Wole Talabi

The debut fantasy novel from an award-winning Nigerian author A mythic tale of disgruntled gods, revenge, and a heist across two worlds, perfect for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Neil Gaiman, Marlon James, and Karen Lord Shigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus with a long and secretive past, everything changes for him. Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood and navigate the parameters of their new relationship in the shadow of her past. But the elder gods that run the Orisha spirit company have other plans for Shigidi, and they are not all aligned—or good. From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma will encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business, and a spectacular heist across two worlds that will change Shigidi’s understanding of himself forever and determine the fate of the Orisha spirit company.

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

"Here are 8 original visions of Africanfuturism: science fiction stories by both emerging and seasoned African writers staking a claim to Africa's place in the future. These are powerful visions focused on the African experience and hopes and fears, exploring African sciences, philosophies, adaptations to technology and visions of the future both centred on and spiralling out of Africa. You will find stories of the near and almost-present future, tales set on strange and wonderful new planets, stories of a changed Earth, stories that dazzle the imagination and stimulate the mind. Stories that capture the essence of what we talk about when we talk about Africanfuturism." -- Goodreads.com

An Anthology

Africanfuturism

Convergence Problems

Advance Reader Copy of Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology, an anthology of short stories set in the first shared world created by all-African authors and artists.

The Sauútiverse Anthology

Mothersound

The Regression Test

"A jaw-dropping collection....Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." —Publishers Weekly (starred review), and a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Spring 2024 Roundup pick "Deftly entwining his Nigerian culture with sf and Afrofuturism, Talabi uses each story to analyze Africa’s rapidly evolving relationship with technology. For fans of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian works and P. Djèlí Clark’s speculative fiction, Convergence Problems provides an Afrocentric sf narrative that is sure to captivate." — Raychel Bennet, Booklist (starred review) "Written with an emotional economy few storytellers can master....A fascinating and riveting exploration of what the future may hold—for better or worse." —Kirkus From the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Nommo award nominated author of Shigidi and The Brass Head Of Obalufon comes a stunning new collection of stories that investigate the rapidly changing role of technology and belief in our lives as we search for meaning, for knowledge, for justice; constantly converging on our future selves. In “An Arc of Electric Skin,” a roadside mechanic seeking justice volunteers to undergo a procedure that will increase the electrical conductivity of his skin by orders of magnitude. In “Blowout,” a woman races against time and a previously undocumented geological phenomenon to save her brother on the surface of Mars. In “Ganger,” a young woman trapped in a city run by machines must transfer her consciousness into an artificial body and find a way to give her life purpose. In “Debut,” Nairobi-based technical support engineer tries to understand what is happening when an AI art system begins malfunctioning in ways that could change the world. The sixteen stories of Convergence Problems, which include work published for the first time in this collection, rare stories, and recently acclaimed work, showcase Talabi at his creative best: playful and profound, exciting and experimental, always interesting.

Linda D. Addison

Molly Tanzer

Milton J. Davis

Spencer Nitkey

Russell Nichols

RJ Taylor

Devon Mihesuah

Benjamin Blattberg

Risa Wolf

Strange. Beautiful. Shocking. Surreal. APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards. We publish every other month. Issue 130 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews. EDITORIAL Musings from Maryland: Editorial by Lesley Conner ORIGINAL FICTION Nine Theories of Time by Spencer Nitkey To Live and Die in Dixieland by Russell Nichols The First Promise We Break by Risa Wolf Tenure by Devon Mihesuah It Rises and Falls and Rises Again by RJ Taylor Strata by Benjamin Blattberg CLASSIC FICTION An Arc of Electric Skin by Wole Talabi In the Garden of Ibn Ghazi by Molly Tanzer NONFICTION Always and Forever by Milton J. Davis Never Let the Light Go Out by Linda D. Addison REVIEWS Words for Thought: Short Fiction Review by A.C. Wise Book Review: A Spindle Splintered Alix E. Harrow (reviewed by Lesley Conner) Book Review: Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus (reviewed by Tracy Robinson) INTERVIEWS Interview with Author Spencer Nitkey by Andrea Johnson Interview with Author RJ Taylor by Andrea Johnson Interview with Cover Artist JR Slattum by Bradley Powers

Apex Magazine Issue 130

The debut fantasy novel from award-winning Nigerian author Wole Talabi, presenting a mythic tale of disgruntled gods, revenge, and a heist across two worlds.Shigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus with a long and secretive past, everything changes for him.Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood and navigate the parameters of their new relationship in the shadow of her past. But the elder gods that run the Orisha spirit company have other plans for Shigidi, and they are not all aligned-or good.From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma will encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business, and a spectacular heist across two worlds that will change Shigidi's understanding of himself forever and determine the fate of the Orisha spirit company.

Wole Talabi

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