N K Jemisin has written several novels in both science fiction and fantasy, including the Dreamblood duology that I may check out later on. This book is a collection of short stories, some of which tie into previous books, some are brand new works, but each of these stories stands alone in this collection. Each story is different and has it's own storyline, but some of the topics in this book include sex work, pregnancy loss, mentions of rape, brutality, war, classism, and racism.
The stories in this book range from a homeless man in New York City doing what is needed to get by, to a chef who gets a recipe to reverse aging, but she thinks she can improve it. Several of them take part in New Orleans in all different time frames. There were several stories in this book that I really enjoyed. The one I liked best was probably "Red Dirt Witch" about a black woman trying to protect her children from the Fae, but also from the violence about to break out in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. The story I thought the most unique would be "The City Born Great", which is the second story in the book and unlike anything I've read before. These stories have predominately black characters, and made me look at familiar situations in a new way, with new insights. Some made me uncomfortable but I don't think that's a bad thing.
How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N K Jemisin gets 4.25 stars out of 5. It would be interesting to see a few of these short stories expanded into full novels. The story was just enough to whet my appetite and leave me wanting more. There are some that gave me exactly what I needed in only eight pages, anything more would have been too much. And there are some that I will be thinking about for a long time.
For more from N K Jemisin, check out https://nkjemisin.com/
Pairs well with Pecan Penuche, as seen in The Effluent Engine.
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