Convergence Problems - by Wole Talabi (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"A jaw-dropping collection....Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." --Publishers Weekly (starred review), and a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Spring 2024 Roundup pick

"For fans of Margaret Atwood's dystopian works and P. Djèlí Clark's speculative fiction, Convergence Problems provides an Afrocentric sf narrative that is sure to captivate." -- Raychel Bennet, Booklist (starred review)

"Written with an emotional economy few storytellers can master....A fascinating and riveting exploration of what the future may hold--for better or worse." --Kirkus

From the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Nommo award nominated author of Shigidi and The Brass Head Of Obalufon comes a stunning new collection of stories that investigate the rapidly changing role of technology and belief in our lives as we search for meaning, for knowledge, for justice; constantly converging on our future selves.

In "An Arc of Electric Skin," a roadside mechanic seeking justice volunteers to undergo a procedure that will increase the electrical conductivity of his skin by orders of magnitude. In "Blowout," a woman races against time and a previously undocumented geological phenomenon to save her brother on the surface of Mars. In "Ganger," a young woman trapped in a city run by machines must transfer her consciousness into an artificial body and find a way to give her life
purpose. In "Debut," Nairobi-based technical support engineer tries to understand what is happening when an AI art system begins malfunctioning in ways that could change the world.

The sixteen stories of Convergence Problems, which include work published for the first time in this collection, rare stories, and recently acclaimed work, showcase Talabi at his creative best: playful and profound, exciting and experimental, always interesting.

Review Quotes

Praise for Convergence Problems

"A jaw-dropping collection....Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Written with an emotional economy few storytellers can master....A fascinating and riveting exploration of what the future may hold--for better or worse." --Kirkus

"Deftly entwining his Nigerian culture with sf and Afrofuturism, Talabi uses each story to analyze Africa's rapidly evolving relationship with technology. For fans of Margaret Atwood's dystopian works and P. Djèlí Clark's speculative fiction, Convergence Problems provides an Afrocentric sf narrative that is sure to captivate." --Raychel Bennet, Booklist (starred review)

"Wole Talabi's Africanfuturist collection (sixteen stories, three of which are brand-new) recontextualizes folklore within mostly sci-fi trappings." --Natalie Zutter, LitHub

"Opening the borders between myth, science, and absurdism, the stories in Convergence Problems will fill you with wonder--and remind you, brilliantly, of all the nonsense and danger that stands between us and our dreams." --Annalee Newitz, author of The Terraformers and Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind

"If something inside me was waiting, it was for this book. Talabi fills a treasure chest of imagination with bold ideas and insights...a marvel.... Very highly recommended." --Julie E. Czerneda, author of To Each This World

Praise for the work of Wole Talabi

"A heist caper with sex, violence, and superpowers popping off every technicolor page. Readers are in for a rollicking thrill ride." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Wole Talabi has made a name for himself recently as a master of shorter works of fiction." --SciFi Mind

"Wole Talabi mixes literary skill with speculative SF abilities to make him one of the spearheads of the African revolution in speculative writing." --Geoff Ryman, Nebula Award-Winning author of The Child Garden and Air

"Wole Talabi is a brilliant short fiction writer." --Alex Jennings, author of The Ballad of Perilous Graves

"These are amazing narratives which show assiduous reflection on science, emotion, mysticism, and philosophy...each story is prose that gently tickles the forebrain. Recommended." --Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater

"A high octane thriller that is simply unputdownable. This remarkable debut rocked my world." --T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead

"Fast and sharp as talons." --Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls and Broken Monsters

"Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

WOLE TALABI is an engineer, writer, and editor from Nigeria. He is the author of the novel Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (DAW books/Gollancz, 2023). His short fiction has appeared in places like Asimov's Science Fiction, Lightspeed Magazine, Tor.com and is collected in the books Convergence Problems (DAW books, 2024) and Incomplete Solutions (Luna Press, 2019). He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, as well as the Caine Prize for African Writing and he has won the Nommo award for African speculative fiction and the Sidewise award for Alternate History. He has edited five anthologies including the acclaimed Africanfuturism: An Anthology (Brittlepaper, 2020) and Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology (Android Press, 2023). He likes scuba diving, elegant equations, and oddly shaped things. He currently lives and works in Australia. Find him at wtalabi.wordpress.com and at @wtalabi on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Tiktok.