In the mythical African Kingdom of Uju, tragedy strikes down a renown herbalist Janu with a sleeping sickness. Janu’s husband Chief Len—a Hand of the god, Gbew—and his son Fren must undertake a journey to the god's ibudo to find a cure. But there will be a price to be paid for this cure, and Fren will be the one to pay it. What ensues is a tale of magic, hardship, achillean romance, redemption, and finding one’s true self. Direct from the incredibly inventive mind of Dare Segun Falowo, author of Caged Ocean Dub, this new story takes you into the fantastically imagined, layered, and nuanced, world of Uju.

Dare Segun Falowo is a writer in the Nigerian Weird. Their work draws on cinema, indigenous cosmologies, pulp fiction & a lived surreality. Their words have appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Dark, Baffling, Omenana, and more. In 2018, they were longlisted for the Miles Morland Scholarship for African Writing. They have contributed to the essential anthologies of black speculative fiction: Dominion and Africa Risen. Their slipstream epic, ‘Convergence in Chorus Architecture’, was shortlisted for the Subjective Chaos Kind Of Awards and longlisted for the BSFA for Short Fiction. It was also translated into Italian by Zona42 (Convergenza nell’architettura del coro/Convergence in the Architecture of God), and Bengali by Joydhak Prakashan (Aagami Ratrir Upakhyant/Tales From The Other Night: Contemporary African Speculative Fiction). Their work appears in The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Vol. 2, and also in Horror Library 7 and the Were Tales Anthology, where they wrote as Baba Jide Low. Their debut collection of stories, Caged Ocean Dub released in 2023, and is published in the US, the UK, and Nigeria. They currently live in Lagos, Nigeria.

Get ‘Sindi Fair’ here:

Direct from ZamaShort in our Bundle or by Subscription: https://selfany.com/s/ZamaShort 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FRY5H31R 
(Also Amazon UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, IN)
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/sindi-fair/id6752811338 
Libby: https://share.libbyapp.com/title/12357103 
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/se/en/ebook/sindi-fair 
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sindi-fair-dare-segun-falowo/1148344147 
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1860146 
Fable: https://fable.co/book/x-978919829139 
Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1076905784 
Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9789198291391_9789198291391_10020/sindi-fair 

The ZamaShort imprint series is solely focused on the amazing powerhouse that is the short story. We give each short story its own publication so that it may be read and enjoyed fully as a stand-alone publication. As per the StoryTime Publishing mandate initialised in 2007, ZamaShort continues to champion and add to the ever-growing canon of African literature excellence and diversity.

ZamaShort #5 ‘The Smell of Rain’ by Libby Young

In the near future the Climate Crisis rages on relentlessly. On a farm, in the all but abandoned Cape Province in South Africa it has not rained for years, and yet Tilda and her dog Alfie somehow survive. Tilda’s life has shrunk down to a series of lonely routines in an echo of a life long gone. Until the day a desperate young boy breaks her isolation and everything changes.

Born in Zambia, Libby Young lived in various parts of southern Africa before settling in Cape Town. With a background in journalism that segued into web development, she now teaches English as a second language to adults from all over the world at the University of Cape Town, where she is also working towards a doctorate that combines environmental and cultural geography with literary studies.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN4LY7D2
(Also Amazon UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, IN)

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-smell-of-rain/id6751289360

Kobo: www.kobo.com/ebook/the-smell-of-rain-5

Libby: https://share.libbyapp.com/title/12223047

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-smell-of-rain-libby-young/1148080805

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1837096

Fable: https://fable.co/book/x-9789198291384

Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1076613719

Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9789198291384_9789198291384_10020/the-smell-of-rain

The ZamaShort imprint series is solely focused on the amazing powerhouse that is the short story. We give each short story its own publication so that it may be read and enjoyed fully as a stand-alone publication. As per the StoryTime Publishing mandate initialised in 2007, ZamaShort continues to champion and add to the ever-growing canon of African literature excellence and diversity.

In a remote solar system, a routine planet human-seeding run has gone terribly wrong. Racing against the clock, before their mothership leaves the system and strands them, two bio-farmers Karlyn and Cruz must solve their dilemmas. They are not only battling with incomprehensible system errors and time, but also with unresolved personal issues and the long shadow of their inequitable upbringing. Failure is not an option.

“Carmelo is a real talent. Here, he brings us a bleeding-edge story of biotech in a gripping thriller of far-future planetary colonization. But, even more than that, he explores the nature of society and what drives us. An excellent story.” — Gustavo Bondoni.

“Intriguing and original, this tale features a surprising amount of detail and world-building. Despite being a short story, the window through which we glimpse the world of the story is well realised. The prose is excellent, the characters feel real and the challenges they face have modern day parallels that make the story relatable and compelling. This is science fiction that is heavy on the science but the details come across as informed and believable. Overall, a very enjoyable read.” — Tej Turner.

