories.
That theme of sound, music, language and speaking is definitely an ever-present foundation for much of the collection, whether explicitly stated or implicit in its execution. It can be hard to grasp for some as Western culture often doesn’t have much of an oral tradition when it comes to stories, but it was fascinating to see executed here.
Whenever I review anthologies, I like to choose a few stories to highlight, and Sauúti Terrors is no exception.
-The Final Flight of the Ungu-ugnu by Wole Talabi is an after-action report of a missing spaceship told through various reports, voice recordings, and flight logs. What we see is a slowly (although not too slowly -- this is one of the shorter works in Sauúti Terrors) developing tale of something…horrifying happening to the ill-fated crew of the Ungu-ugnu.
-I also loved The Unspoken by Kofi Nyameye. When I was in college, I saw the Denzel Washington film, The Fallen and reading this short work had some of the same hallmarks of that under-rated movie. There is a cosmic horror aspect to this one and something inescapable about the fate of our characters no matter what choices they make.
-The second full story in the book, Kyi’yaji by Xan Van Rooyen is a marvel. From the book’s own description of the story: “On the planet Wiimb-o, over 800 people died when the anti-music group Zaxulo committed ritual suicide on stage. Their method? An unholy combination of ear-shredding, mind-breaking sounds.” There is some similarities to Talabi’s story in its formatting, but there is more of a narrative that plays out as its revealed what happened when the “anti-music” band commit suicide and also induce mass death in the audience as well.
I found many of the stories to be a “slow burn” type of horror, but there were definitely some where I felt some terror from the very start, providing some variety to the collection. Throughout much of the writings in Sauúti Terrors, whether story or poetry, there are themes that (seemed to me) wouldn’t be there without the generational trauma from European colonization that led to the African diaspora. Of course, the Sauútiverse is merely inspired by African cultures, not actually taken from Earth and placed on other planets, so it isn’t a one-to-one comparison, but in the many authors’ writings the pain of colonialism still rears its ugly head and is perhaps well-suited to a horror collection such as this.
When I decided to devote time to writing reviews of books I’d read, I made a conscious decision to pick up more works by women and people of color. I’ve found some amazing works over the past few years by simply being more open to literature from other cultures and outside my typical insular bubble. If that’s something you aspire to as well, Sauúti Terrors is the perfect book for you. Reading through the biographies of the authors and contributors to this volume blew me away with the diversity and what they had to share with readers of all backgrounds.
I highly recommend Sauúti Terrors as both a short story collection as well as a place to find some of your new favorite voices in the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror spaces on your bookshelf.
March 13, 2026
Set in an Afro-centric universe this collection of short fiction and dash of poetry utilizes the voices of African authors and those of the diaspora to elaborate on what was created in a previous collection. The influences and topics of tale are as varied and expansive as the multitude of traditions that thrive and originate on the continent. Without having read the previous installment, each piece easily felt like they were part of the same interstellar setting. Spotting the common threads of how the few set factors of spiritual origins and the mix of science with magic is half the fun.
Sound is also a connecting feature. Music is hardly just entertainment. It's a part of spiritual, cultural, and secular ritual practices. History keeping. A component of skilled training, technological production, and creation. The lack of it is a drastic form of deprivation as it holds control over characters emotionally or physically. Sometimes of choice, sometimes oppression, and sometimes from disability. The cadence speaking determines a function's success as much as the words themselves. And, of course, it takes on bodily manifestations, creates repercussions, and infiltrates minds bringing a fresh twist to the horror and speculative fiction genres.
As fantastical as some of these stories might be, they're not purely entertainment. How generational trauma is carried is represented in one story where a bodily marking is a literal audible record. “The Wound Asks for Air” has a protagonist who can see the past as told through a sort of form of ancestors. “The Temple of the Weeping Drum” is far more than just a story of oppressive patriarchal structures. It explores resistance, resilience, and what I imagine having your autonomy and self-determination being stolen from you really feels like. "Where Daylight Turns to Dusk” evaluates the importance and role of faith in religion. The environment is its own character in several and written with reverence.
A good many stories use voices to tackle psychological elements. On the more chilling side there are stories of possession. In this world being a medic of the body and of mind are not quite as distinct professions. Two stories feature possession or the dangers of in this case literally digging into someone's brain. One story uses the pull of emotion versus logic and the dangers of being influenced by an excess of either. In another, physical darkness could stand in for regret and the hollowness grief causes. “Echoed in Moonlight” isn't just a space form of magical realism. It's about self awakening and finding your own voice. Disassociation has a lot of forms across the board.
