Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Science Fiction And Brown People

I came across a post somewhere earlier in which the user complained that he found science fiction books and films that don't have colored people in them "scary." That it implied that something had happened to them all.

Reminds me of how many people freaked out that Rue was black in the Hunger Games movie (hello, people, she was black in the books, too).

So, I'm countering it by trying to collect a list of good science fiction books that, well, do not have an all white cast. I'm taking additions!

So far, I have

"Dance of the Ivory Madonna" - Don Sakers. Lots of black people, some intriguing ideas about the future of Africa. (And also some great stuff about corporate feudalism and non-geographic constituencies).

"River Of Gods" - Ian McDonald. Set in India. Very well written.

"Thirteen" - Richard K. Morgan. Is better understood under the British title of "Black Man." It's a flawed book, but it does go deep into prejudicing, stereotyping, and most especially the idea that young black men are somehow more dangerous and aggressive than their white counterparts.

"Red Rising" - Pierce Brown. I reviewed this book a while ago - it's the one I wanted to hate for being a Hunger Games ripoff. It's not as good as the others, with the veil getting a little thin in places. What's behind the veil? An exploration of Hispanic America under the guise of prejudice against engineered laborers on Mars.

Oh, and in Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon The Deep" it's interesting that the humans in the Beyond are all descended from the inhabitants of a colony named in an African language. I'd have to reread to be sure...but if that was ever made into a movie, it would really be fitting to have them all be black...

Anyone got some more?

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