Carmelo Rafalà, a child of Sicilian immigrants, travelled the world and somehow managed to finish his MA in Comparative English Literature at the University of South Africa. His stories have been published in various anthologies and cross genres, from science fiction to gothic horror. His fiction has been praised by such outlets as The LA Review of Books, SF Revu, and BlackNerdProblems. He is a 2024 SFFSA Nova Award winner for his story, ‘The Stars Must Wait’.  A collection of his fiction will be released later in 2025. His novella, The Madness of Pursuit, was published by Guardbridge Books. He currently resides on the south coast of England.

Released: 1st August 2025.

Get it here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJFJHQK4
(Also available at Amazon: UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, IN)
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-clarity-of-ice/id6748969893
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/se/en/ebook/the-clarity-of-ice
Libby: https://share.libbyapp.com/title/12126068 
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-clarity-of-ice-carmelo-rafala/1147877616
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1815804
Fable: https://fable.co/book/x-9789198291377
Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1076305078 
Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9789198291377_9789198291377_10020/the-clarity-of-ice

The ZamaShort imprint series is solely focused on the amazing powerhouse that is the short story. We give each short story its own publication so that it may be read and enjoyed fully as a stand-alone publication. As per the StoryTime Publishing mandate initialised in 2007, ZamaShort continues to champion and add to the ever-growing canon of African literature excellence and diversity.

The world is in chaos, climate crisis, wars, extinctions, inequality, poverty, and pandemics, and one Yoruba god has just had enough. Abandoning centuries of non-interference the Great God Sango; Orisha of Orishas; God of Thunder, Fire, and Lightning; God of Justice and Leadership, returns to Earth, and he’s not alone.

Zainab Omaki is a Nigerian writer currently completing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded the Miles Morland African Writers Scholarship. Her essays, fiction, and literary criticism have appeared in Five Points, The Los Angeles Review, Passages North, Transition Magazine, The Rumpus, and other publications. Her novel-in-progress has received support from the University of Bayreuth in Germany, the Jan Michalski Foundation in Switzerland, and the Nebraska Arts Council. She currently serves as Assistant Nonfiction Editor at Prairie Schooner.

The ZamaShort imprint series is solely focused on the amazing powerhouse that is the short story. We give each short story its own publication so that it may be read and enjoyed fully as a stand-alone publication. As per the StoryTime Publishing mandate initialised in 2007, ZamaShort continues to champion and add to the ever-growing canon of African literature excellence and diversity.

Get it here:

Amazon US (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1VDP63L)
(Also: UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, IN)
Apple: (https://books.apple.com/us/book-series/zamashort/id1802930815)
Kobo: (https://www.kobo.com/se/en/ebook/the-last-and-final-battle)
Google Play: (https://play.google.com/store/books/series?id=ZEt5HAAAABAcVM)
Libby: (https://share.libbyapp.com/title/12038423)
B&N: (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/ZamaShort)
Smashwords: (https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/129158)
Thalia: (https://www.thalia.de/suche?sq=ZamaShort)
Vivlio: (https://shop.vivlio.com/serie/storytime-zamashort/261261)
Fable: (https://fable.co/book/x-9789198291360)
Angus and Robertson: (https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/ebooks/the-last-and-final-battle-zainab-omaki/p/9789198291360)

Review copies available on request, or if you have any questions, please contact: zama1short@gmail.com

In the far future on the outer reaches of the great human space diaspora Hannali and her husband Mika toil daily under alien skies on their farm. On a break into town Hannali spots Summer, a childhood friend, on a scaffold waiting to be hanged. What ensues is a touching tale of choices made, different paths taken, bonds formed and broken, what makes us who we are, and how we travel through life.

Nerine Dorman is a South African author and editor of science fiction and fantasy currently living in Cape Town, with short fiction published in numerous anthologies. Her novel Sing down the Stars won Gold for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2019 and The Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Children's and Youth Literature in 2021. Her YA fantasy novella Dragon Forged was a finalist in the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2017. Her short story ‘On the Other Side of the Sea’ (Omenana, 2017) was shortlisted for a 2018 Nommo award. Her novella The Firebird won a Nommo for “Best Novella” in 2019. In addition, she is a founding member of the SFF authors’ co-operative Skolion, and the curator of the South African Horrorfest Bloody Parchment event and short story competition.

The ZamaShort imprint series is solely focused on the amazing powerhouse that is the short story. We give each short story its own publication so that it may be read and enjoyed fully as a stand-alone publication. As per the StoryTime Publishing mandate initialised in 2007, ZamaShort continues to champion and add to the ever-growing canon of African literature excellence and diversity.

Get it here:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9LCNRKV 
(Also: UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, IN)
Libby: https://share.libbyapp.com/title/11958242 
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/summer/id6746262119 
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-nerine-dorman/1147460895
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/se/en/ebook/summer-247 
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1775172 
Fable: https://fable.co/book/x-9789198291353 
Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1075458736
Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9789198291353_9789198291353_10020/summer
Angus and Robertson: https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/ebooks/summer-nerine-dorman/p/9789198291353 

Review copies available on request, or if you have any questions, please contact: zama1short@gmail.com