Then there are those that are more about the ride. One stylistic standout is in the form of a report log from an investigator of a lost flight. The final tale of the collection is a straight up action adventure drama that has an undertone of colonization and reclamation.
Mixed in with these thrills and nightmares live inspirational traits. They contain rebels, independence, community, ambition, family, love, support, and hope. There is as much strength as there are scares. As in with any anthology a reader might be more drawn to one style or story over another. Regardless this was absolutely one of the most uniformly creative collections I've yet to read.
Sound is also a connecting feature. Music is hardly just entertainment. It's a part of spiritual, cultural, and secular ritual practices. History keeping. A component of skilled training, technological production, and creation. The lack of it is a drastic form of deprivation as it holds control over characters emotionally or physically. Sometimes of choice, sometimes oppression, and sometimes from disability. The cadence speaking determines a function's success as much as the words themselves. And, of course, it takes on bodily manifestations, creates repercussions, and infiltrates minds bringing a fresh twist to the horror and speculative fiction genres.
As fantastical as some of these stories might be, they're not purely entertainment. How generational trauma is carried is represented in one story where a bodily marking is a literal audible record. “The Wound Asks for Air” has a protagonist who can see the past as told through a sort of form of ancestors. “The Temple of the Weeping Drum” is far more than just a story of oppressive patriarchal structures. It explores resistance, resilience, and what I imagine having your autonomy and self-determination being stolen from you really feels like. "Where Daylight Turns to Dusk” evaluates the importance and role of faith in religion. The environment is its own character in several and written with reverence.
A good many stories use voices to tackle psychological elements. On the more chilling side there are stories of possession. In this world being a medic of the body and of mind are not quite as distinct professions. Two stories feature possession or the dangers of in this case literally digging into someone's brain. One story uses the pull of emotion versus logic and the dangers of being influenced by an excess of either. In another, physical darkness could stand in for regret and the hollowness grief causes. “Echoed in Moonlight” isn't just a space form of magical realism. It's about self awakening and finding your own voice. Disassociation has a lot of forms across the board.
Then there are those that are more about the ride. One stylistic standout is in the form of a report log from an investigator of a lost flight. The final tale of the collection is a straight up action adventure drama that has an undertone of colonization and reclamation.
Mixed in with these thrills and nightmares live inspirational traits. They contain rebels, independence, community, ambition, family, love, support, and hope. There is as much strength as there are scares. As in with any anthology a reader might be more drawn to one style or story over another. Regardless this was absolutely one of the most uniformly creative collections I've yet to read.
March 31, 2026
Thanks to RBmedia and NetGalley for a copy of this ALC
This is my second book I’ve listened to narrated by Christel Mutombo and she is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and would definitely be a draw. Her style is tender and builds to crescendos and hooks me from minute one.
Kofi Boakye was not my favorite. He wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but I did find myself waiting for Christel chapters. His narration feels sinister a fact that lands well in this horror anthology. He shines at dialogue were he sounds wonderfully natural no mater how many characters he’s voicing in a chapter.
I did like the dual narration, it made the book feel full the planets feel inhabited.
I really liked this anthology. Most feel like a bit of a mixed bag and sure there were some that I did not personally love but even those help bolster the threads that connect the stories.
I had not heard of this world before and was delighted to slowly learn more. The editors do a fantastic job of leading you there even if this is your first foray into the Sauúti series.
My favorites were
The tale of elders silent screams By Linda D Addison
WHAT AN OPENING !!! This story had me immediately hooked and I was so delighted as I learned more to see more and more layers to this story. This story alone is worth picking up this book and how lucky that the others are also a treat
The Unspoken By Kofi Nyaneye
I think this is the most “classic” horror. Anyone with even a casual interest in horror would be well pleased with this story but it puts a fresh twist on a somewhat well explored space. Of all the stories I think this one will stick with me the most.
Id recommend this one to fans of horror anthologies, the magnus archives, the employees by olga ravn, and man made monsters by andrea l rodgers. And for fans of books that masterfully mix scifi and magic like Womb City (also narated by the woderful Christel Mutombo )by tlotol tsamaabe and the library at mr.char by scott hawkins
This is my second book I’ve listened to narrated by Christel Mutombo and she is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and would definitely be a draw. Her style is tender and builds to crescendos and hooks me from minute one.
Kofi Boakye was not my favorite. He wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but I did find myself waiting for Christel chapters. His narration feels sinister a fact that lands well in this horror anthology. He shines at dialogue were he sounds wonderfully natural no mater how many characters he’s voicing in a chapter.
