Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing

by Stephanie Andrea Allen (Editor), Lauren Cherelle (Editor), Jewelle Gomez (Contributor)

Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing encompasses the broad spectrum of Black speculative writing, including science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, and Afrofuturism, all by Black women writers. Editors Stephanie Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle have gathered the voices of twenty emerging and established voices in speculative fiction and poetry; writers who've imagined the weird and the wondrous, the futuristic and the fantastical, the shadowy and the sublime.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Speculative Fiction, Anthologies

244 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2019

Reviews

[Bogi Takács]

I enjoyed this collection - I'm not exactly sure what the theme was, because the front says Black authors, the back says Black woman authors, and inside there are also nonbinary authors (though they might also be nonbinary women; I'm not sure). I was missing an introduction or afterword! In any case, this was cool. I thought the fiction was somewhat stronger than the poetry.

Favorites:
* Caramelle 1864 by Jewelle Gomez - a Gilda story!
* The Seam Ripper by Almah LaVon Rice - possibly my favorite in the book? Unconventional in a beautifully visual way
* Miss Beulah's Braiding and Life Change Salon by Eden Royce - my exact favorite kind of everyday SF story
* Luna 6000 by Stephanie Andrea Allen - terrifying plot, I felt this could be well adapted to other media too
* The Eye of Heaven by Nicole D. Sconiers - small-town ambience + industrial pollution (!!)
* Flyover by Maya Hughley - Engages with the folktale; understated in a poetic way
_____
Source of the book: Anonymous Benefactor

[ONYX Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great collection! Reviewed here: https://youtu.be/JX2tADTQZu0

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two stories, Caramelle 1864 by Jewelle Gomez and The Night Has No Eyes by Kivel Carson, were the standouts of this collection to me. Most of the other stories felt slightly underdeveloped or else left me wondering why they ended where they ended. But most were fascinating in their premises, and there were none I disliked. A solid read!

[Obscurenoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great anthology. The legacy of Octavia Butler lives. Glad to see Gilda return in “Caramelle 1864.” “Luna 6000” had me shook. “Therapies for World’s End” and “The Night Has No Eyes” were among my favs. I want more!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay collection of speculative fiction; mostly magical realism, some twilight zone stuff, and a few sf stories. Many stories were not impressive, but I liked the last two, and I think they might be a good premise for longer novellas or novels.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taught this book in my undergrad Forms of Fiction. They absolutely loved it! Great for students.

[Cait Aviv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning collection of short stories. A welcome addition to a genre that is often overrun with sexist + racist tropes, and a lack of meaningful 2SLGBTQ+ representation.

[Susie Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong anthology of stories spanning speculative genres

[Wendle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Speculative science fiction and fantasy short stories and poems written by black women—how could i not want to read this book? I’ve been picking it up and reading a story so sporadically since i started it that it’s taken me months so finish, but that’s the beauty of short stories!

A lot of the stories in the book are quite out there, and i love that. A woman and her time travelling bird wife trying to go and back change her relationship with her mother, a hairdresser with six hands who changes your life and eats your nightmares, a shop that sells nothing but salt and take hair as payment.

There are so many really great ideas, and that they are written by and about the experiences of black women is a very much at the forefront of most of them. It’s clear the writers are taking their own experiences and turning them into bold, passionate stories with wonderful well-rounded characters, and such a lot of heart.

A longer review can be read on my book blog: Marvel at Words.

[La Tricia Ransom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too bad you can’t give half-stars, cuz I’d give this 3½. Anthologies are often tricky — there’ll be a few gems among so-so (and sometimes down-right bad) stories. Fortunately, there are no bad selections here, but more than a few that didn’t move me.

The stories I liked the most were:
* Caramelle 1864 by Jewelle Gomez, because, Jewelle! And it’s from the Gilda universe.
* Miss Beulah’s Braiding and Life Change Salon by Eden Royce
* Future Martyrdoms by K.E. Bell
* Luna 6000 by Stephanie Andrea Allen
* After-School Special by Tyhitia Green
* Carolina Anole by M. Shelly Conner
* Cromartie Street by Morgan Christie
* Duty and Desire by La Toya Hankins, a nice lil steampunk tale. You don’t get to see us much in steampunk worlds.
* Flyover by Maya Hughley

So, there’s a good amount to be had. There is also a good representation of same-sex relationships, which shows that it’s not that hard to include us in black anthologies.

[John Vanderslice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome if very weird collection! It certainly shows you the full range of what might be considered speculative fiction, which is quite the general term isn't it? I thought M Shelly Conner's story "Carolina Anole" was especially good, as well as "Luna 6000" by Stephanie Andrea Allen, "After School Special" by Tyhitia Green, and "Future Martyrdoms" by K.E. Bell. Wild stuff!

