AfroSFv3

AfroSF #3

by Ivor W. Hartmann (Editor), T.L. Huchu, Cristy Zinn

Space, the astronomical wilderness that has enthralled our minds since we first looked up in wonder. We are ineffably drawn to it, and equally terrified by it. We have created endless mythologies, sciences, and even religions, in the quest to understand it. We know more now than ever before and are taking our first real steps. What will become of Africans out there, will we thrive, how will space change us, how will we change it? AfroSFv3 is going out there, into the great expanse, and with twelve African visions of the future we invite you to sit back, strap in, and enjoy the ride.

3 shortlisted for the ASFS Nommo Awards 2019: T. L. Huchu 'Njuzu', Cristy Zinn 'The Girl who stared at Mars', and Biram Mboob 'The Luminal Frontier'.

9 nominations for the African Speculative Fiction Society Nommo Awards 2019 for: T. L. Huchu 'Njuzu', Cristy Zinn 'The Girl who stared at Mars', Biram Mboob 'The Luminal Frontier', Gabriella Muwanga 'The Far Side', Wole Talabi 'Drift Flux', Stephen Embleton 'Journal of a DNA Pirate', Masimba Musodza 'The Interplanetary Water Company', Dilman Dila 'Safari Nyota', and Mazi Nwonwu 'Parental Control'.

4 nominations for the 2018 British Science Fiction Association Awards for: Cristy Zinn – The Girl Who Stared at Mars, Biram Mboob – The Luminal Frontier, Dilman Dila – Safari Nyota: A Prologue, and Stephen Embleton – Journal of a DNA Pirate.

"The third in this pioneering series with an honour roll of some of African writing's biggest names contributing. Unmissable." -- Geoff Ryman, author, awarded the Nebula, two-time Arthur C. Clarke, three-time BSFA, two-time Canadian Sunburst, as well as the Campbell, Philip K. Dick, and James Tiptree Jr., awards.

"The compelling, graceful stories in AfroSFv3 embrace a generous spectrum of places and peoples, eras and objectives. From sophisticated space operas to gritty cyberpunk streets; from day-after-tomorrow beginnings to far-off futures; from familial closeness to alien vastness, these well-wrought tales, infused with all the sharp, bright, enticing flavors of their African origins, show us the commonality of our species across all racial, ethnic and gender lines. Truly, these writers speak the same science fiction tongue as their like-minded cousins from the rest of the planet, with beautiful accents of their native soil." -- Paul Di Filippo, author of Cosmocopia, The Steampunk Trilogy, and others.

"With stories ranging from mundane science fiction to distant space opera passing from post-colonial biopunk and new family ties, the latest book of in the AfroSF series shows that inclusivity and multiculturality is the key to the future. As quality storytelling - rooted in every culture and tradition - doesn't belong to a single country or language, these stories prove that the future - as evident as it might sound although not always considered so - does happen everywhere. Excellent reading!" -- Francesco Verso, author of Nexhuman and editor of Future Fiction.

Table of Contents

T. L. Huchu 'Njuzu'
Cristy Zinn 'The Girl who stared at Mars'
Mandisi Nkomo 'The Emo Hunter'
Biram Mboob 'The Luminal Frontier'
Gabriella Muwanga 'The Far Side'
Wole Talabi 'Drift Flux'
Stephen Embleton 'Journal of a DNA Pirate'
Masimba Musodza 'The Interplanetary Water Company'
Dilman Dila 'Safari Nyota'
Mazi Nwonwu 'Parental Control'
Andrew C. Dakalira 'Inhabitable'
Mame Bougouma Diene 'Ogotemmeli's Song'

Edited by Ivor W. Hartmann

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Africa, Ebooks

234 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2018

About the author

Ivor W. Hartmann is a Zimbabwean writer, editor, publisher, and visual artist. Awarded The Golden Baobab Prize (2009), finalist for the Yvonne Vera Award (2011), selected for The 20 in Twenty: The Best Short Stories of South Africa’s Democracy (2014), and awarded Bronze in the Jalada Prize for Literature (2015). His works have appeared in many publications. He runs the StoryTime micro-press, publisher of the African Roar and AfroSF series of anthologies. He is a founding member of the African Speculative Fiction Society, and on the advisory board of Writers International Network Zimbabwe.

