the year's best african speculative fiction

Fu Qian gracefully removed his skull, as if a gentleman were taking off his hat to pay respects. … Everything began with a transcended-dimension invitation. It's a story of a high-quality Thug turning the impossible into the possible. Of course, on that day, the great being behind the invitation was still unaware of what it had done.

Tricked by a soothsaying mother, during the ghost year, ghost month, ghost day, and the wide-open Ghost Gate, I sneaked into the deep mountains with a Zhang Family heirloom, the Star Stealing Life-changing Talisman. By a mix-up of Yin and Yang, a devastatingly beautiful thousand-year-old female corpse absorbed some of my life force, and she awakened... Kids over 12, please watch this book together with the little buddy on your back, and don't block his view! (Note: don't turn back now, because he has also seen this text!)

Three-year-old Jiang Huailu transmigrates to find herself at the execution grounds! She opens her eyes. The guillotine blade is hanging above her head, swaying. Her parents are wearing prison uniforms. They stretch their necks long, waiting for the guillotine blade to fall. ... This is a world where devils prevail. Evil energy rages here. People shut their doors at night and only come out at dawn. The empire is in chaos. World order has collapsed. The monarchs are brutal. Wars break out. People are living from hand to mouth. The Imperial Preceptor predicts that a disaster is approaching. A devil will destroy the world, and the legendary savior will come to save them. The entire empire is looking forward to the appearance of the savior, searching for her... But the savior is only three and a half years old! Can the savior cry in front of the world-destroying devil to stop him? Three-year-old Jiang Huailu doesn’t really want to be the savior! ... Isn’t it enough to stop the devil from harming other people thereby making herself the only one to suffer? Saving the world indirectly is also a kind of salvation!

Prince Heixinggen from the Swabia branch of the Hohenzollern family sees the turmoil in Europe and the impending war, deciding it's better not to stay. He embarks on land acquisition in East Africa, focusing on immigration and development, laying the foundation with agriculture, taking one step at a time, and leveraging the crisis to achieve industrialization. 

Losing his parent early on, he had to survive in a world he couldn't even see... Blind and left alone, he was seen as a parasite by the social hierarchy of the new ages filled with martial arts and soulbonds Forced to mature early his train of thought was different from his peers as he didn´t mind derogatory reviews about him. The day he awoke his soul was the day he cried in desperation while God played tricks with him as his soul-awakening was a blessing in disguise. Nobody would have ever imagined that he was neither blind nor a parasite until the final moment, he opened his golden eyes that flickered brightly, eagerly waiting to devour everyone daring to obstruct his path towards the summit. Follow Jason on his adventurous journey throughout the vast universe filled with miraculous sceneries and mysterious beings. Some readers might not like information, but I do! ------ Discord-server= https://discord.gg/EdsDgFVWwZ *This is my first novel, please bear that in mind. I appreciate all kinds of sincere advice and comments* ------

Absurd! Reincarnating as a newborn in a demon-infested world, the overturning system arrived 30 years early. [At 30, after enduring endless hardships, you have achieved nothing and remain a loner. Reward: Late Bloomer (Talent) - Effect: The older your bones, the faster you cultivate.] [Overturning mission: Defeat Chen Yuan at the sixth level of the Guiyuan Realm within a year. Reward: Swordsmanship entry-level] One-year-old Chen Yi looked at the content on the panel, then down at his small arms and legs, falling into deep thought. 'Damn! This system definitely arrived too early!' 'I'm only a year old, what good is the Late Bloomer talent now?' 'And Chen Yuan of the Guiyuan Realm...' ... Years later, war reports came from the frontlines. 'The Tianyuan Continent’s top ten martial arts prodigy, Champion Marquis of the Wei Dynasty, the Amorous Young Master, Sword Saint Chen Yi, slaughtered 100,000 demons on the battlefield of Taizhou Mountain to celebrate for the human race!' However, Chen Yi looked at the battlefield flowing with rivers of blood and shook his head: 'I’ve been making overturn since I was one, experiencing countless life and death situations to achieve my current cultivation level. It’s not surprising you can’t resist!' Those 'life and death' crises were terrifyingly daunting. The big brother at one year old, childhood sweetheart at five, senior brother at ten, princess at a tender age... Who understands my hardships? PS: Infant stream, system-arriving-early stream, light-hearted, humorous, passionate. PPS: Also known as 'Starting the Overturn as an Infant', 'Reborn as an Infant, What an Overturn! ', 'Talking is Useless, It's Time to Fight.'

Two centuries after the Great War, peace between humans and werewolves was finally achieved, or so everyone believes. Werewolves reign like gods, and humans remain blissfully unaware of their true place in the new world order. To maintain this fragile balance, each year, a handful of "lucky" humans are selected from various districts to attend Lunaris Academy, a prestigious institution that promises glory, status, and a chance to mingle with the elite. Those chosen are hailed as the lucky few, destined to marry powerful alphas and rise as luna. This year, Violet Purple is among the chosen, much to everyone's surprise. For an orphaned girl adopted by a disgraced prostitute, this is a golden ticket to a better life or so she's told. But Lunaris Academy isn’t the paradise it’s painted to be. Everything Violet and her fellow humans have been taught is a lie. Humans are far from equal; they're pawns in a much larger game. The academy is nothing but a gilded cage, and the students are lambs led to slaughter, playthings for the alphas to toy with in their ruthless games. To make matters worse, Violet catches the attention of the most dangerous players in this game, the Terror Four: the Alpha of the North, Alpha of the South, Alpha of the East, and Alpha of the West. Each one is more dangerous, more twisted, and more powerful than the last. But even among themselves, the alphas are divided, each with their own deadly ambitions. Yet, they all have their eyes on her. They expect Violet to play along, to fall in line like the others who worship at their feet, to break under their games. But Violet isn’t like the others. She refuses to bow. She’ll defy them all.

