A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
A WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD "RAVE" BOOK OF THE YEAR

Including work by:
Amiri Baraka, Derrick Bell, Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Jewelle Gomez, Walter Mosley, Ishmael Reed, and many more...

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.

A Featured Alternate of Science Fiction Book Club®, of Black Expressions®, and of Quality Paperback Book Club®

For the first time, 40 short stories from past and present black science fiction and fantasy writers have been collected in a one-of-a-kind anthology. Authors include Steven Barnes, Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Tananarive Due, and Walter Mosley.

Like its groundbreaking predecessor, DARK MATTER: Reading the Bones introduces black speculative fiction writers to readers who may not have realized the depth and breadth of these works. This anthology includes original short fiction and previously published works from Charles Johnson, the National Book Award-winning author of Middle Passage; Tananarive Due; Walter Mosley; W. E. B. Du Bois; Samuel R. Delany; Nalo Hopkinson; Wanda Coleman; and many more. Containing approximately 30 stories, ranging from the early part of the 20th century through the most cutting-edge work of today, this is a powerful collection that will appeal to the culturally diverse audience of science fiction readers.