Bibliography:

ZamaShort (short story series) (StoryTime, Ed. & Publisher, May 2025-)

AfroSFv3 (anthology) (StoryTime, Ed. & Publisher, December 2018)

'Emergence' (short story) (Brittle Paper, Oct 2016)

AfroSFv2 (anthology) (StoryTime, Ed. & Publisher, Dec, 2015)

'Last Wave' (short story) (Jalada 02: Afrofuture(s), January, 2015) (Tales From The Other Night: Contemporary African Speculative Fiction · Jan 1, 2023)

African Roar 2014 (anthology) (StoryTime, Editor/Publisher, September 2014)

'Catwalk' (short story) (Litro#137, September 2014)

'Our Fathers Are Gone' (poem) (Nigerians Talk Literature Magazine, November, 2013) (Zimbolicious anthology, Jun 2016)

African Roar 2013 (anthology) (StoryTime, publisher, October 2013)

AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers (anthology) (StoryTime, editor/publisher, December 2012)

African Roar 2012 (anthology) (StoryTime, Co-editor/publisher, December 2012)

'Funeral Gastronomy' (short story) (Munyori Literary Journal, July 2012)

'Size Matters' (short story) (Saraba#11, March, 2012)

African Roar 2011 (anthology) (StoryTime, Co-editor/publisher, octber 2011)

'Inviolable' (poem) (Sun and Snow Anthology 2011, November 2011, Rhythm International, Canada)

'In Pursuit of True AI' (essay) (Something Wicked#11, July 2011)

'A Mouse amongst Men' (short story) (StoryTime#152, August 2011) (finalist 2011 Intwasa Yvonne Vera Award) (Performance read by Rick Cook for Stories on Stage (Sacramento) African writers edition, June 2011) (African Roar 2012 anthology, December 2012) (Nigerians Talk Literature Magazine, November 2013) (selected for The 20 in Twenty: The Best Short Stories of South South Africa’s Democracy, July 2014)

'Diner Ten' (short story) (StoryTime#95 June 2010) (African Roar 2011 anthology, StoryTime, 2011)

'Chrome Rain' (short story) (Excerpt, Paulo Coelho's Blog, May 2009)

'Mr. Goop' (short story) (Awarded a Golden Baobab Prize, March 2009) (African Writing#7, April 2009, UK) (illustrated book, Vivlia Publishers, South Africa, 2010) (The Apex Book of World SF 2, Apex, August 2012)

African Roar (anthology) (StoryTime, Co-editor/publisher, July 2010)

Amelias Inheritance - Sarudzai Mubvakure' (review) (Sentinel Literary Quartley Vol.3. No. 3. June 2010)

'Lost Love' (short story) (StoryTime#22, February 2009) (anthology, African Roar, StoryTime, June 2010)

'Black Diamond - Zakes Mda' (review) (Wordsetc#7, March 2010)

'From Caves of Rotten Teeth - A. Igoni Barrett' (review) (African Writer, September 2009)

'Yvonne Vera: The Fearless Taboo Queen' (essay) (Munyori Literary Journal, March 2009) (Kubatana, April 2009)

'The Lottery' (short story) (StoryTime#13, December 2008)

'The Devil's Advocate' (short story) (StoryTime#11, October 2008) (Something Wicked#12, August 2011) (Something Wicked Anthology#1, September 2012)

'The Blue Flower Mountain' (short story) (StoryTime#2, August 2007)

'Earth Rise' (short story) (StoryTime#1, June 2007) (Something Wicked#7, August 2008) (finalist UMA Award March 2009)

Reviews

[Dave-Brendon Burgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The anthology opens with Njuzu from T.L. Huchu, and explores the roles grief and long-held beliefs co-mingle off-planet. The tale is heartfelt and gentle, exploring a mystery not easily understood – but the mystery of the tale adds to the sadness and Huchu leaves it up to the reader to decide whether the mystery is important or not.

