The Forest of a Thousand Daemons by D O Fagunwa If you have others you think fit, please add it to the thread.ĬLASSICS (Think Legend of King Arthur, Robin Hood type classic) But I think the list below is accurate to my region. I'm Nigerian so I don't think I can speak for the rest of the continent. A list of those that get the voices right. However I wanted to create a list of books, that explicitly draw on the setting, culture and mythology of west africa. Every one of them pushes the boundaries of what most people think fantasy can be and gives opportunities for other writers to tell stories that are outside the norm of what people think when they say "Fantasy." But to be fair writing is really difficult.ĭon't get me wrong I'm grateful that all Afro-Fantasy books exist. You would think it would be easier to bring that to life in the page. We have arguably the most examples of groups of people that still live the medieval or ancient life in the modern day. Which is weird because Africa today has many groups that still live the hunter gatherer lifestyle. They don't feel like someone from the culture I know.
(You almost never see books delve into the significance and mysticism of Masquerades, Tribal marks, the various priests and priestesses that are the foundation of most groups, religious orders, secret societies, the mixture of Islamic and native beliefs, desert spanning trade, the nomadic cattle pastoralism vs farmer tension that has existed in Africa from ancient times up to the modern day)Įven for those that do, it can sometimes be apparent that they are selecting the most superficial elements to put into their background to make it seem African, but the characters don't speak with the voice of people from that culture.
They're not drawing from the incredibly varied and dense folklore, mythology and history across the continent. The problem though I find is that while many of the books that get mentioned in these threads have an explicitly African or African-inspired setting. Which as a Nigerian always warms my heart because I'm also on the same journey as well. So I've seen a number of threads of people looking for fantasy books or series set in Africa to get something different.
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