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A rip-roaring lost worlds thriller written in the early 1900s by a pioneering black writer of black fiction. The story of Reuel is fuelled by love, betrayal and a heavy undertow of the supernatural; an impulsive medical student, he travels from Boston to Ethiopia, discovers a hidden city, ancient treasure and his own heritage. A new edition with a new introduction which considers Pauline Hopkin's development of the social and racial themes also explored by W.E.B. Du Bois. A new title in Foundations of Black Science Fiction series.
Foundations of Black Science Fiction. New forewords and fresh introductions give long-overdue perspectives on significant, early Black proto-sci-fi and speculative fiction authors who wrote with natural justice and civil rights in their hearts, their voices reaching forward to the writers of today. The series foreword is by Dr Sandra Grayson.
About the author
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1859–1930) was a pioneering African-American novelist, playwright and journalist, whose work, such as the romance novel Contending Forces, often explored race and social issues. As an editor and director of The Colored American Magazine, she wielded significant literary and cultural influence.
Patty Nicole Johnson writes sci-fi that envisions a more equitable society. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in New American Legends, On the Seawall, Midnight & Indigo, Constelación and Flame Tree’s Black Sci-Fi Short Stories. She is also revising her debut novel, The Rhythm of Reveries and has been a panellist at FIYAHCON.
Dr. Sandra M. Grayson is a tenured full professor in the English Department at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her publications include the books Visions of the Third Millennium; Symbolizing the Past; A Literary Revolution; and Sparks of Resistance, Flames of Change.
Summary
A lost worlds thriller written in 1902 by a pioneering black writer of black fiction. The story of Reuel is fuelled by love, betrayal and a heavy undertow of the supernatural; an impulsive medical student he travels from Boston to Ethiopia, discovers a hidden city, ancient treasure and his own heritage. New edition with a new introduction.