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of black feminist short stories, some excellent and some uneven, most of them exploring queerness. I found a lot of them had engrossing premises but ultimately ended abruptly with a thud, which was a bit unsatisfying.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent anthology! I liked almost all of the stories, which is always nice for an anthology. A lot of them had neat little twists at the end, which was extra cool.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing is an anthology of twenty-two short stories, which was collected and edited by Stephanie Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle. It is a collection of twenty-two short stories about speculative and science fiction Black writers that happens to be also women.

For the most part, I rather like most if not all of these contributions. Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing is an anthology of twenty-two short stories that encompasses the large genre of speculative fiction, which includes science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism told from the perspective of Black women – voices that are rarely heard in the genre.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions, but Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing seems to be an exception. It is far from perfect, but the stories written within are all wonderfully written with themes that ran the spectrum of human emotions and ingenuity.

All in all, Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing is a wonderful solid collection of speculative fiction short stories from the perspective of the Black women.

[Shannon (That's So Poe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection included a variety of speculative fiction short stories and poetry from black women authors. Although a few of the stories didn't work for me, most of the stories were intriguing and offered interesting explorations of different fantasy/science fiction worlds with a focus on blackness and issues facing the black women. There were also a few stories which particularly stood out for me. Luna 600 by Stephanie Andrea Allen looks a future where health issues are by and large solved and we live to much older ages, but follows a 100+ year old woman getting pregnant for the first time and having complications. She's monitored by a digital assistant which blurs the lines between helpfulness and controlling, putting into sharp focus the way pregnant women might have their rights and freedoms trampled on. Another story that I adored was Miss Beulah's Braiding and Life Change Salon by Eden Royce, which was a beautiful story of a djinri (magical being) who offers hair braiding as well as wish granting. I loved the way that this story addressed support networks, self-acceptance, and being proactive in deciding what you valued and wanted in your life.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully eclectic collection of speculative fiction, all written by women of colour.

I admit I wasn’t immediately engaged by the first few stories in this compilation, but I enjoyed it more as it progressed. The longer chapters towards the end were overall really enjoyable and thought provoking.

There were three pieces which really stood out to me, each for different reasons:
Luna 6000 by Stephanie Andrea Allen, for the plot.
Cromartie Street by Kristian Astre, for the characters.
Yellow Smoke by Nicole Givens Kurtz, for the world building.

I was delighted to find that there is noticeable variety between each work; the themes, settings and plots never felt repetitive. The editors did a great job creating the book!

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the wait! I pre-ordered this as soon as I found out about it. A wonderful collection of fiction; some horror (that had me making faces as I read it), science fiction, dystopian and I was thrilled to see even steampunk! Many stories spoke to turbulent mother/daughter relationships, familial relationships and dealing with societal prejudices (that I was saddened to read about even in a future setting). There was a story here to appeal to everyone. And every story had one thing in common. When I finished each I was still left wanting more!! I wanted to know what happened next! I will definitely be looking up these authors to find more of their writings.

[Destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the high creativity put into each story making it an unique experience. However I wish that some stories had a more distinct voice or writing style to add more personality to some of the main characters. It’s hard to do in a few pages especially if you have to focus on a sci fi/fantasy plot. My favorite short stories in this anthology are Some Far-Off, Frivolous Galaxy by Leila Green, Therapies for World’s End by Stefani Cox, Miss Beulah’s Braiding and Life Change Salon by Eden Royce and the poem Sirens by Destine Carrington.

[W.L. Bolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very solid anthology. I knew going in that anything that includes Jewelle Gomez is going to be spectacular; I wasn't let down.

I think it can be especially difficult to include so many genres inside of one anthology, but none felt out of place.

The standouts for me were "Luna 6000," which was chilling, "Miss Buelah," which was whimsical fun, and Gomez's “Caramelle 1864,” which her fans will recognize as a continuation of The Gilda Stories.

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars, because due to the editors' valiant efforts this is a very amateur hour production. The ideas may be lofty, it's the performance that drags the not-very-numerous above-average stories into the mire of the pedestrian and the slapdash (I mean, Carmilla rewritten as an Underground Railway tale, no, this doesn't quite gel, nohow, not with the original being invoked right from the beginning). A sad disappointment, really.

[Rakhya · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eclectic and enjoyable mix of speculative prose and poetry.
While I have to admit that I felt supremely ignorant in front of the latter, I was amazed at my consistent enjoyment of the former.
Collections are most often a mixed bag for me, but this one kept me engaged and entertained even when it ventured into the subgenres I don't read much of.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual collection of non-mainstream SF writers, some stories are unique, others are passable, some are excellent. A good way to break out of your reading rut.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection could have used a bit more editing. There were some wonderfully imaginative authors, but often the pieces included were just scenes rather than full stories.

[Carly Really Very Normal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't understand every story in this collection, although a few were bangers. All together they create a vibrant and beautiful tapestry.

[Jetamors · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite story in this one was "Some Far-Off, Frivolous Galaxy" by Leila Green.