What does some of the best science fiction literature have in common? Black women authors! In this article at ElectricLiterature.com, Writer’s Relief learned that Black women writers and characters within the sci-fi genre have been around almost as long as the genre itself. From Bloodchild, one of the greatest sci-fi books by Octavia Butler (the queen of Black women sci-fi writers), to Alaya Dawn Johnson’s Love is the Drug (which foreshadows the COVID pandemic), you’ll find memorable stories that offer unique twists and powerful Black protagonists.

Click here to see the full list of ten sci-fi novels by Black women from the past five decades.