Speculative Fiction

Note: My read but “waiting to be reviewed pile” is growing. Short rumination/tangents/impressions are a way to get through the stack before my memory and will fades. My website partially serves as a record of what I have read and a memory palace for future projects. Stay tuned for more detailed and analytical reviews.

1. George Alec Effinger’s The Wolves of Memory (1981)

Norman Walker’s cover for the 1st edition

4.75/5 (Near Masterpiece)

I read almost 150 pages of George Alec Effinger’s masterful The Wolves of Memory (1981) before setting it down almost two years ago. As is often the case, I do not have a single reason why. It certainly had nothing to do with its quality. Perhaps Effinger’s uncanny evocation of dementia (through a SF lens) felt a bit too real. Perhaps his ability to render deeply affective interactions hurt in a way I rarely feel in science fiction. The volume sat on my desk waiting to be completed. I picked it up a few days days ago and finished in one sitting. I’m glad I did.

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Photo of Chukwunonso Ezeiyoke’s Nigerian Speculative Fiction: The Evolution (2025)

Over the last few years, I have highlighted a smattering of the vast range of spectacular scholarship on science fiction in my reviews and Exploration Log series that intrigue me.¹ Today I have an interview with Chukwunonso Ezeiyoke about his brand new book Nigerian Speculative Fiction: The Evolution (2025), the first ever monograph on Nigerian speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) (SF). Due to the focus of my site and research interests, I focused my questions primarily on the historical portions of his book.

You can buy a copy directly from Routledge here or on Amazon. As academic works aren’t the cheapest, can also request your library procure a copy.

Let’s get to the interview and the fascinating world of Nigerian SF!

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