Book Review: “How Long ‘Til Black Future Month” by N.K. Jemisin
What a freaking collection. What a set of strange, wonderful, dark, intriguing stories. If you haven’t read any Jemisin yet, this collection serves as a good introduction, but I also highly recommend The Broken Earth trilogy, and will shout about how amazing it is until the end of time.
Back to How Long ‘til Black Future Month?. These stories span 14 years of Jemisin’s career, with the earliest (“Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows”) published in 2004, and the latest (“The Ones Who Stay and Fight”) in 2018. In her introduction, Jemisin herself admits the stories chronicle her development as a writer and activist, how she evolved and how some of the stories are talking back to the so-called ‘greats’ of sci-fi.
This is a fantastic collection from a fantastic author, dipping in and out of fantasy, sci-fi and horror to give a broad range of tales. “The Ones Who Stay and Fight” is a glimpse into a reality where utopia exists, with an underlying message about how no matter how unreal it feels, this world is possible. “The City Born Great” is about a down on his luck kid who finds his true purpose, and achieves something great. These are the first two stories, and they set up a high bar Jemisin exceeds over and over throughout the collection.
There are 22 stories in this collection, so going through them all – though they do all deserve some mention – would make this review extra long, so I’m just going to touch on some more of my favourites.
“Stone Hunger” is from the same world as The Broken Earth trilogy, though a separate, contained story in itself. I loved returning to this world, if only briefly. “On the Banks of the River Lex” shows a post-human New York, inhabited by the sort of beings humans believe live in their imagination. I love personifications and gods and living embodiments, so this was particularly excellent for my tastes. “Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows” is a Groundhog Day-esque tale where time repeats itself, but the internet provides escape for those who can access it. A story about reality and loneliness and the need for human connection, at any cost. Very relevant for today. And finally, “Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Under the Still Waters” takes us to the aftermath of a hurricane that has destroyed the local community, and introduced new creatures into the area. Like other tales in this collection, the protagonist fights for his home, for his beliefs, and it’s an engrossing tale.
22 stories, and I’ve only touched on a few. But hopefully that’s enough to entice you into picking up this collection. Jemisin is one of the best writers in spec fic today, and you are seriously missing out if you ignore this collection.
Grade: A
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
I purchased this paperback.