I did like the dual narration, it made the book feel full the planets feel inhabited.
I really liked this anthology. Most feel like a bit of a mixed bag and sure there were some that I did not personally love but even those help bolster the threads that connect the stories.
I had not heard of this world before and was delighted to slowly learn more. The editors do a fantastic job of leading you there even if this is your first foray into the Sauúti series.
My favorites were
The tale of elders silent screams By Linda D Addison
WHAT AN OPENING !!! This story had me immediately hooked and I was so delighted as I learned more to see more and more layers to this story. This story alone is worth picking up this book and how lucky that the others are also a treat
The Unspoken By Kofi Nyaneye
I think this is the most “classic” horror. Anyone with even a casual interest in horror would be well pleased with this story but it puts a fresh twist on a somewhat well explored space. Of all the stories I think this one will stick with me the most.
Id recommend this one to fans of horror anthologies, the magnus archives, the employees by olga ravn, and man made monsters by andrea l rodgers. And for fans of books that masterfully mix scifi and magic like Womb City (also narated by the woderful Christel Mutombo )by tlotol tsamaabe and the library at mr.char by scott hawkins
June 1, 2026
Anthologies are often hard to write quick and easy reviews for, largely due to the vastly different writing styles and voices that shape each installment. There were certain authors that I found myself enjoying more than others but can truthfully say that not a single one of these stories disappointed me. They each were so unique, so well written, and created such a breathtaking world – one that even though I had no knowledge of the Sauútiverse going into this, I quickly found myself fully immersed.
Going into this, I didn’t realize that it was part of an already existing universe, so a few times I was unsure of what to make of what I’d been given, but I quickly melted into this world. The Sauútiverse is a world made up of five planets, where the mythology is heavily inspired by various African cultures and were sound/music plays such a pivotal part in the foundation of these worlds. The use of sound in these ways is like something I’d never come across before. The two uses that really struck a chord with me, was the story centered around the removal of woman’s voices/agency and how those two things correlate, as well as the one involving sound based murder/suicide and the locking of sound within one’s own skin. In this universe, sound/music isn’t just a noise, but it's something spiritual, cultural, and the very foundation of life and identity.
I was given an audio copy Via Netgalley. For a series where sound is so pivotal, the audio was done perfectly. It really drags you into this world and forces you to reflect on your own ideas of trauma, independence, family and culture.
Going into this, I didn’t realize that it was part of an already existing universe, so a few times I was unsure of what to make of what I’d been given, but I quickly melted into this world. The Sauútiverse is a world made up of five planets, where the mythology is heavily inspired by various African cultures and were sound/music plays such a pivotal part in the foundation of these worlds. The use of sound in these ways is like something I’d never come across before. The two uses that really struck a chord with me, was the story centered around the removal of woman’s voices/agency and how those two things correlate, as well as the one involving sound based murder/suicide and the locking of sound within one’s own skin. In this universe, sound/music isn’t just a noise, but it's something spiritual, cultural, and the very foundation of life and identity.
I was given an audio copy Via Netgalley. For a series where sound is so pivotal, the audio was done perfectly. It really drags you into this world and forces you to reflect on your own ideas of trauma, independence, family and culture.
March 30, 2026
Sauuti Terrors by Eugene Bacon is an intriguing sci-fi anthology that blends technical imagination with deep emotional layers. Each story offers something unique, ranging from themes of women’s oppression to journeys across imaginative worlds. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook—the narrators added a compelling touch and made the experience more immersive. While the collection showcases versatility, it also made me feel that Black authors have immense potential to explore even more genres beyond contemporary fiction. This anthology is a great example of how diverse and expansive their storytelling can be, and I’d love to see more such explorations in the future. The book deserves 3 stars.
March 23, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley for the audio review copy.
This is a beautifully written group of short stories written from the embodied experiences of African writers. I reviewed the audio copy. The voice is distinctly African, which sets the tone.
I'm a big fan of horror and mystery short stories as it is. and this series tops the list of approachable with just enough panache to appease the goose bumps with a dash of local myth and legends from mother Africa.
This is a beautifully written group of short stories written from the embodied experiences of African writers. I reviewed the audio copy. The voice is distinctly African, which sets the tone.
I'm a big fan of horror and mystery short stories as it is. and this series tops the list of approachable with just enough panache to appease the goose bumps with a dash of local myth and legends from mother Africa.
