Rating: 
Summary: why did it take so long?
Review: this book is long overdue. it's wealth of fabulous stories in SF are a true testament to the presence of blacks in SF. But why did it take so long to be released? well, for more than one reason. the publishers only publish what there is an obvious demand for and young black people hide their science fiction. "thats not my book" they say to their classmates. or "it's for class", as if to excuse their reading of anything that doesn't have the words "RAP CITY" on the front cover, because 'of course' nothing else is *black* enough.Science Fiction encourages thoughts of the future. Encourage young people of color to read SF. If they complain there is a lack of representation, then maybe, like these wonderful authors, they'll force the hand of the publishers and scream thier vision so loudly that they can not help but be heard...
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant collection by veterans and new comers
Review: This book will no doubt be required reading for generations to come. Finally a three dimensional globe of fiction that surpasses genre and cliche. Regardless of what it is categorized as; science fiction, future, fantasy, or horror, Dark Matter enlightens, entertains and leaves you wanting more, hence GOOD FICTION by Tananarive Due, Steve Barns, Ocativa E.Butler, Walter Mosely, Jewelle Gomez and more. The first story by W. E. B. Dubois is the perfect example... this story of a black man and a white woman discovering that they are the only ones living among a massive meteor disaster in the streets of New York begin re-evaluating their roles as black or white, lower class or upper class and begin to see that none of that matters. As the last two humans living on earth, the record is wiped clean of labels and salvaging humanity is the only real issue. It's a must read, can't put down, tell all your friends about book that will hopefully get the recognition and reward it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: The Darkness Matters
Review: This is a collection that the literary world needed badly. Typical 'speculative fiction' (encompassing sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other literary persuasions) often features humanity uniting against common enemies or disasters. But for people of color, the alternative present or near-future utopia/dystopia in any speculative story probably won't be so rosy. Technological advancement, alien contact, or astronomical disasters probably won't eliminate prejudice and inequality, as the writers of African descent collected here show us in consistently hard-hitting ways.
The settings and themes of these short stories are uniformly fascinating and thought-provoking for any intelligent reader. As with any collection of works from various writers, the quality of the stories varies a bit, and this book does have a few bumps in the road that deserve the thumbs-down for heavy-handedness. Examples include the predictable melodrama of 'The Woman in the Wall' by Steven Barnes, or the poorly-plotted conspiracy theories of 'The Space Traders' by Derrick Bell. However, these are minor quibbles, and even these stories contribute to the sheer fascination of this book as a whole.
My favorites include the supremely moving Jazz Age vampire story 'Chicago 1927' by Jewelle Gomez, an outstanding look at the human costs of cloning in 'Like Daughter' by Tananarive Due, the creepy erotic thriller 'Ganger (Ball Lightning)' by Nalo Hopkinson, and the heartbreaking dark fantasy of 'Gimmile's Songs' by Charles Saunders. Of historical interest we have 'Aye, and Gomorrah...' from the master Samuel Delany, the groundbreaking 'The Goophered Grapevine' from way back in 1887 by Charles Chesnutt, and the very chilling 'The Comet' by W.E.B. DuBois (I had forgotten that DuBois wrote fiction, and his important stories are ripe for rediscovery). Kudos to Sheree Thomas for creating this hugely important, haunting, and illuminating anthology. [~doomsdayer520~]
Rating:
Summary: Attn: All S.F. fans
Review: This white guy Iowa boy gets skeptical when confrounted with ethno-centric titles, not to mention ponderous ones. I won't go out of my way to give special attention to anyone based on ethnic heritage. But, it was an SF book in the new section of the library, and I am ALWAYS on the lookout for good, new SF since almost all of the Golden Age boys are dead and most of the new stuff is recycled bug-eyed monsters or Tolkein wannabees. Some of the authors - Butler, Delany - I knew. Any friend of Dahlgren's is likely to be a friend of mine. Checked it out. Start to finish, this anthology introduced me to people I would likely never have read - only because I had no idea who they were. Now I have a whole new reading list from authors I met in this collection. I have yet to be disappointed in a novel from any of the authors I met here, and I continue to seek out their work at the library. Thank you Sheree R. Thomas for putting these works together for me to sample many new-to-me authors of speculative/science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Attn: All S.F. fans
Review: This white guy Iowa boy gets skeptical when confrounted with ethno-centric titles, not to mention ponderous ones. I won't go out of my way to give special attention to anyone based on ethnic heritage. But, it was an SF book in the new section of the library, and I am ALWAYS on the lookout for good, new SF since almost all of the Golden Age boys are dead and most of the new stuff is recycled bug-eyed monsters or Tolkein wannabees. Some of the authors - Butler, Delany - I knew. Any friend of Dahlgren's is likely to be a friend of mine. Checked it out. Start to finish, this anthology introduced me to people I would likely never have read - only because I had no idea who they were. Now I have a whole new reading list from authors I met in this collection. I have yet to be disappointed in a novel from any of the authors I met here, and I continue to seek out their work at the library. Thank you Sheree R. Thomas for putting these works together for me to sample many new-to-me authors of speculative/science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: The party crasher has arrived!
Review: Will the future include people of color? Do Non-Europeans have fantastic myths from their cultures? If you are a reader of speculative fiction, you will probably answer no to both of the preceding questions. Speculative fiction has mostly ignored everything except the western way of perceiving the world. Many people do not read SF because they see nothing in it that speaks to them. SF seems like a big happy party where only whites are invited. Now the party crasher has arrived. "Dark Matter" not only bum rushes the party yelling, "We are here and things will never be the same!" It also informs the partygoers that we have always been here. "Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora" is an important anthology that sends an important message. Sheree R. Thomas has compiled a wonderful collection of SF from all over the African Diaspora. Every aspect of SF is covered in the wonderful tales that are included in this book. Steven Barnes' "The Woman in the Wall" is the best fiction I read from him. This story is definitely one of the emotional highlights of the anthology. Nalo Hopkinson has two stories and both are excellent. "The Space Traders" by Derrick Bell brings up many important issues concerning the role African Americans play in our society. This book is full on many more examples of thought provoking and emotional fiction. The essays included in this book will give you a better understanding of racism within the science fiction community and hope for a more inclusive future. I hope that every SF fan embraces this book.
Rating:
Summary: A look into the history of Black writers in Spec Fic.
Review: Writers of African descent have played a long and important role in the history of speculative literature, even though that's not always recognized, either in the past or today. But this book opened my eyes to how much wonderful talent has gone underappreciated until now. Often raw, but always colorful and deep, many of the stories in this collection have the quality to be compared with the masters of the past and present. As both a reader and a writer, this collection inspired me greatly. I highly recommend it to anyone who's a true officianado of speculative literature.
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