The Girl Who Stared at Mars by Cristy Zinn explores how we always take with us what we’re trying to escape from. It is a lyrical, soft and yet intense read which many, many readers will love, even though it might call upon some of their own painful memories.

The EMO Hunter, by Mandisi Nkomo, explores a variety of themes by way of a kind of cyberpunk personality-crisis meditation on the extremes of climate science or beliefs. Sounds like a bit of a mouthful, but the tale works on both the detailed, character-focused level and the more encompassing top-down level.

The Luminal Frontier, by Biram Mboob, is one of the best time travel tales I’ve ever read. One thing that has always bugged me about time travel is the inherent paradox at the heart of every plot – and Biram answers this in a mind-bending manner even Christopher Nolan would be blown away by. I will be very surprised (and both saddened and angered) if this story doesn’t appear in Best Of’s and Mammoth Book Of’s later this year. Mind-blowing stuff!

Drift-Flux by Wole Talabi is a great example of how much one can cram into a short story to make it exciting, pacey and entertaining. There’s a wonderful feel of The Expanse and Firefly to this tale, and the main character’s Nigerian-Idoma roots play an important part in the plot. It’s well-written, with great pace and excellent action.

Journal of a DNA Pirate by Stephen Embleton is a nasty, vicious, exciting tale – it shows how of group of extremists plan to ‘reset’ humanity, and works well enough despite what some may think is excessive swearing and, perhaps, the story’s setting. The ideas present and how they were explored have definitely put Stephen on my keep-a-look-out-for radar.

Safari Nyota: A Prologue by Dilman Dila is a wonderful example of how a self-contained story can feel as if it’s part of a greater narrative without leaving the reader feeling as if they’ve missed something. The tale takes place on a generation ship, transporting colonists to a new world, watched over by androids, and explores morality and the price of choice from a synthetic (yet identifiable) point of view. The short story is also part of a larger project, so head over to Dilman’s site for more info.

Parental Control by Mazi Nwonwu is a complicated and emotional tale, taking place both in virtual space and the real world, and explores the core of what makes a family – or what most believe ‘family’ means. It hits hard, so be prepared to think about this tale and what it leaves behind.

Ogotemmeli’s Song by Mame Bougouma Diene is pure, joyous and far-seeing space opera. One of my favourites from this anthology, and also something I hope Mame is considering expanding into a saga. This is the tale that captures the heart and soul of AfroSF. Check out Mame’s Twitter for more info.

If there’s one thing anthologies such as AfroSF continue to show, it’s that Science Fiction (or more broadly, Speculative Fiction) has depths and colours unheard of or imagined, and that we all (humanity) continue to share the same core loves and needs and hopes and fears – as well as the capacity to imagine. I truly think we are only still witnessing the birth of non-Western Speculative Fiction, and AfroSF is a small but important part of its continued expansion and growth. Nicely done, authors, and Ivor.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The AfroSFv3 anthology of short speculative fiction by a stellar array of African authors edited by the deft hand of Ivor W Hartmann has been burning a hole in my iPad awhile now, but I am pleased that I set aside the time to work through them. Many of the names are not new to me, and especially where stories have interlinked with previous works by the author, it's given me a deeper glimpse into their setting. As always with any anthology of short fiction, there will be some tales that work for me and some that don't. This is no reflection on the author but rather the reader, so bear that in mind. As always, I will recommend African speculative fiction for those who wish to step away from the usual West-centric fare out there.

Njuzu by TL Huchu takes a recognisably African culture off-planet, to a time where humanity has colonised hostile environments, and where customs have evolved. Yet what is universal is a mother's grief for her missing child, no matter how alien the landscape. Evocatively written, this story explores the subtle emotions and the bonds between people within a community, while at the same time dipping into how a mother comes to terms with her loss.

I'm no stranger to Cristy Zinn's writing, having edited her fiction on numerous occasions. The Girl Who Stared at Mars remains with the theme of bereavement, but blends it also with memory and the letting go of one's past. The African Space Agency is sending people to Mars, but this comes with a heavy psychological burden that the narrator explores – isolation being one of them. Zinn's writing is full of emotion, and is carefully nuanced, and asks some hard questions.

The EMO Hunter by Mandisi Nkomo explores a setting where religious zealotry is the order of the day. But what happens when a husband and wife are drawn down vastly different paths. People lie, and the outcome of Joshua and Miku's actions will be catastrophic – especially as Joshua spirals further into madness. Nkomo paints a disquieting world that drew me in.

Biram Mboob's The Luminal Frontier kicks off with a bang, as we join a crew smuggling contraband. Only if they jettison their cargo, they may be guilty of a greater crime. Yet the story takes us into a world where people live a virtual life as lively and 'real' as the one in meat space. The tension ramps up, and somehow the two realities blend. Mboob's ramping of tension is breathtaking.

The Far Side by Gabriella Muwanga is a story that had me on the edge of my seat as well. Mason needs to bring his daughter to the Lunar colony, but her physical defects disqualify her. He cannot leave her behind, and will go to extremes to bring her with him – leaving her behind on Earth will certainly mean her death. Of course, things don't quite go as planned...

Wole Talabi certainly knows how to start a story with a bang, when his opening line reads: In space, no one can hear your ship explode. Which kinda makes you want to see what happens next. In Drift-Flux he drags readers along on a nail-biting caper to unravel not only a mystery but embark on a race against time. As always, Talabi hits just the right notes.

Journal of a DNA Pirate by Stephen Embleton takes us into the fevered ramblings of a madman with an agenda to unleash a deadly virus. Which is perhaps a story that isn't exactly comforting in present times.

The Interplanetary Water Company by Masimba Musodza is a bit too heavy on the exposition side for my tastes, which saw me skim-reading more than getting into the story, which was about a research team with an agenda sent to planet their people all but destroyed.

Dilman Dila's delightful Safari Nyota: A Prologue, recasts the Trolley Problem, but in deep space and with AI having to make difficult decisions. Some surprising twists and turns here, but I won't spoil.

Parental Control by Mazi Nwonwu is another gem in this anthology, asking questions about family, virtual reality and patchwork family relationships. To an extent, it is a coming-of-age tale, but also dips into the concept of synthetic life.

Inhabitable by Andrew Dakalira is an alien contact story that sees humans at a disadvantage dealing with a more superior race. They have been given an ultimatum to pass on information bout advanced weapons which will irrevocably shape the outcome of a war.

I've read another of Mame Bougouma Diene's stories that drop us into the world where ChinaCorp has caused irreparable damage to earth. Ogotemmeli's Song takes this conflict to earlier times where we see how the ominous red matter devastates life by Jupiter. Yet we do get a glimpse into a greater mystery too. At times I felt the abundance of names and characters was a bit overwhelming – that this story could have been expanded into novel-length, but it was overall an innovative telling that left me scratchy behind the eyes.

