Popular African Horror Books
Find horror books written by authors from Africa for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (10)
1.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver EN
MalawiDescription:
A terrifying 1930s ghost story set in the haunting wilderness of the far north.
2.
Dark Moons Rising on a Starless Night by Mame Bougouma Diene EN
SenegalDescription:
Fistulas There's a village that lies in the shade of a giant tree. Humanitarian Dr. Salio discovers that the children living there need assistance and to be studied, but is there any cure for when tradition and horror are one and the same? The Whores, The Dealer and The Diamond The most beautiful things are found in the darkest of places, just as hope is found in the darkest of moments. Sometimes darkness overcomes them all. Popobawa You can find everything in Zanzibar. It grows on the side of the road, shinning white baobabs, pineapples, nutmeg, and the essence of Chanel N°5. And demons. Blac... continue
3.
The Committee by Sonallah Ibrahim EN
EgyptDescription:
This wry take on Kafka’s novel The Trial revolves around its narrator’s attempts to petition successfully the elusive ruling body of his country, known simply as “the Committee.” Consequences for his actions range from the absurd to the hideous. Ibrahim offers an unbroken first-person narrative rendered in brief, crisp prose framed by a conspicuous absence of vivid imagery. Furthermore, the petitioner is a man without identity. The ideal antihero, he remains, as does his country, unnamed throughout the intricate plot with a locale suggestive of 1970s Cairo. The Committee pierces the inflammato... continue
4.
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years : A Novel by Shubnum Khan EN
Country: Africa / 
South Africa
South Africa
Description:
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE "Rich and swoony...an ambitious delight, with rich characters and some exceptionally lovely writing...This is the start of a major career." -- The New York Times Book Review AN INDIE NEXT PICK A LIBRARY READS PICK “A dark and heady dream of a book” (Alix E. Harrow) about a ruined mansion by the sea, the djinn that haunts it, and a curious girl who unearths the tragedy that happened there a hundred years previous Akbar Manzil was once a grand estate off the coast of South Africa. Nearly a century later, it stands in ruins: an isolated boardinghouse f... continue
5.
NigeriaDescription:
A dead child is cast into the evil forest by the clansmen in a burial ritual steeped in dark superstitions. His grieving mother, Desee, resorts to desperate and terrifying measures to bring him back to life. Desee's quest will force her to make some terrible choices, and with the diabolical help of a powerful witch-doctor, embark on a harrowing journey that will end in deadly consequences, culminating in a trial by ordeal underneath the infamous Tree of Truth.
6.
The Wolf at Number 4 by Ayo Tamakloe-Garr EN
GhanaDescription:
Desire Mensah, a disgraced schoolteacher in her thirties, sees moving to sleepy little Cape Coast, Ghana, as her chance to get away from a shameful secret not buried deeply enough. And maybe, just maybe, she will find the love she craves and the husband her mother craves for her. But in Cape Coast, the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past. That’s the kind of thing Wolfgang “Wolf” Ofori would say. Everyone says the eleven-year-old is a genius—eccentric though he is—and is bound to win Wonderkids, a quiz competition ordinarily for high school students. Wolf and Desire form a strange friendship, e... continue
7.
The Year of Return by Ivana Akotowaa Ofori EN
Description:
When the spirits of the enslaved, those who perished in the harrowing Middle Passage, rise from the depths and spread across the world, journalist Adwapa finds herself caught in a whirlwind of supernatural events and historical reckonings.
8.
Them : An Extreme Horror Novella by Mique Watson EN
Country: Africa / South Africa
South Africa
Description:
Jeanette thought she'd get to enjoy the cozy, rainy evening after the hellacious week she'd just endured. Snuggled up on her couch with her Labrador, Nico, everything seemed perfect. Rest couldn't come sooner. Then it happened. The program on the television cut to black. EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. Jeanette's heart stops. The signal is choppy, yet the message is clear: "They look like people." And then the power goes out. Someone knocks on the door. It is soon made clear to Jeanette that the world she once knew has ended. The place she once called home is now anything but. The world beyond the... continue
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