Recs for Indigenous/Anti-Colonialist AUs, Indigenous History, POC SFF Traditions, and More!

[sanguinity]

It's time for our monthly recs post! Usually I make this a space for members to ask for recs that interest them, but this time oyceter and I want to do something different.

Dunno how many of you have been following the dustup over a certain pair of white SFF authors? (Briefest of summaries: one author wrote a "shiny" alternate-universe U.S. "frontier"

Comments

[sanguinity]

Indigenous-centric or anti-colonialist alternate universes / histories:

[sanguinity]

Sesshu Foster, Atomik Aztex.

Non-linear book is non-linear, weaving between what may or may not be multiple narrators in multiple universes. However. The central universe is one where the Aztecs repelled the Conquistadores, and then moved to colonize Spain themselves. Most of the action is set during WWII, within various universes/timelines.

This isn't a happyshiny AU -- the (male, imperial) protagonist makes off-hand references to raping Spanish slaves in order to let off some steam, and does a lot of self-justifying talk that the Aztek are great because they're the ones with the guts to do the horrible things that someone's gotta to do.

That said, there's a lot of stuff I positively adore as it goes by.

[carenejeans]

This is one of the books I was thinking of when I answered your e-mail. I've only just started it, and have the same caveats, but second the rec.

[sirdrakesheir]

I'm actually salivating. This sounds fascinating.

[scarletts_awry]

Gerald Vizenor's The Heirs of Columbus is a hard book to categorize, but it needs to be rec'd and I'm going to put it in this category.

It's a difficult and funny novel, blending the trickster tradition with postmodernism. I loved it.

[apis_mellifera]

Caleb Fox's Zadayi Red, which is coming out in July from Tor, is a retelling of a Cherokee myth. The author has a site here.

[rachelmanija]

Steven Barnes has two books which I haven't read yet, but it looks like a novel about slavery in America in which the slaves are Celts and the free people are of African and Middle-Eastern descent.

[sanguinity]

Lion's Blood and Zulu's Heart, yes?

[rachelmanija]

Er, yes. Wow, I really should not post before coffee.

[oyceter]

I can't believe it took me so long to think of Bernardine Evaristo's Blonde Roots!

[annwfyn]

The Legend of Tarik, by Walter Dean Myers, is set in an alternate Spain (I think) with magic, and has an African boy, who was brought to Spain as a slave, battling the big bad.

[rachelmanija]

Correct. Excellent book.