[Ivor Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

AfroSFv3: Introduction
It has been six years since AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers, and three since AfroSFv2 was published, and in those years the landscape of African Speculative Fiction (ASF) has radically changed for the better.
The African Speculative Fiction Society was founded in 2016 and created and hosts the annual Nommo Awards (funded by Tom Ilube) for ASF since 2017, they also created and maintain the most comprehensive database of published ASF.
We have Mazi Nwonwu and Chinelo Onwualu’s Omenana magazine dedicated to and publishing ASF on a regular basis. Ainehi Edoro’sBrittle Paper magazine though not dedicated to ASF also regularly publishes it. Likewise African publishers: Jalalda, Chimurenga, Dada, Short Story Day Africa, The Kalahari Review, Black Letter Media, Johannesburg Review of Books, Okada Books, Enkare Review, African Writer, Afreada, umSinsi Press, Bahati Books, Kwani?, Munyori Literary Journal, Afridiaspora, Pan African Publishers, Sub-Saharan Magazine, and Jacana Media, to name a few have embraced ASF in short stories, novellas, anthologies, and novels.
Nnedi Okorafor has become our undisputed queen, winning the World Fantasy award in 2011, and both the Nebula Award and Hugo Award in 2016. And if there is a king to be it is probably Tade Thompson, winner of two Nommos, Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award, and a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award as well as nominations for the Shirley Jackson Award and the British Science Fiction Award.
What this all amounts to is an unparalleled interest in ASF both at home and abroad with more and more writers, publishers, and most importantly readers, realising a thirst for homegrown ASF, for works that address our unique problems and envisions our futures.
This brings me to the focus of AfroSFv3. Space, the astronomical wilderness that has enthralled our minds since we first looked up in wonder. We are ineffably drawn to it, and equally terrified by it. We have created endless mythologies, sciences, and even religions, in the quest to understand it. We know more now than ever before and are taking our first real steps. What will become of Africans out there, will we thrive, how will space change us, how will we change it? AfroSFv3 is going out there, into the great expanse, and with twelve visions of the future we invite you to sit back, strap in, and enjoy the ride.

[Kalin]

The verve of Stephen Embleton's "Journal of a DNA Pirate" is--dare I say?--contagious:

Killing one person for the cause is a smudge on the tarmac. Killing a group of people causes a traffic jam—questions, answers, contingency plans, and paranoia. Kill a city and there’s global awareness in half a day. Kill a planet and the worlds go mental. That’s a message! Not a couple of post-it notes slapped onto the foreheads of passers-by. Small-time wastes Time. Time with a capital T-N-T!

And the scope of Mame Bougouma Diene's imagination in "Ogotemmeli’s Song" is breath-taking.

[Jouke Jong · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always it is hard to write something meaningful on a collection of stories. Either you talk about the main theme of the collection (in three words: Africans in space) or you delve into each individually (too much work)

Generally I can say that this collection has the highes quality of the three.

The story of Dakalira stood out to me, both the story I felt was funny, compelling, and goodness, partly set in Blantyre, Malawi (lóve that city)

Mazi Nwonwu ‘Parental Control’ I felt was a bit scary, becaus I could see it happen that a game became a tad bit too important, especially when your parents are messed-up.

Biram Mboob ‘The Luminal Frontier’ had the most bonkers idea in it, will stay with me...

And both Njuzu and 'the girl who stares at mars' deal with grief in a heartfelt, yet completely different way.

I loved this, and recomend this collection highly. Best of three.

[agua · Rating 3 out of 5]

"i look out the portal window, into space. eleven days in, eighteen to go. we're in limbo now—that dead space between things where we cannot see where we've come from or where we're going. earth is gone, mars is nowhere in sight yet. we are wholly alone."

some really good ones, others i didn't really care for but i think in all cases the worldbuilding was commendable for such short-ish stories!!
my fave was cristy zinn's the girl who stared at mars!

[Ninja · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright collection, but most were just a bit lacking.
Standout stories:
The Luminal Frontier by Biram Mboob, contractors on a transporter ship get flagged down for their cargo, revealing some complex time/space intercrew relations.
Journal of a DNA Pirate by Stephen Embleton, raging postcyberpunk in the vein of Lauren Beukes.

[Andy Janes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of stories!

[Tiah]

Something went wrong and my kindle lost all the notes I made.

Guess you'll have to buy a copy of your own and highlight your own quotes. ;)

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection. Of them, I like "Njuzu," by T.L. Huchu and "Journal of a DNA Pirate," by Stephen Embleton the best. YMMV.

[Sue Chant · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5 really. An uninspiring collection - some poor, one or two quite good, but nothing outstanding.

[Mills College Library]

Fiction A2587 2018