No Gods, No Monsters is something special. Its ambition leaves a lot of room for error, but due to its authors’ past masteries, I went in with high expectations. Cadwell Turnbull has already created ambitious stories that sound too daunting to work but completely do. For a novel to incorporate one incredibly unique idea is Read more
Epic fantasies can be a storm of plot threads coming together in either chaotic entanglement or interwoven beauty. Son of the Storm has the good type of an epic storm. Flipping some epic fantasy tropes on its head, while keeping ones that aren’t problematic, the novel fluidly sets up a world, while never bogging it Read more
With the call for more diversity in publishing – either sincere or manufactured – there has been a surge in Caribbean-centered fantasy releases. Witches Steeped in Gold – with its beautiful cover, an intriguing premise, and the high anticipation of readers had me cautiously excited. From the first page, I was plunged into a vast Read more
Do you remember that opening scene in the movie Us where little Adelaide gets lost at the Beach Boardwalk? She wanders around this dark carnival and her life ends up forever changed because of it. This book reminds me of that pivotal scene expanded into a novel. It’s gorgeous while somehow never losing sight of Read more
There is power in allowing people to tell their own stories and not only power, but nuances that could never be captured by an outsider. Eden Royce gives us a radiant example of this needed phenomena in ROOT MAGIC. It’s a historical fantasy Middle Grade set in the 60s and the atmosphere comes off the Read more
[SPOILERS BELOW: Why? Because some books you need to just talk about in their fullness, and this is one of them] This novel makes me think of being an English major in college again, but in the best possible way. Literary criticism and how to understand and employee it was one of the pillars of Read more
Blackness that doesn’t have to apologize or explain itself – So often in media (yes, even still in 2017), black characters are expected to justify their existence in a narrative. We have to be black for a “reason” or its pandering. Or it’s unnecessary. Or it takes away from the story. The list goes on Read more
The staff here at FIYAH is very please and delighted to present to you Steven Barnes, author of too many wonderful SFF books to name and absolutely one of the pillars of the black SFF community. We spend a little time today talking to him about his latest novel, TWELVE DAYS. FIYAH: Now that TWELVE Read more
Geneva Benton is the cover artist for the 2017 issues of FIYAH! The following is the first part of an interview we will be conducting with Geneva throughout the year to learn more about her beautiful illustrations. You can view more of her work on Instagram, support her Patreon, and purchase printed apparel featuring many of her original characters on Read more
