Dark Matter (Dark Matter (Aspect))

Sheree R. Thomas (Editor) and Martin Simmons (Editor)

An important new anthology, the first of it's kind, Dark Matter explores a century of fantastic fiction by pre-eminent and emerging luminaries of the African Diaspora. A richly vibrant collection of stories and essays, it displays the brilliance of writers ranging from early pioneers such as W.E.B. Du Bois, to famed SF authors including Samuel R. Delany and Octavia E. Butler, to such luminaries of the literary tradition as playwright/critic Amiri Baraka and satirist Ishmael Reed, as well as a spectrum of acclaimed new writers. Atonishing, compelling, erotic, and profound stories of worlds within and beyond abound in Dark Matter. From the bittersweet legacies of Africa to utterly phantasmagoric future civilisations, here is a compilation of stories that transmute our human experience.

• ISBN10: 0446677248
• ISBN13: 9780446677240
• Publish Date: 1 July 2001 (first published 14 September 2000)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 17 May 2002
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Warner Books
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 442
• Language: English

Reviews

[nannah]

I finally got my hands on the first Dark Matter! As far as I can see, there are only two in this series? I hope there continues to be more, because it’s a very interesting series and a great way to be introduced to black writers’ styles and to black writers in general, especially those in the sci-fi/fantasy scene.

Dark Matter is a collection of over thirty fiction and nonfiction works related to science fiction and fantasy, all by african American authors. The creation of these works range from when it was published (the 2000s) to back in the late 1900s.

Content warnings (for individual stories, so you can skip any if you need to):
Sister Lilith
- rape
- strange & obnoxious upholding of stereotypical “masculinity” and “femininity” (aka the man: “ooh feel my muscles”)
Chicago 1927
- rape
Tasting Songs
- rape used as a comparison
- domestic and child abuse mention
Can You Wear My Eyes
- sexual abuse mention
Like Daughter
- rape
- incest
- child and domestic abuse
Rhythm Travel
- racial slurs (n slur)
Buddy Bolden
- rape
- slavery
- sexual assault
Aye, and Gomorrah …
- ableist slurs (r slur)
- necrophilia
- saying not having sexual desires = you’re a child and have no capacity to love
Ginger (Ball Lightning)
- ableism (“schizo” as an adjective)
The Becoming
- pedophilia (met her lover before she was even 18, and he’s 10yrs older than her)
- note on the above: and he wanted and waited for her! It’s for a “purpose” but still nasty.
-drugging and mutilation
The Goopherd Grapevine
- lots of racial slurs
The Evening and the Morning and the Night
- lots of gruesome self harm
Gimile’s Songs
- RAPE, but treated as romantic ??
Future Christmas
- fatphobia
- Inuit slurs

Like the second work of the series, every work is written well and shows off extremely talented, important, and popular black authors of sci-fi and fantasy, from Samuel R. Delany to Octavia E. Butler and then to voices more recently showing their strength, like Tananarive Due. It’s also great for introducing readers to writers they haven’t heard of - or haven’t heard much of yet, especially because some of these works are excerpts from already published books. While reading, I’ve been making notes of which authors I’d like to take a look at next.

All in all, I liked this collection less than the second installment, perhaps because the nature of the stories (heavier, more content that triggered me, made me need to take a break, etc.), or perhaps simply because they weren’t to my taste. But they weren’t any lower in quality; it’s just a personal preference kind of thing.

Though it is a rather long and large read, if you’re seriously interested in expanding the diversity of your reading experience - and supporting black authors and diversity in general, give this a try. It might be hard to find, but it’s worth it. The talent here is outstanding.