Decolonize Your Adult Fantasy Reads with 7 Books

by Frankie - November 26, 2020

For a genre about new worlds, mythical beasts, and magical heroes, fantasy has been historically very white, male, and imperialist. It always cheers me up to see more non-Western-inspired fantasy, but to truly decolonize your mindset, you have to go deeper: grapple with history, understand the nuances of culture, and separate yourself from subconscious biases.

Let's decolonize adult SFF. Here’s a short list of books that tackle non-Western culture, history, and have an anti-imperialist message. Smart, nerdy, but socially relevant.

[This was originally posted as a thread on Twitter here]

THE POPPY WAR

This epic is half-fantasy, half-historical. Inspired by Chinese history, it tackles war, classism, colorism, and anti-imperialism. A stellar read that deserves all the hype. Super complex deep dive. The author is a historian; she KNOWS her stuff.

It helps to have at least some surface level knowledge of Chinese history and culture and Asian geopolitics here. It takes place in a fantasy 20th century so there’s the Sino-Japanese war, British colonialism, even indigenous suppression. Fully immerse yourself in the mindset.

THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO

More visible in its sequel, THE IKESSAR FALCON, but you have to start here. This Filipino-inspired fantasy begins as a queen’s adventure to reunite with her husband and escape trouble. But it also explores sexism, regionalism, imperialism, and class divides all from a native Filipino lens.

Most striking is how our queen grapples with her privilege, and how this affects her relationships with her subordinates. Motherhood, duty & love, filial piety, teleserye-level romance. Mirrors relevant Philippine social issues from past & present

References may fly over your head if you aren’t Filipino, but I think it’s universal enough. If you ARE Filipino, then this is a must read.

QUEEN OF THE CONQUERED

This Caribbean fantasy tackles slavery and European colonialism head-on. Most interesting, however, is the fact that our native Caribbean protagonist is a local elite who profits off the oppression of her own people. Very dark, very nuanced take.

If you want a complex novel that tackles slavery but ISN’T USA-centric, then this is for you.

A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE

This Aztec-inspired space opera centers its SF worldbuilding on culture: mainly language and literature. Our ambassador protagonist may be an outsider, but in some ways she loves & understands the Imperial culture better than her own. Isn’t that familiar?

THE BLACK GOD’S DRUMS

Now for something more lighthearted. This is a fun African mythology-inspired fantasy novella set in a steampunk New Orleans. Wildly original, cute, and easily digestible. Features a younger protagonist, but manages to tackle mature themes.

BATTLE ROYALE

So, reading this will make you realize how much of a rip-off The Hunger Games is. Takes place in an alternate Republic of Greater East Asia (ehem), with staunch anti-establishment themes. Very good insight into the late 90s Japanese youth mindset.

Bonus: MEXICAN GOTHIC

Ok, this is horror, but the gothic genre is RIPE for re-writing from a marginalized lens. Not only is this super fun & spooky, but Moreno-Garcia also tackles racism and eugenics—seemingly outdated gothic tropes that are creeping back into the world today.