The Most Underrated African Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books You Should Read Next ~ Francouis Pretorius

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 When people think of science fiction and fantasy, the spotlight usually lands on Western names, sprawling medieval worlds, or space operas written far from the African continent. But African speculative fiction is doing something different, blending myth, futurism, technology, colonial history, spirituality, and sharp social commentary in ways that feel fresh, strange, and deeply human.

If your reading list needs something bold (or you’re just tired of the same recycled tropes), here are some powerful, and still criminally underrated, African sci-fi and fantasy books to dive into next.


🌍 1. Binti – Nnedi Okorafor (Nigeria/USA)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Afrofuturism

This novella proves you don’t need 800 pages to build a universe.

Binti is a Himba girl who leaves Earth to attend the most prestigious university in the galaxy. On the way, her ship is attacked by an alien species known as the Meduse, and survival depends not on weapons, but on culture, math, and identity.

Why it stands out

  • African culture is not aesthetic dressing: it drives the science

  • Explores migration, belonging, and being “the only one in the room”

  • Blends advanced tech with ancestral tradition

It’s short, emotional, and imaginative, perfect if you want something deep but fast to read over a break.



🔥 2. Who Fears Death – Nnedi Okorafor

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy

Set in a far-future Sudan, this novel follows Onyesonwu, a girl born of violence who grows into a powerful sorceress. Her journey is brutal, mystical, and politically charged.

Expect:

  • Magic rooted in African spiritual systems

  • A desert world shaped by genocide, patriarchy, and power

  • A heroine who is messy, angry, loving, and terrifying

This isn’t light reading, but it’s unforgettable. Think epic fantasy with teeth.



🧠 3. Triangulum – Masande Ntshanga (South Africa)

Genre: Literary Sci-Fi

A quieter, more cerebral kind of science fiction.

A woman in Cape Town takes part in a mysterious research project linked to an alien signal from the Triangulum Galaxy. The story unfolds through journals, memory, and psychological tension rather than explosions.

Why it’s special

  • Sci-fi filtered through South African social realities

  • Explores isolation, mental health, and scientific ambition

  • Feels like Arrival meets literary fiction

If you like thoughtful, atmospheric stories that linger, this one’s gold.



🌿 4. Zoo City – Lauren Beukes (South Africa)

Genre: Urban Fantasy

In an alternate Johannesburg, criminals manifest animal familiars linked to their guilt. Zinzi December has a sloth on her back and a talent for finding lost things, until she’s pulled into a deadly music industry mystery.

Highlights

  • Noir detective vibes

  • Magical realism mixed with urban grit

  • A city that feels alive, dangerous, and magical at once

It’s stylish, strange, and deeply rooted in place.



🌊 5. Rosewater – Tade Thompson (Nigeria/UK)

Genre: Alien Sci-Fi, Biopunk

An alien biodome appears in Nigeria, and people begin developing strange psychic abilities. Kaaro, a government agent with telepathic powers, gets pulled into a conspiracy that could change humanity.

Why readers love it

  • African setting rarely seen in alien-contact fiction

  • Moral ambiguity and espionage

  • Weird biology and mind-bending concepts

It’s smart, tense, and beautifully unsettling.



✨ 6. David Mogo, Godhunter – Suyi Davies Okungbowa (Nigeria)

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mythology

Lagos after the gods fall from the sky.

Demigods and spirits roam the city, and David Mogo makes a living hunting rogue deity. But when a powerful war god arrives, things spiral fast.

You’ll get

  • Yoruba mythology in a modern chaos-filled city

  • Action, humor, and heart

  • A fantasy world that feels alive and local, not medieval-European copy-paste



Why African Speculative Fiction Hits Different

African sci-fi and fantasy often asks questions mainstream genre fiction avoids:

  • What does the future look like after colonialism?

  • How does technology interact with ancestral knowledge?

  • Who gets to be “the hero” in stories about survival and change?

These books aren’t just set in Africa, they think from African perspectives. That shift alone makes the worlds feel new.



Perfect for Holiday Reading Because…

✔ Many are fast-paced or novella-length
✔ You get entirely new mythologies and worldviews
✔ They’re conversation-starters, not background reads
✔ You support diverse voices shaping the future of the genre



If your bookshelf feels predictable, this is your sign to shake it up. African speculative fiction isn’t “emerging” anymore; it’s redefining what sci-fi and fantasy can be.

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