12 Dystopian Books by Black Authors
Many dystopian and apocalyptic writers get their ideas from violent acts in history that have happened to other people groups. The tragic advantage the black writer has is the ability to draw from a history of violent acts enacted on their own people.
One of the reasons evil is allowed to go unchecked for a long time is because we are wired to either see the best in person or opt for denial. Because if we didn’t, none of us would ever leave the house. But this becomes a problem when the denial is so deep that we refuse to see what’s right in front of us. Or even refuse to take people (and politicians) at their words when they say unflinchingly what their plans and tactics are.
I learn best through books and sometimes seeing something play out through a work of fiction not only opens your eyes to what’s is happening but prepares you for how to respond. There’s a reason you’ve been seeing a lot of 1984 quotes popping up on your social media feeds.
Studies have even shown that people who consumed pandemic media, i.e. books and movies about deadly pandemics and contagions, fared better mentally and emotionally during the COVID 19 pandemic.
So I compiled a list of 12 dystopian books by black authors who predicted the future and wrote fantastical novels to help us escape and teach us how to prepare.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.
PARABLE OF THE SOWER – Octavia E. Butler
Set in a crumbling near-future California ravaged by climate change and corporate greed, Parable of the Sower follows Lauren Olamina, a young woman with hyperempathy—the ability to feel others' pain. When her walled community is destroyed by violent scavengers, Lauren is forced onto the dangerous road north. Armed with a revolutionary philosophy called Earthseed, which teaches that "God is Change," she seeks to build a new future amidst the ashes. Octavia E. Butler’s visionary masterpiece is a terrifying yet hopeful exploration of survival, faith, and the human capacity to adapt.
PARABLE OF THE TALENTS – Octavia E. Butler 
In this chillingly prescient sequel to Parable of the Sower, Lauren Olamina labors to protect her fledgling Earthseed community, Acorn, amidst a crumbling America. Set against the rise of the fanatical "Christian America" movement and its demagogue leader, President Jarrett, the novel explores the terrifying clash between religious extremism and human resilience.
THE FIFTH SEASON – N.K. Jemisin
In the Stillness, civilization is defined by its struggle to survive "Fifth Seasons"—catastrophic climate events that periodically scour the earth. But for Essun, the apocalypse is personal. She returns home to find her husband has murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter.
Essun is an orogene, wielding the terrifying power to manipulate the earth itself. Desperate and dangerous, she traverses the dying landscape with a singular goal: she will break the world herself if that is what it takes to get her daughter back.
WHO FEARS DEATH – Nnedi Okorafor
In a post-apocalyptic Africa scarred by tribal genocide, Onyesonwu is born an Ewu—a child of violence conceived by a Nuru soldier and an Okeke woman. Ostracized for her mixed heritage and the tragic circumstances of her birth, she soon discovers she possesses a unique and terrifying magic.
As her powers grow, so does the threat against her people. To survive, Onyesonwu must embrace her destiny and embark on a dangerous journey to confront her powerful sorcerer father.
BROWN GIRL IN THE RING – Nalo Hopkinson
In a decaying, post-apocalyptic Toronto abandoned by the wealthy, the inner city—known as "The Burn"—has been left to crumble. Here, young mother Ti-Jeanne struggles to survive, living with her grandmother and suppressing her family's spiritual heritage.
But when the ruthless crime lord Rudy is tasked with harvesting a human heart to save the desperate Premier’s life, he targets Ti-Jeanne’s family. To protect her newborn and her community, Ti-Jeanne must finally embrace the ancient Caribbean magic she fears.
CHAIN GANG ALL-STARS – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
In a near-future America, the prison-industrial complex has evolved into CAPE: a wildly popular televised program where incarcerated "stars" battle to the death for a chance at freedom. The story follows Loretta Thurwar, a legendary gladiator nearing her release, as she navigates love, brutality, and the moral rot of a society that monetizes suffering.
AMERICAN WAR – Omar El Akkad
Set in a terrifyingly plausible future, the United States is fractured by a second Civil War fought over fossil fuels. Amidst climate devastation and borders drawn by blood, American War follows Sarat Chestnut, a young girl raised in a refugee camp who is slowly transformed into a deadly instrument of rebellion.
ZONE ONE – Colson Whitehead
In this brilliant subversion of the zombie apocalypse, Colson Whitehead transports readers to a devastated Manhattan known as Zone One. Mark Spitz, a civilian sweeper, is tasked with clearing the remaining infected from the city’s walled-off enclave. But these aren’t just ravenous monsters; he must also face "stragglers"—undead trapped in a melancholic loop of their former lives.
FUTURELAND - Walter Mosley
Through nine interconnected stories, Mosley unveils a society dominated by corporate greed, where citizens are pacified by the "Blue Light" and the prison-industrial complex has gone amok. Blending cyberpunk satire with sharp social commentary, this collection tackles systemic racism, class warfare, and the erosion of humanity in the digital age. Prescient and unapologetically political, Futureland challenges us to confront where our society is heading.
RIOT BABY - Tochi Onyebuchi
Ella, who possesses a volatile "Thing"—gifts of telekinesis and foresight—and her younger brother Kev, born during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. While Ella struggles to master her dangerous abilities, Kev navigates a life under constant surveillance, eventually landing in Rikers Island. Spanning decades of injustice and police brutality, the narrative transforms from a family drama into a revolutionary cry as Ella decides to finally use her power to burn the system down.
FRIDAY BLACK – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
In his electrifying debut, Friday Black, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah delivers a visceral critique of America’s rotting heart. Blending dystopian satire with terrifying realism, this collection explores the absurdities of racism, unchecked consumerism, and institutional violence. From a department store where shoppers turn into murderous zombies to a theme park where justice is a spectator sport, the stories are surreal, macabre, and disturbingly familiar. Adjei-Brenyah’s voice is urgent and unflinching, demanding that we confront the dehumanizing forces of our time.
AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS - Rivers Solomon
On the HSS Matilda, a massive generation ship ferrying the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land, society is structured like the antebellum South. The ship's leaders, wealthy and white, live in luxury on the upper decks, while the dark-skinned population of the lower decks is forced into brutal servitude. Aster, an odd and brilliant low-decker medic, discovers a connection between the mysterious death of the ship’s Sovereign and her own mother's suicide decades ago. To survive, she must navigate a rigid, violent hierarchy where any deviation is punished, unraveling a conspiracy that threatens the entire vessel.