Then, around the beginning of the 2000s, with the Imaro novels long since out of print, I discovered that I had more company than Id realized, such as Sheree Renee Thomas, editor of the Dark Matter anthologies; Amy Harlib, writer and interviewer; Carole McDonnell, author of Wind Follower; Brother Uraeus, creator of Jaycen Wise; Gregory Walker, author of the Memnon series; Mshindo Kuumba, artist extraordinaire, and many others.
As it turns out, more than a few people are writing African-based fantasy stories these days. And more non-stereotypic black characters are appearing in stories set in non-black milieus. The work of writers such as Joe Abercrombie (The First Law trilogy) and Paul Kearney (The Monarchies of God series) are examples of the latter trend. And I feel damn good about that.
The contact I cherish above all others, though, is the one I made in 2007 with Milton J. Davis. That contact was the beginning of a friendship that has led to our joint editorship of this anthology.
Milton is one of the most talented, creative, and energetic people I have ever known. Without having read or heard of my Imaro stories, he developed his own alternate-Africa setting and wrote a pair of epic novels – Meji and Meji II – which tell the story of how the destiny of twin brothers separated at birth affects the fate of their continent, Uhuru. He has also written a novel about a merchant-warrior named Changa, who cuts a wide swath of derring-do on the East Coast of the Africa of our world during the time before European exploration and colonization.
Even through the middleman also known as the Internet, meeting Milton was like finding a previously unknown sibling – a “sword-and-soul brother.” I’m proud to have worked with him to make Griots a reality.
So, what in – or out of – the world is this thing called sword-and-soul?
* * *
The term came about during a conversation I had with Brother Uraeus. At one point, I said: “Yes, I’m writing sword-and-sorcery fiction. But considering the African-based setting, I ought to call it ‘sword, sorcery, and soul.’” That phrase seemed a bit awkward, though.
Then it hit me. “Or maybe it should be called ‘sword-and-soul.’”
Those three words sparked great enthusiasm in Uraeus, and I gave him permission to use it as the designator of his nascent publishing company, Sword & Soul Media. Since then, Sword & Soul Media has published two of my Imaro novels, along with a volume featuring Dossouye, my Black Amazon.
Sword-and-soul is a broad term, not a confining one. Essentially, it is fantasy fiction with an African connection in either the characters or the setting ... or both. The setting can be the historical Africa of the world we know, or the Africa of an alternate world, dimension or universe. But that’s not a restriction, because a sword-and-soul story can feature a black character in a non-black setting, or a non-black character in a black setting. Caveat: Tarzan of the Apes need not apply.
A sword-and-soul story may also be set in a future in which science and magic have become interchangeable, or one in which modern technology has long since been lost. Regardless of the setting, magic and heroism form the underpinnings of sword-and-soul.
Just as soul music can include everything from blues to hip hop, sword-and-soul encompasses everything from Imaro to ... well, go ahead and read the stories in this book and you’ll see.
A Gathering At The Meeting Tree
By
Milton J. Davis
There must be more. These four words drifted in and out of my thoughts as I typed the words of my first novel, Meji. Of course, I had no way of proving it. All my searching had turned up nothing. No matter how hard I looked, no one had ever written an African based sword and sorcery book.
But the scientist in me knew better. Ten years prior I’d submerged myself in African history, culture and mythology. Segu, the excellent historical fiction novel by Marse Conde sparked my imagination and my efforts. I had expected to find few books and sources but instead I was overwhelmed with information. Shifting through it all I realized I had discovered my passion and eagerly set about writing the type of stories I always wanted to read. This was when those four words first entered my head.
In 2005 I finally focused my efforts and began writing Meji. I pulled together my scattered notes and prose that had accumulated over twenty years, the four words still lingering in my head. Then it happened. I discovered a book titled Dark Matters. As I read the stories, I came across a story titled Gimmile’s Songs, a story about a female warrior woman named Dossouye penned by Charles R. Saunders. I immediately took to the internet, attempting to find out more about this writer. I came up with nothing. Years later as I worked on Meji I took to the internet on my periodic search and there he was. Nightshade Books had re-released Imaro and Charles R. Saunders was everywhere. I immediately purchased Imaro and was overjoyed. It was exactly what I had been searching for.
Once again, I sought him out and was finally able to meet him and came up empty. Then hope sprang forth again. Uraeus, a member of Black Super Hero started a thread announcing that Nightshade Books was dropping Imaro but that he was going to continue producing the books for Charles through Sword and Soul Media. I quickly contacted Uraeus who was kind enough to put me in contact with Charles. At that point a great friendship began and I learned that Charles had coined a name for what I wrote: Sword and Soul.
So, I was not alone, but the words still lingered. There must be more. And there were. As Charles and I released our works and networked through the Black Science Fiction Society and across the cyber universe we found them. Some were published writers delving in other genres; others
