Title: How Long ‘til Black Future Month?

Author: N.K. Jemisin

Publisher: Orbit 2018

Genre: Short Stories

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:  Library Love; Modern Mrs. Marcy - Been Meaning To Read; Dancing with Fantasy and Scifi - Classic Fantasy

N. K. Jemisin is one of the most powerful and acclaimed authors of our time. In the first collection of her evocative short fiction, which includes never-before-seen stories, Jemisin equally challenges and delights readers with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption. 

Spirits haunt the flooded streets 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 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.

A beautiful collection of stories running the gamut of science fiction and fantasy. I really enjoyed the stories set in our world but with something a little different. Anything dealing with ghosts or spirits was favorite. Some of the stories that were a direct response to classic stories fell slightly flatter for me. I was much more intrigued when Jemisin created something totally new. I also enjoyed the stories that were clear precursors to The Broken Earth trilogy. Short stories are not my favorite style of fiction, but this collection was very interesting and entertaining.

Next up on the TBR pile: