Featuring a reprint of my short story “Élan Vital“

“With topics ranging from slavery to space travel, the impressive breadth of this anthology makes for a well-rounded survey. Readers, writers, and scholars alike will find great value here.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

A deluxe edition of new writing and neglected perspectives.

Dystopia, apocalypse, gene-splicing, cloning and colonization are explored here by new authors and combined with proto-sci-fi and speculative writing of an older tradition (by W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin R. Delany, Sutton E. Griggs, Pauline Hopkins and Edward Johnson) whose first-hand experience of slavery and denial created their living dystopia.

With a foreword by Alex Award-winning novelist Temi Oh, an introduction by Dr. Sandra M. Grayson, author of Visions of the Third Millennium: Black Science Fiction Novelists Write the Future (2003), and invaluable promotion and editorial support from Tia Ross and the Black Writers Collective and more, this latest offering in the Flame Tree Gothic fantasy series focuses on an area of science fiction which has not received the attention it deserves. Many of the themes in Sci-fi reveal the world as it is to others, show us how to improve it, and give voice to the many different expressions of a future for humankind.

The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Praise for Élan Vital

“…a deeply poignant story…”
—Scientific American

“…moving and one that served to really get under the skin. The imagery here is striking, and really sits with you for a good while.”
—Elle Turpitt, Divination Hollow Reviews

“[the story] on one level is an exploration of love and sacrifice, in particular the powerful love for one’s mother. On another level, it’s a critique of the medical system, and our culture of disparity, wherein things which are perfectly possible are only available to the wealthy; the not-so-wealthy must sacrifice everything to keep up…”
—Arley Sorg, Lightspeed Magazine

“K. Tempest Bradford manages to cram a lot in this relatively short piece. While the science fiction aspects and ramifications might appeal to genre readers, what drew me to this story is how Bradford attaches a human component to the narrative and everything else grows out of that. Her protagonist is not only sympathetic but her unique situation could only have been pulled off in the medium of prose. …as it is, the chronology is just right, and Bradford crafts a story with emotional resonance.”

—Charles Tan, Bibliophile Stalker

“A story of dealing with loss, of holding on, and of letting go. The execution is superb, even if the premise feels somewhat familiar…”
—Tom Crosshill