April 7, 2026
I absolutely loved the first few stories especially the first one, however the more sci fi heavy tales were a little hard for me to follow I guess when I was listening I was trying to follow the lore but forgetting to keep in mind the galactic setting so I was left struggling moreso coz of my ND
I'm sure to dive into it again as what I had listened to was enjoyable and as a person of east african heritage I'm always down for folklore especially with a horror twist
I'm sure to dive into it again as what I had listened to was enjoyable and as a person of east african heritage I'm always down for folklore especially with a horror twist
June 20, 2026
Sauuti Terrors shows snippets of life in a grim solar system. Magic is based on sound, and horrific forces attempt to silence that sound. Many of the stories feature hope in a world more suited for despair.
April 15, 2026
(Review copy courtesy of RBmedia and NetGalley.)
3⭐
Note: Everything I’m about to say can likely be chalked up to reader error, and your experience will almost certainly differ from mine.
This might be the first audiobook I’ve ever recommended reading in print instead, especially if you’re not deeply familiar with African lore.
As someone who is woefully under-read on the subject, this book requires a high level of cultural and contextual fluency that I didn’t have. Without that, it feels like being dropped into a fully formed world with no map. This would have worked much better with the text in front of me, where I could pause and refer back as needed. Instead, I found myself concentrating so hard on the details that I kept losing the overall thread.
These stories are meant to share a universe, but they felt disjointed, and I never quite got a sense of continuity. It suffers from too many cooks (authors) in the kitchen, and several of the shorts needed more room to breathe. A map of how they connect would help immensely. Similarly, a glossary of terms up front would make a big difference for comprehension.
I also went in expecting horror, and if that was the intent, it didn’t land. It read more like science fiction with fantastical elements. The violence in the book is both pointed and purposeful, and there’s a lot of it. That’s neither a positive nor a negative—it’s simply part of the story. I never felt truly frightened, though that may be because I was working so hard just to follow what was happening or the aforementioned deficit of cultural fluency. (Again, r-e-a-d-e-r e-r-r-o-r.)
While I enjoyed several of the individual pieces, my favorites were the more abstract poetry, both in verse and in prose. They were stylish and lyrical and the flow of language shepherded me deeper into the lore of the shared universe.
Audio-Specific 🎧: 9 hours, 45 minutes. Production-wise, the audio is solid. I genuinely enjoyed Christel Mutombo’s performance and had no issues there. Kofi Boakye was a bit more difficult for me to follow. There were a couple of noticeable stumbles in his delivery, and I wasn’t used to his cadence, which made an already challenging listen even more difficult. (Yep. You guessed it. Reader error strikes again.)
📌 TL;DR: This will absolutely be someone’s 5⭐ read, but I was too much of a fish out of water to enjoy it in the way it clearly deserves.
3⭐
Note: Everything I’m about to say can likely be chalked up to reader error, and your experience will almost certainly differ from mine.
This might be the first audiobook I’ve ever recommended reading in print instead, especially if you’re not deeply familiar with African lore.
As someone who is woefully under-read on the subject, this book requires a high level of cultural and contextual fluency that I didn’t have. Without that, it feels like being dropped into a fully formed world with no map. This would have worked much better with the text in front of me, where I could pause and refer back as needed. Instead, I found myself concentrating so hard on the details that I kept losing the overall thread.
These stories are meant to share a universe, but they felt disjointed, and I never quite got a sense of continuity. It suffers from too many cooks (authors) in the kitchen, and several of the shorts needed more room to breathe. A map of how they connect would help immensely. Similarly, a glossary of terms up front would make a big difference for comprehension.
I also went in expecting horror, and if that was the intent, it didn’t land. It read more like science fiction with fantastical elements. The violence in the book is both pointed and purposeful, and there’s a lot of it. That’s neither a positive nor a negative—it’s simply part of the story. I never felt truly frightened, though that may be because I was working so hard just to follow what was happening or the aforementioned deficit of cultural fluency. (Again, r-e-a-d-e-r e-r-r-o-r.)
While I enjoyed several of the individual pieces, my favorites were the more abstract poetry, both in verse and in prose. They were stylish and lyrical and the flow of language shepherded me deeper into the lore of the shared universe.
Audio-Specific 🎧: 9 hours, 45 minutes. Production-wise, the audio is solid. I genuinely enjoyed Christel Mutombo’s performance and had no issues there. Kofi Boakye was a bit more difficult for me to follow. There were a couple of noticeable stumbles in his delivery, and I wasn’t used to his cadence, which made an already challenging listen even more difficult. (Yep. You guessed it. Reader error strikes again.)
📌 TL;DR: This will absolutely be someone’s 5⭐ read, but I was too much of a fish out of water to enjoy it in the way it clearly deserves.
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