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A review by artemine
The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2023) by Chinaza Eziaghighalaby, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
what a wonderful anthology! a true delight to be able to explore the future of african speculative writing in such depth. highs and lows for me in this collection, but it's so profoundly a matter of taste in short story that i think as an anthology it does what it sets out to do — grab stories from all corners of the speculative genre and paint a picture of everything it can be/is. very valuable read overall, i've found new favorites and authors to keep my eyes on! very happy such an anthology exists, it truly is a stunning showcase of very different talents with very different skillsets. will be looking out for next year's!
favorites include 'suppertime' (Tananarive Due), 'a name is a plea and a prophecy' (Gabrielle Emem Harry), 'how to raise a kraken in your bathtub' (p. djèlí clark), 'the rafting of jorge santa cruz' (adelehin ijasan), 'by throat and void' (tobias s. buckell) and 'rainbow bank' (uchechukwu nwaka).