by Nisi Shawl
First published 2023
In an alternate 1890s Belgian Congo, African populations master steam technology before their European colonizers. Fabian Socialists from Britain team up with African American missionaries to purchase territory from King Leopold II, establishing Everfair as sanctuary for Congolese natives and returning former slaves. The settlement becomes a testing ground where different groups must navigate complex alliances. Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans forge relationships across cultural divides while building their utopian community. Steam-powered innovations give the residents advantages their oppressors lack, transforming the power dynamics of colonial exploitation. Multiple perspectives reveal how individuals from historically silenced communities shape this experimental society. The residents face the challenge of creating harmony among diverse populations while defending their refuge from external threats. Shawl transforms one of history's most brutal colonial disasters into an exploration of what might have been possible with different timing and technology.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, alternate-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, power-dynamics
Setting: Belgium, Congo, Everfair
Period: 1890s
384 pages · Paperback · Tor Books
Content warnings: colonialism