Popular African Fantasy Books

Find fantasy books written by authors from Africa for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (32)

21.

The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien EN

Rating: 4 (9 votes)
Description:
The stirring adventure that begins The Lord of the Rings, the greatest fantasy epic of all time When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton. Along the way, the company faces trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Rivendell to the terrors of Mirkwood and beyond, Bilbo will find that there is more to him than anyone—himself included... continue

22.

The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Country: Africa / Zimbabwe flag Zimbabwe
Description:
Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T. L. Huchu's The Library of the Dead, a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh. WHEN GHOSTS TALK SHE WILL LISTEN Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and they sure do love to talk. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to those they left behind. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and strength. It’s on Ropa’s... continue

23.

The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Country: Africa / Nigeria flag Nigeria
Description:
The ghosts live in the center of the jungle and this tells of what happens to the mortals who venture into the world of the ghosts.

24.

The Return of the King : The Lord of the Rings #3 by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien EN

Rating: 5 (3 votes)
Description:
Concluding the story begun in The Hobbit, this is the final part of Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Featuring a striking black cover based on Tolkien's own design, the definitive text, and a detailed map of Middle-earth. The armies of the Dark Lord are massing as his evil shadow spreads ever wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle agains the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring. Impossible to describe in a few words, JRR Tolkien's great work of imaginative fiction has been labelled bot... continue

25.

The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: Africa / Botswana flag Botswana
Description:
In an African city, a nameless young woman living in the wards slowly begins to lose her identity: her skin color is peeling off, people are becoming invisible, and the city plans to destroy the train where they bury their dead. After the narrator is given a warning by her grandmother's dreamskin, things begin to fall apart. Struggling to hold onto a fluctuating reality, she prescribes herself insomnia in a desperate attempt to save her family.

26.

The Two Towers : The Lord of the Rings #2 by J. R. R. Tolkien EN

Rating: 5 (4 votes)
Description:
The Company of the Ring is sundered. Frodo and Sam continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin - alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go. Thus continues the classic tale begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its awesome climax in The Return of the King.

27.

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: Africa / Zimbabwe flag Zimbabwe
Description:
Martine, 11, leaves England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife reserve in South Africa.

28.

Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor EN

0 Ratings
Country: Africa / Kenya flag Kenya
Description:
Named a Most Anticipated Book by Vogue and Vulture “Alternately whimsical, sweet, and dark,” this astonishing debut novel about a lonely girl waiting for her mother “brim[s] with uncompromisingly African magical realism” (The New York Times). Ayosa is a wandering spirit—joyous, exuberant, filled to the brim with longing. Her only companions in her grandmother’s crumbling house are as lonely as Ayosa herself: the ghostly Fatumas, whose eyes are the size of bay windows, who teach her to dance and wail at the death news; the Jolly-Annas, cruel birds who cover their solitude with spiteful laughter... continue

29.

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Country: Africa / Nigeria flag Nigeria
Description:
Born into post-apocalyptic Africa to a mother who was raped after the slaughter of her entire tribe, Onyesonwu is tutored by a shaman and discovers that her magical destiny is to end the genocide of her people.

30.

Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: Africa / Kenya flag Kenya
Description:
Informed by traditional African storytelling, discover Ngugi wa Thiong'o's masterpiece. To honour the Ruler's birthday, the Free Republic of Aburiria set out to build a tower; a modern wonder of the world that will reach the gates of Heaven. But behind this pillar of unity a battle for control of the Aburirian people rages. Among the contenders: the eponymous Wizard, an avatar of folklore and wisdom; the corrupt Christian Ministry; and the nefarious Global Bank. 'Mythological but also cheerfully disenchanted; political and playful; cartoonish but also epical... the African novel may well have ... continue