Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction From the African Diaspora

Rating: 5/5

The Dark Matter speculative fiction anthology is a masterfully curated collection of work from important voices in speculative fiction including Jewelle Gomez, Octavia E. Butler, and Samuel R. Delaney. Rather than reviewing each story or the book holistically, I am focusing on my favorite piece from Dark Matter, “The Space Traders” by Derrick Bell.

Derrick Bell is often thought of as one of the foundational voices of critical race theory, and this shows in his short story “The Space Traders.” Bell tells the story of a United States that is struggling economically and with natural resources. So when a aliens, who sound a lot like Ronald Reagan, offer US leaders loads and loads of gold, chemicals that can unpolluted the environment, and safe nuclear power, it seems like an offer worth considering. But in exchange for these resources, the aliens want to take all African Americans for unknown purposes.

“The Space Traders” explores the process of US leaders evaluating this trade offer and determining if the US should move forward with this deal. The story is interesting, but it’s how Bell weaves in sophisticated perspectives on race that is truly captivating, and especially relevant to the tomfoolery we’re living through now. Consider the following excerpt:

Oblivious of the whites in the audience, Golightly said, “I realize that our liberal white friends continue to reassure us. ‘This is America,’ they tell us. ‘It can’t happen here.’ But I’ve noticed that those whites who are most vigorous in their assurances are least able to rebut the contrary teaching of both historic fact and present reality. Outside civil rights gatherings like this, the masses of black people—those you claim to represent but to whom you seldom listen—are mostly resigned to the nation’s acceptance of the Space Traders’ offer. For them, liberal optimism is smothered by their life experience.

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest sf fan, but I absolutely loved Dark Matter, and I firmly believe a big part of that is not hearing the same white voices and stories that sometimes dominate the genre. Dark Matter is a fantastic way to explore the sci-fi world and read some of the voices that shaped sf. Dark Matter will challenge you, make you sad, and, most importantly, give you an appreciation for speculative fiction.