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Fiction Novels with black main characters
- Thread starter Thatonemoor
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H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Really? I mean, I'm also not sure if it was explicitly stated (I do feel like there was some reference to a god and/or character having slightly darker skin than Charlie at some point), but there are references to his Caribbean descent, I seem to recall Gaiman noting only when characters were white (ergo the default is black), and Anansi is an African god/myth, so... Unless I'm mis-remembering all this. It has been a while.
I'm Brazilian so I know what "pardo" means, but I'm curious: Is it used in English? I hope so, because I wouldn't know how to translate "pardo" to English. Maybe "brownish".
It's not really, but I was told that was the closest equivalent, and since she's Brazilian, that seemed just fine. I feel like if I just said she was mixed, it would dilute some of her features/character a bit since it seems to mean different things in the states. I hope it's not a bad term...? -_-;
The English Conquistador
Member
Well a popular series would be with Alex Cross. He first appears in Along came a spider, but which was ended up being a movie with Morgan Freeman as Alex.
Didn't have time to browse the thread to see if these have been said but on scifi and fantasy front Isaac in Perdido Street Station is black. Then there's Carl Marsalis in Black Man which was a title so scary it was renamed Thirteen in the USA. Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series also has a black woman as a protagonist. I can probably think of more later.
The Spoony Hou
Member
Oh, ok, I get it. Seems like it fits perfectly to me, so don't worry
.Also, it's not a bad term at all. I've heard that most Brazilians identify themselves as being "pardo", so it's a perfectly fine term to use.
Alx
Member
Well Anansi is also a spider and a shape-shifter, so I never really wondered about his color, except for that of his gloves.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Oh, ok, I get it. Seems like it fits perfectly to me, so don't worry
Also, it's not a bad term at all. I've heard that most Brazilians identify themselves as being "pardo", so it's a perfectly fine term to use.
Woohoo! Embarrassment averted! Well, now there's a semi-local in fiction for you. ^_^
Well Anansi is also a spider and a shape-shifter, so I never really wondered about his color, except for that of his gloves.
But he's an African spider.
Solemn_In_Berlin
Member
Chimamanda Adichie is one of my favorite contemporary writers and your best choice for this.
Mrs. Manky
Banned
Street Lethal by Steven Barnes.
The Spoony Hou
Member
Neal Stevenson's "Reamde" has a black female main(ish) protagonist. IIRC Tadd Williams's "Otherworld" series has a black lead as well, but it has been a while. Lots of characters in Steven Erikson's "Malazan" series are black, but that is really just a skin color in that series, might as well say Drizzt is black by that criteria.
Evo Shandor
Member
My favourites have already been mentioned. I'm going to cheat and recommend an autobiography, 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave'.
Machine
Member
Having just re-read the first Otherland novel, I can confirm the lead is a black woman.
I believe the main character of Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea novels is black. I can't say for certain, as I haven't read them, but I remember her getting a little pissed when Syfy adapted them into a mini-series and then cast a white actor as the lead. She responded by posting several excerpts that clearly showed that he was supposed to be a POC.
Imp the Dimp
Member
First Mass Effect book. Pretty decent page turner as well.
I was going to suggest this one!
FullMetaltech
Member
Walter Mosley is a great writer. I know he has some great characters in his stories. I think he has a lot of scifi, short stories, mysteries and fiction with many black protagonists. Also Jeffrey Deaver does the Lincoln Rhyme novels.
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
You're right, Ged is black. That was the book series I came here suggest.
Is Ged African looking or simply described as a dark skinned imaginary humanoid? It's something I wasn't clear on reading it. But regardless, a good answer.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Damn, I've only seen one Octavia Butler post.
I actually didn't like Parable, but I am favorable to a few of her other books.
Wild Seed was the first one I read and it vaguely reminds me of the X-Men universe. It's basically about two ancient Africans with superpowers discovering each other when they thought they were alone. There's a bit more to it than that, but I don't want to spoil it.
