Three speculative fiction novels reckoning with family legacies

If you enjoy thrillers with a supernatural gothic or science fiction elements, check out these three recent novels by BIPOC authors.

My recent reads (unintentionally!) have shared a common theme of centering on characters grappling with intergenerational trauma as a result of historic tragedies—caused by or inflicted on ancestors. Each brings a level of humor or levity amidst the heaviness of the topics and offer fast paced, character driven page turners. What I love about each of these is how they utilized a speculative fiction storytelling approach to offer an entry point to understanding these actual historical happenings.

Esperance by Adam Oyebanji

What opens as murder mystery becomes an international multi-city science fiction thriller moving between the UK, US and Nigeria. The mystery of the seemingly impossible series of murders reveals itself to be rooted in unexpected elements related to the legacy of the Mid-Atlantic slave trade you’ll just need to read to find out.

Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick

I read this right after reading The Hidden Lives Of Trees, and it was such an amazing pairing to see the science of tree roots and mycelium put to use in this redwoods forest eco-horror novel. Set in a fictional town in Humboldt County, California, this story starts with Jasmine—a Black woman living in Oakland who returns to her predominantly white hometown after the death of her godmother—and deftly weaves together multiple generations’ stories in this logging community. The descriptions of the woods are so visceral that when they come alive as a reader you are deeply immersed in the action. It adds a new level of understanding of the cost of deforestation. (This book releases in January 2026; you can preorder on bookshop using the link below to ship anywhere in the US or use our preorder form to pick it up in store. )

The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo

I’m a big fan of Manibo’s novels, and in his third one he takes a turn from science fiction to gothic horror showing his ability to span genres but continue to bring his trademark ensemble cast of characters style. Similar to Humboldt Cut, the inciting incident is a death in the family which bring American college student Adrian and his girlfriend Sophie to the family’s colonial mansion in the Philippines. What ensues is an exploration of Filipino fact, folklore and fiction as family secrets unravel with both internal revelations and connections to the Marcos dictatorship.