Speculative fiction has become the umbrella term for encompassing Afrofuturism, science fiction, fantasy, horror, dystopian and utopian fiction. This is a highly popular and growing genre. Christopher Mlalazi is one of those Zimbabwean writers stretching their imagination beyond the current reality.

In Langabi: Seasons of the Beasts, Christopher exports us into the world of epic fantastical proportions. The tale unravels in the Kingdom of Langabi during the reign of King Diliza. The Kingdom is haunted by the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of Queen Sukumani. The narrative opens with an attack from the menacing Mihlolo. Owethu, a young man from a family of ironworkers is ordained to lead the battle for the survival of his family and ultimately his kingdom. It has been described as a riveting fast-paced novel detailing the lives and loves of the Langabi people. This book is the first title in what will be a trilogy.

Title: Langabi: The Season of Beasts

Author: Christopher Mlalazi

Publisher: Mother, imprint of Jacana Media

ISBN:978- 1776413515 

Christopher Mlalazi is well known author and playwright. He has written and staged eight plays. He is the co-winner of the 2008 Oxfam/Novib PEN Freedom of Expression Award for the play The Crocodile of Zambezi. He also penned a short story collection Dancing with Life: Tales from the Township (2008) for which he won the National Arts and Merit Award (NAMA 2008). He has authored six novels: Many Rivers (2009) Running with Mother (2012), which has been translated into German, Italian and Spanish. His other titles include, Giraffe Gets a Long Neck (2013), They are Coming (2014) and The Border Jumper (2019). . Mlalazi is an alumni of the Caine Prize Workshop, Iowa Writers Program (IWP), Feuchtwanger Fellow (USA), Nordic-Africa Institute (Sweden), Hannah-Ardent Scholarship (Germany), and Casa Refugio (Mexico City). He has contributed to several short story anthologies. He is on the platform formerly known as Twitter at @chrismlalazi.

#ZimbabweLitMonth is curated by novelist Sue Nyathi. She is a published Zimbabwean author of four fiction titles: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018), A Family Affair (2020), and An Angel’s Demise (2022). She also edited a nonfiction anthology titled When Secrets Become Stories, Women Speak Out (2021). You can visit her website here and follow her on Twitter at @SueNyathi.