مادهٔ تاریک: یک قرن داستان‌سرایی تخیلی از دیاسپورای آفریقایی

An important new anthology, the first of its kind, DARK MATTER explores a century of fantastic fiction by preeminent and emerging luminaries of the African diaspora. A richly vibrant collection of stories and essays, it displays the brilliance of writers ranging from early pioneers such as W. E. B. Du Bois, to famed SF authors including Samuel R. Delany and Octavia E. Butler, to such luminaries of the literary tradition as playwright-critic Amiri Baraka and satirist Ishmael Reed, as well as a spectrum of acclaimed new writers. Astonishing, compelling, erotic, and profound stories of worlds within and beyond abound in DARK MATTER. From the bittersweet legacies of Africa to utterly phantasmagoric future civilizations, here is a compilation of stories that transmute our human experience.

Whether you view it as a landmark of black literature or as a stirring collection of brilliant short stories and essays, Dark Matter is a fantasy landmark. Contributors include famed sci-fi author Samuel R. Delany and Octavia E. Butler as well as surprise entries Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, and W.E.B. Du Bois.

Black Issues Book Review

Like the Sputnik launch of 1957, the publication of this anthology expands the frontiers of speculative fiction into a new dimension. In her introduction, Thomas develops an intriguing metaphor of blackness as a kind of Dark Matter an invisible mass which exerts a gravitational pull on the entire genre. Her selections for the anthology span the twentieth century, dispelling the notion that black writers are newcomers to the field. This initial reading of a literary phenomenon heretofore rendered almost invisible promises to enhance understanding and appreciation not only of these unique voices in African Diasporan literature, but also of the speculative fiction genre as a whole.

A remarkable, richly diverse anthology of African-American fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction features some forty short stories by Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Tanararive Due, Walter Mosley, Ishmael Reed, Steven Barnes, and other notable authors. 18,000 first printing. An anthology of African American fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction features some forty short stories by Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Tananarive Due, Walter Mosley, Ishmael Reed, Steven Barnes, and others Dark Matter is the first and only series to bring together the works of black SF and fantasy writers. The first volume was featured in the "New York Times," which named it a Notable Book of the Year.