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From the desk of Dhonielle Clayton
Every story deserves a place on the shelves, and as the weather cools and the leaves turn orange, October welcomes Black History Month in Britain. Spearheaded by Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, a Ghanaian-born coordinator, the inaugural celebration was organized with colleagues including Ansel Wong in London in 1987, the centenary of Jamaican-born Pan-Africanist leader Marcus Garvey’s birth, to ensure Black children developed pride around their heritage. Nearly four decades in, the tradition allows us all to remember to spotlight Black British stories that can often get lost on the shelves, and remember that reading diversely helps develop our own writing.
So, I’m challenging you to center Black British voices this October. Below is a list of recommended reads — recent books, one for each genre we coach at The Novelry, all written by Black British writers and all published in the last three years.
While every one of these novels is a standout story in its own right, each one also has a specific skill or strength that’s worth spending time with from a writer’s point of view.
Read them for pleasure, then read them again as a writer and see what you can learn from these talented authors as you move through your own creative process.
1. Call of the Dragon by Natasha Bowen
Young Adult Fiction
In the Kingdom of Kwa, 17-year-old temple initiate Moremi is marked by not one god, but two. With Nox, a devout priest’s son, and Zaye, her former bully, she has five days to find their dragon gods before dark spirits destroy their world. Bowen, author of Skin of the Sea, roots the magic in West African tradition.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how a ticking clock and a reluctant team drive this book’s plot. Read more in our article on pacing, and in this piece on the supporting characters of your novel.
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2. Champions of the Galaxy by Tọlá Okogwu
Children’s Fiction
When a group of aliens called the Omni land on Earth with a warning that something destructive is coming, they offer help — but only if humanity wins a contest. Kola and three other children from very different backgrounds are chosen as Earth’s champions, and they soon learn that winning might mean working together instead of competing. Okogwu, author of the Onyeka series, trades superpowered hair for outer space.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how the author builds an ensemble of child heroes, each with a clear want. The “Three-kids-in-a-trench-coat” Save the World model sparkles. This article dives deeper into characterization in children’s books.
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3. The Exes by Leodora Darlington
Mystery and Thriller
Natalie chose her husband, James, because he’s calm, competent, and kind: nothing like Marc, Luca, or George, the exes she tries never to think about. Then, on a night meant for celebrating, she finds herself holding a knife and realizing she’s been here before. Darlington, a London writer of Ghanaian heritage, has written one of the year’s buzziest debuts, with a narrator you can’t trust or put down.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how an unreliable narrator can make the reader complicit. Here are our three golden rules for writing such an untrustworthy protagonist.
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4. This Motherless Land by Nikki May
Historical Fiction
Lagos, 1978. After a car crash kills her mother and little brother, Funke Oyenuga is sent to her English mother’s family in Somerset, where only her cousin Liv takes her side. Spanning 14 years, May’s retelling of Mansfield Park asks who gets to belong in an English country house.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how a classic can become brand new when given a fresh perspective. You might then enjoy this piece on finding inspiration from long-loved fairy tales.
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5. Andromeda by E.S. McLeod
Fantasy
Andromeda is a princess of Aethiopia, and when her mother boasts of her beauty to Poseidon, the sea god lays a doom upon the girl. Only Ceto, a shape-shifting creature of the deep, sees her as more than a face. McLeod’s adult debut reclaims a woman centuries of art painted white and asks what beauty costs the one who carries it.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how a retelling can be in conversation with the original myth and breathe new life into the text. Find more examples in this article on retelling the Greek myths.
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6. The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
Science Fiction
In 6066, Asha Akindele toils as an indentured laborer on a desert planet under Emperor Thracin. In 1812, time traveler Obi Amadi finds a ghost in the British Museum. When their paths cross, a prophecy wakes and sends them across space against a tyrant. Jikiemi-Pearson, who is of Nigerian, Jamaican, and British-Australian heritage, writes about people who live where identities meet.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how two timelines can both build suspense before they converge. This breakdown will guide you as you weave dual timelines into your story.
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7. Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
Romantasy
Yeeran, a disgraced army colonel, is exiled alongside her sister Lettle, a seer. In the wilds they stumble on the fae, a people believed long gone, and one fatal mistake traps Yeeran in their court, drawn to a warrior princess with every reason to hate her. Shortlisted for the Pageturner Award at the 2025 British Book Awards, Faebound is a slow-burn sapphic romance inside a sweeping fantasy.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
A model for balancing romance and world-building to satisfy both readerships. To dive deeper, try our essential guide to writing romance as well as this expert advice on building your story world.
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8. Love by the Book by Jessica George
Contemporary and Women’s Fiction
Remy is a debut novelist running on empty, watching her closest friends drift away. Simone is fiercely independent until a hidden part of her life becomes public. They meet in a London bookshop and build the friendship neither knew they were missing, and Remy, without realizing it, begins writing her second novel from it. From the author of Maame.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
A friendship can carry the emotional arc a romance usually would and be just as powerful. To do this, you’ll need to know your characters inside and out, and this advice on writing complex characters can help you get there.
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9. Skate It Till You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Romance
Ari Shumba is a British ice hockey player, suddenly thrust into her team’s spotlight when a star teammate is injured. At a New Year’s Eve party in London she meets Drew Dlamini, an American photographer who is mid-career change, and they strike a deal: a fake relationship to keep Ari’s snowboarder ex at bay and get Drew the athlete access his portfolio needs. Then the Winter Olympics begin, and the pretending gets harder...
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how a competition calendar gives a fake-dating romance a great ticking time clock, causing readers to turn the page. Get the inside track on this guide to writing tropes, and in this exploration of the sports romance genre.
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10. Smallie by Eden McKenzie-Goddard
Literary Fiction
In 1961, Lucinda Brown sails from Barbados to London at just 19 years old. At 75, living in Hackney, she receives a letter from the Home Office threatening deportation. This debut moves between the two timelines to tell the story of the Windrush scandal through one woman’s life.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Study how a single character can make historical events feel personal and lived-in. Get more advice in our step-by-step guide to writing historical fiction.
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11. The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé
Horror
Manchester, 1896. Cast out by her father, bookbinder’s daughter Florence Granger talks her way into restoring the rare book collection at Rose Hall, where the lady of the house, Persephone Belfield, has recently died under strange circumstances. Shenjé’s debut puts a Black heroine inside the Victorian gothic with horror elements.
Takeaway for your writer toolkit
Read it for atmosphere and a twist you won’t see coming. Here are some ways to build atmosphere in your story, and some elements to consider when writing Gothic and ghostly fiction.
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