Deux siècles après la Grande Guerre, la paix entre les humains et les loups-garous a finalement été atteinte, du moins tout le monde le croit. Les loups-garous règnent comme des dieux, et les humains restent dans une ignorance bienheureuse de leur véritable place dans le nouvel ordre mondial. Pour maintenir cet équilibre fragile, chaque année, une poignée d'humains "chanceux" sont sélectionnés dans divers districts pour assister à l'Académie Lunaris, une institution prestigieuse qui promet gloire, statut et une chance de côtoyer l'élite. Ceux qui sont choisis sont acclamés comme les quelques chanceux, destinés à épouser de puissants alphas et à s'élever en tant que luna. Cette année, Violet Purple est parmi les élus, à la surprise de tous. Pour une fille orpheline adoptée par une prostituée déshonorée, c'est un ticket en or pour une vie meilleure ou du moins c'est ce qu'on lui dit. Mais l'Académie Lunaris n'est pas le paradis qu'on décrit. Tout ce que Violet et ses camarades humains ont appris est un mensonge. Les humains sont loin d'être égaux ; ils sont des pions dans un jeu bien plus vaste. L'académie n'est rien de plus qu'une cage dorée, et les étudiants sont des agneaux menés à l'abattoir, des jouets pour les alphas dans leurs jeux impitoyables. Pour aggraver les choses, Violet attire l'attention des joueurs les plus dangereux dans ce jeu, les Quatre Terreurs : l'Alpha du Nord, l'Alpha du Sud, l'Alpha de l'Est et l'Alpha de l'Ouest. Chacun est plus dangereux, plus tordu et plus puissant que le précédent. Mais même entre eux, les alphas sont divisés, chacun poursuivant ses propres ambitions mortelles. Pourtant, ils ont tous les yeux rivés sur elle. Ils s'attendent à ce que Violet suive le mouvement, tombe dans les rangs comme les autres qui vénèrent à leurs pieds, qu'elle casse sous leurs jeux. Mais Violet n'est pas comme les autres. Elle refuse de s'incliner. Elle va tous les défier.

Dois séculos após a Grande Guerra, a paz entre humanos e lobisomens finalmente foi alcançada, ou assim todos acreditam. Lobisomens reinam como deuses, e os humanos permanecem blissfully inconscientes de seu verdadeiro lugar na nova ordem mundial. Para manter esse frágil equilíbrio, a cada ano, um punhado de humanos "sortudos" é selecionado de vários distritos para frequentar a Lunaris Academy, uma instituição prestigiosa que promete glória, status e uma chance de se misturar com a elite. Os escolhidos são celebrados como os poucos sortudos, destinados a casar-se com poderosos alfas e ascender como luna. Este ano, Violet Purple está entre os escolhidos, para surpresa de todos. Para uma garota órfã adotada por uma prostituta desonrada, este é um bilhete dourado para uma vida melhor, ou pelo menos é o que dizem a ela. Mas a Lunaris Academy não é o paraíso que aparenta ser. Tudo o que Violet e seus companheiros humanos foram ensinados é uma mentira. Os humanos estão longe de serem iguais; são peões em um jogo muito maior. A academia é nada mais do que uma gaiola dourada, e os alunos são cordeiros levados ao abate, brinquedos para os alfas se divertirem em seus jogos impiedosos. Para piorar as coisas, Violet chama a atenção dos jogadores mais perigosos deste jogo, os Quatro do Terror: o Alfa do Norte, Alfa do Sul, Alfa do Leste e Alfa do Oeste. Cada um é mais perigoso, mais perverso e mais poderoso que o anterior. Mas mesmo entre si, os alfas estão divididos, cada um com suas próprias ambições mortais. Ainda assim, todos têm os olhos sobre ela. Eles esperam que Violet siga o fluxo, caia na linha como os outros que adoram aos seus pés, se quebre sob seus jogos. Mas Violet não é como os outros. Ela se recusa a se curvar. Ela vai desafiá-los a todos.

"I've destroyed your face. Let's see how you'll seduce men now!" "I want to pluck all your hair too. Let's see how you'll seduce other married men!" The woman screamed while she cut off Mei Shu's hair. She then directly stabbed the scissors into her head and put an end to her pitiful life. Mei Shu had already been bedridden for over ten years. Her face was practically unrecognizable. Her four younger brothers were either injured, crippled, sick, or barely alive. This was all thanks to the woman next to her bed. Many years ago, Mei Shu's mother died in a car accident. Not long after that, her stepmother moved in with her stepsister, Mei Mu. Mei Shu's stepmother found a way to send Mei Shu to the countryside. After that, Mei Shu's stepmother and stepsister slowly took over all the Mei family's possessions. When Mei Shu was about to turn eighteen, they brought her home. The only reason they did that was to acquire the inheritance her mother left behind. After that, they kept plotting and scheming against her. They sowed discord between Mei Shu and her four younger brothers. Until the day Mei Shu died in the hospital, her brothers still had no idea she wasn't the one who started the fire that ruined their lives. After dying, Mei Shu refused to move on. She reincarnated to the time she was seventeen with her own system. She wanted to change her fate and rescue her brothers! In their previous lifetime, she and her brothers treated each other like enemies. In this lifetime... "Mei Shu, I'll do anything you tell me to," her first brother said. "Who dares to bully my sister?" Her second brother asked. "Mei Shu belongs to me!" Her third brother exclaimed. "Do you wish to marry my sister? Let's see if you have what it takes!" Her fourth brother uttered. [System: Quest completed! You'll be rewarded with a husband!"