IN SEARCH OF … AFRICAN SCI-FI NOVELS

by Jonathan Gosier on appfrica.net

I have to admit when I watched this scene from ‘Matrix Reloaded’ with all the dancing people in Zion, I couldn’t help but wonder if the directors were deliberately trying to nod towards the increasing mixing and diversity of the world’s population and what it would mean for the future. Why should there be more diversity with the characters if there isn’t more diversity among their creators as well? Still after watching ‘District 9’ I couldn’t help but go on a hunt for more scifi set against an African landscape.

Michael Resnick’s KIRINYAGA
My take – Probably one of the best known literary works about Africa from the genre. Obvious religious overtones (”In the beginning…”) and plays with parable and myth in a way that tries really hard to mimic traditional African folklore.

S.M. Stirling’s THE DOMINATION
My take – Essentially South Africa takes the place of Nazi Germany in this alternate history series.

Egdar Rice Burroughs TARZAN OF THE APES
My Take – Like Haggard, Burroughs romanticizes the adventure of Africa more than it speculates on it’s future. Still, for a book where a human baby is discovered by wild apes and not subsequently torn into tasty cutlets…I think I have some liberties with the classification. This is the classic tale of a boy raised by apes.

To read more HERE

This novels sounds quite interesting. What do you think? Do you know any of them? Are you going to read one or another?