How Long 'til Black Future Month?

400 pages

English language

Published Nov. 27, 2018

ISBN:: 978-0-316-49134-1

(1 review)

In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow south must figure out how to save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story “The City Born Great,” a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis’s soul.

3 editions

Kadomi reviewed How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin

Review of "How Long 'til Black Future Month?" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This book is a short story collection by NK Jemisin, an author I adore. There's a total of 22 short stories in this collection, most of them fairly short. Two of them are based on previous work. Stone Hunger seemed to be set in the Broken Earth world, whereas The Narcomancer plays in the setting of the Dreamblood Duology.

The stories showcase how modern stories can and should look like, with diverse casts, kick-ass women, and bleak outlooks. Some stories were dystopian, some steampunk, there's really something for everyone, I suppose.

I did enjoy the stories, but I think Jemisin's writing clearly shines brightest when it's gotten time to develop a longer narrative. If you have never read any of her work before, I would always suggest starting with one of her three series instead.

That said, my surprise favorite was The Effluent Engine and I would read more stories …

This book is a short story collection by NK Jemisin, an author I adore. There's a total of 22 short stories in this collection, most of them fairly short. Two of them are based on previous work. Stone Hunger seemed to be set in the Broken Earth world, whereas The Narcomancer plays in the setting of the Dreamblood Duology.

The stories showcase how modern stories can and should look like, with diverse casts, kick-ass women, and bleak outlooks. Some stories were dystopian, some steampunk, there's really something for everyone, I suppose.

I did enjoy the stories, but I think Jemisin's writing clearly shines brightest when it's gotten time to develop a longer narrative. If you have never read any of her work before, I would always suggest starting with one of her three series instead.

That said, my surprise favorite was The Effluent Engine and I would read more stories about the adventures of Jessaline, the Haitian spy, and Eugenie.