Imaro's unfinished quest

[bibliogramma]

Charles Saunders:
Imaro
The Quest for Kush

The vast majority of epic/heroic fantasy written in English draws on the history and cultures of Europe for its inspiration - and particularly, medieval and renaisaance Europe. There have been exceptions over the years, and it is a good thing to know that those exceptions are growing in number. There's now a fair amount of epic fantasy that draws on East Asian and South Asian cultures, and even some that draws on American, Australasian, and some other Aboriginal cultures. But there's still not a lot that draws on African cultures - except, of course, for Egyptian and some other Mideast cultures.

Which brings me to the writing of Charles R. Saunders.

Back in the late 70s and early 1980s, Charles Saunders began writing heroic fantasy with settings drwn from the rich and varied cultures of Africa. The vast majority of his characters are Africans, not white men putting, in some fashion, their stamp on an unknown land.

This material was very much in the vein of Robert E. Howard's heroic fantasy, but it was written about black heroes, situated in fantasy realms based on black tradition, culture, history and belief, and it came from the mind and heart of a black man. And you know how rare that is in the world of fantasy and science fiction.

Saunder's main heroic character was Imaro, a young man who grows up as a pariah among his own people but goes on to become a great warrior with an evident destiny. He also wrote a group of short stories about the truly remarkable Dossouye, a black woman warrior in a time when it was still rare to find a woman warrior at all in science fiction or fantasy.

Sadly, we have never been, and may never be, permitted to read the fullness of Imaro's quest, or Dossouye's story.

DAW books published the first three novels of what, according to various interviews and other sources I've read, would have been a series of five or six novels that brought Imaro through a succession of preparatory quests and tasks until he was ready to meet his ultimate destiny.

But for a number of reasons, one of which was the serious error of describing the fist book, Imaro, as a novel about the "black Tarzan" (aside from the lawsuit that prompted, how can a black man born in Africa be anything like Tarzan?), DAW ceased publishing the series after the third volume and Charles Saunders withdrew from the field of fantasy writing.

Recently, Night Shade books reissued the first two volumes, Imaro and The Quest for Kush, with the intention of publishing all three previously published books, as well as the final books of Imaro's quest that Saunders had never completed, and even (this made my heart leap when I heard it) a Dossouye book.

But that's not going to be, it seems. Once more, the market for fantasy about black heroes written by black writers has proved to be insufficient, for whatever reason. Night Shade has announced that it will not be publishing the third volume, The TRail of Bohu, nor will it be publishing any new books by Saunders.

At least I did my part. I now have on my bookshelf the freshly re-read first two volumes of Saunders' novels. It was a great joy to read them again, becasue there's something in me that does love a Golden-Age style swords against sorcery hero. But I mourn that I will likely never learn the end of Imaro's journey, and I'll likely never read anything more about Dossouye. And that's a real shame.

Although, she says in a faint and wistful voice, if you ordered Saunders' two Imaro books right now from Night Shade, and told them how sad you are that they are not going to publish any more of Saunders' books, and promised to buy anything of his they print if they'd only reconsider, well then, maybe...

Comments

[indongcho.livejournal.com]

I hope Night Shade changes their minds, and if not, then I hope that Saunders can find a new publisher.

What exactly happened when he was published with DAW? Were they the ones who described the book that way?

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

Saunders discusses the problems with publication that led to DAW's dropping him in an interview here (http://www.zone-sf.com/crsaunders.html).

Charles Saunders in Back!!!!!!!!!

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is an announcement that I've been waiting to make for almost 6 months now..... an announcement that fills me with a sense of pride, accomplishment and satisfaction................ and an announcement that I hope excites many of you as much as it excites me!!!!!!!!

DOSSOUYE (A Sword and Soul Epic by Charles R. Saunders author of Imaro) is now 100% completed and available for purchase through Lulu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LINK>>>>> http://www.lulu.com/content/2322980

This project has been a total team effort and a culmination of the talents of Bro. Charles R. Saunders (author/griot extraordinaire) first and foremost, and the artistic genius of Bro. Mshindo Kuumba (Cover Illustrator)...... and to a lesser extent, myself (designer, point-man and publisher.)

The print on demand model has been a total success and leaves room for several major projects and announcements that are soon to come.

You ain't seen nothin' yet!!!!!!!!!! (Believe that.)

If you are a fan of fantastic fiction and fantasy that literally leaps off the page and challenges your imagination and senses, then this book is a MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!

FORWARD THE RENAISSANCE!!!!!!!!!!!

HOTEP!

URAEUS