The story of that book continues with Mind of My Mind which explores black people's shine ability. I like it, but hate how she treated the main character of Wild Seed in it. It then continues with Clay's Ark which is okay and is mainly background info for the last book in the series, Patternmaster which shows the results from Mind of My Mind.
You also have Kindred from her which is a story about a black and white married coupled traveling back and forth to the slave era of America.
I finished Fledgling earlier this year from her and I think it might be my second favorite from her. It's a story about a young black girl waking up out of amnesia and discovering that she's a vampire born out of experimentation of human melanin that allows her to stay out in the sun. The description may sound a bit cliche, but the execution is stellar. Shit gets a little weird, but the dialogue is top notch along with the culture of the vamps. The ending was really satisfying too. All of these books deal with race in some context with Kindred and Wild Seed being the two biggest ones.
Who Fears Death? is next on my to read list. I tried that Max Gladstone book, but the motherfucker was too engrossed in metaphors in the first couple chapters and the pace never really picked up at all after that. I think I dropped it around chapter 5.
I actually didn't like Parable, but I am favorable to a few of her other books.
Wild Seed was the first one I read and it vaguely reminds me of the X-Men universe. It's basically about two ancient Africans with superpowers discovering each other when they thought they were alone. There's a bit more to it than that, but I don't want to spoil it.
The story of that book continues with Mind of My Mind which explores black people's shine ability. I like it, but hate how she treated the main character of Wild Seed in it. It then continues with Clay's Ark which is okay and is mainly background info for the last book in the series, Patternmaster which shows the results from Mind of My Mind.
You also have Kindred from her which is a story about a black and white married coupled traveling back and forth to the slave era of America.
I finished Fledgling earlier this year from her and I think it might be my second favorite from her. It's a story about a young black girl waking up out of amnesia and discovering that she's a vampire born out of experimentation of human melanin that allows her to stay out in the sun. The description may sound a bit cliche, but the execution is stellar. Shit gets a little weird, but the dialogue is top notch along with the culture of the vamps. The ending was really satisfying too. All of these books deal with race in some context with Kindred and Wild Seed being the two biggest ones.
Who Fears Death? is next on my to read list. I tried that Max Gladstone book, but the motherfucker was too engrossed in metaphors in the first couple chapters and the pace never really picked up at all after that. I think I dropped it around chapter 5.
OniBarubary
Banned
Who Fears Death is VERY good. I really enjoyed it because it's sci-fi/fantasy based entirely around African culture and mythology so it sits in a realm far and away from the normal type of that stuff you'd read, even by a lot of other African authors. There's some mis-steps in her writing and pacing but those are overlooked by the world she creates and the incredibly oppressive atmosphere the whole book has. Don't expect the book to let up, it remain pretty...depressing the whole way through. The main character is very interesting too because she's not some wonderful and heroic figure, she's a girl growing into womanhood with all the failure and awkwardness and emotional stress that all of that brings. You'll get mad at her, won't agree with her and smack your forehead on more than a few occasions but you'll be right there with her hoping against hope that she makes it. There's also a lot of real world parallels you can find with the situation of light and dark-skinned people and their roles in life and treatment within the book that hits...very close to home with anyone aware of situations within Africa.
I am very excited to read her new book (once I can pick it up for a little less, sorry I'm cheap).
Also I always preferred Butler's Xenogenesis series over her Patternist stuff. It's still quite good but I think Xenogenesis is where she hit her right notes in her writing and tackled a lot of topics she was passionate about and fascinated by, that being the definition of humanity once we start moving outside of it. I think it meshed very well with her ideas regarding future black culture and the integration and loss that her other books touched upon.
