Imaro (novel)
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Imaro is a dark fantasy novel written by Charles R. Saunders, and published by Daw Books in 1981. It was probably the first foray into the sword and sorcery arena by a black author. The novel was a carefully chosen collection of six short stories (Mawanzo, Turkhana Knives, The Place of Stones, Slaves of the Giant Kings, Horror in the Black Hills, and The City of Madness) which were originally published in Dark Fantasy a fanzine published by Canadian comic book artist Gene Day during the 1970's. According to this citation on the website Science Fiction Citations the term Dark Fantasy may have come into regular use because of Gene Day's fanzine.
Imaro was the first book in a proposed series of novels about the titular character set in the fantasy world of Nyumbani, but a lawsuit by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate over a poorly chosen cover quote The Epic Novel of a Black Tarzan, caused a one month delay in shipping as the books had to be reprinted which led to poor sales.[1] Saunders wrote and had published two more books in the series, The Quest for Cush in 1984 and The Trail of Bohu in 1985.[1]
In 2006 a small publishing company named Night Shade Books made a deal with Saunders to publish an updated edition of Imaro. This new edition excludes The Slaves of the Giant-Kings novella which Saunders felt held too many parallels to the present day Rwandan Genocide.[1] A new story, The Afua, replaces it.
| "Imaro was his name - Imaro of the Ilyassai, Imaro the outcast, Imaro the legendary hero of the jungle continent. This is the epic, action packed novel of how Imaro achieved manhood, won his rights among the people, and began his long march against the fantastic and unearthly terrors of that alternate-Africa known as Nyumbani."
Daw Books 1981 |
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] Setting
main article: Nyumbani
[edit] List of characters
The characters in this section are listed in their order of appearance.
- Katisa - Imaro's mother, she asks the Ilyassai to raise him as a warrior
- Chitendu - Ilyassai sorcerer and servant of the Mashataan
- Imaro - son of Katisa, son of no father
- Kanoko - an Ilyassai, the childhood enemy of Imaro
- Bomunu - Zanjian member of Imaro's war band turned traitor
- Tanisha - Kahutu woman who becomes Imaro's companion
- Pomphis - Bambuti Pygmy scholar and former jester, now friend to Imaro