To throw out another author of the Afrofuturist section of sci fi, I'd say that Samuel Delany is another good one (goddam, there was a lot of inventive, imaginative and important sci fi that happened during the 60s and 70s yo). He has large habits in his novels so you may notice the same themes used in the same way by the same characters (even going so far as many of his characters having the same idiosyncracies like having one shoe [sure was weird when I read the third book that happened in]) but the story he tells over and over is a damn good one. I'd suggest either The Einstein Intersection or Babel-17. Both are incredibly good books and were more towards the beginning of his career where his ideas were fresh and strong, if a little meandering.
Man, this is making me wanna hit the used book stores around Harvard to see if I can find some more I've had on my list for a while.
I am very excited to read her new book (once I can pick it up for a little less, sorry I'm cheap).
Also I always preferred Butler's Xenogenesis series over her Patternist stuff. It's still quite good but I think Xenogenesis is where she hit her right notes in her writing and tackled a lot of topics she was passionate about and fascinated by, that being the definition of humanity once we start moving outside of it. I think it meshed very well with her ideas regarding future black culture and the integration and loss that her other books touched upon.
To throw out another author of the Afrofuturist section of sci fi, I'd say that Samuel Delany is another good one (goddam, there was a lot of inventive, imaginative and important sci fi that happened during the 60s and 70s yo). He has large habits in his novels so you may notice the same themes used in the same way by the same characters (even going so far as many of his characters having the same idiosyncracies like having one shoe [sure was weird when I read the third book that happened in]) but the story he tells over and over is a damn good one. I'd suggest either The Einstein Intersection or Babel-17. Both are incredibly good books and were more towards the beginning of his career where his ideas were fresh and strong, if a little meandering.
Man, this is making me wanna hit the used book stores around Harvard to see if I can find some more I've had on my list for a while.
I believe he is described as copper skinned. His best friend Vetch is definitely black though.
nitekrawlwer
Member
Very happy to see Snow Crash mentioned twice. Good taste GAF.
Since that was already mentioned I would have to recommend Autobiography of an Ex-Colored man.
Since that was already mentioned I would have to recommend Autobiography of an Ex-Colored man.
Star Wars: Lost Stars (according to the author, Ciena Ree was based on Gugu Mbatha-Raw).
locke_21183
Neo Member
Lots of novels by Toni Morrison. Try "Beloved" and "A Mercy", if you want something very dark and challenging! Strong black female characters leading both.
Otherland and Snow Crash were the two I thought of, can't think of any others. :/ I need to read more.
ClayKavalier
Banned
I'm really surprised no one's posted The Known World.
I'm pretty surprised because I was just about to post that exact post. Neogaf hivemind strikes again.
It's a great book.
ClayKavalier
Banned
Yeah, it's been like a decade since I read it but I thought it was amazing when it read it in high school.
SamuelSupreme
Banned
Bookmarked.
Was going to suggest this one as well.
DiscoJer
Member
If you like old school fantasy (Conan basically)Charles Saunders has a series of Conan style fantasy adventures, most notably Imaro
http://www.charlessaunderswriter.com/
http://www.charlessaunderswriter.com/
Bay Maximus
Banned
I enjoyed this book.
Everything I've picked up by Butler has been at the very least extremely readable. She was a national treasure for sure and vastly underrated as a Sci-Fi author. Died way too early
I like the Parable books though because I'm a philosophy nerd at heart.
Kindred is probably what people would point to as her best work and it's much more of a old-school style Sci-Fi think piece than the Parable books, so (talking to OP now) if you're more into that kind of thing check out that one first.
Besides Earthsea, I'm having trouble coming up with any traditional High Fantasy novels that feature a black protagonist. The Dragonlance novels had a plethora darker skinned heroes and villains mostly from the Ergothian people (but also from the Nerakese and Khur) but they were never the leads in the main stories. Much of the time when you read about dark skin in a High Fantasy novel they're referencing orcs or "dark elves" or the like, a quick way to sort the good guys from the bad guys.
Violence Jack
Member
Erasure was the last one I read.
If you're into fantasy, N. K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms features a black female protagonist. It's pretty good, too.
avrophantasm
Member
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