SciFi Novella Review: Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Riot Baby is the recently released novella from SF/F author Tochi Onyebuchi (Beasts Made Of Night, War Girls), known for his African Myth/History inspired SF/F.  Riot Baby takes a different approach: it's a near-SciFi (starting in the recent past, entering the present, and then featuring the near future) look at American instead, particularly Black America as it exists in today's United States, through the eyes of two Black siblings.

The result, as much of this literature has to be, is a story that is full of righteous anger.   The imagery within is brutal, and there is no happy ending here - but the story is powerful and worth your time, even if it's not unique - and honestly, the fact that this novella is not unique in its story or ending only adds to that power and urgency.


Plot Summary:  Ella has a Thing.  As a little child, that Thing simply manifested in nose bleeds and seeing the grim futures of the people around her in the South Central.  But after her brother Kev was born during the Rodney King riots, that Thing grew and grew more powerful - though she kept it hidden.  Then one day while they lived in Harlem, Ella saw another Black American dead on TV, and in panic, she vanished.  And while Ella was gone, Kev found himself on the wrong side of the police and landed in Rikers.

But through her Thing, Ella and Kev keep in touch.  And Ella will watch as Kev goes through the system, will see as the US moves forward in time how it tries to contain Black people in the name of safety, and will see only one path forwards....a path only she can take, through the use of her devastating powers.....

Thoughts:  Riot Baby is not a pleasant read.  The story bounces between Kev's (1st person) and Ella's (3rd person) viewpoint as time passes, as more and more of our own present occurs, as Kev gets put into the prison system, and as the US advances into a dystopian near future, sacrificing freedom for safety.  And with Ella's precognition, along with her other powers, she sees all of these things happening, personally through Kev and impersonally through the rest of the world.  The two remain tight, despite their separation and through their powers, leading to a powerful and angry conclusion, which I won't spoil here, but is not an optimistic one for our world.  And yet, it's hard to disagree, and the descriptive language makes it hard to come to any other conclusion that the one Ella does, one which suggests only through fire can this world be saved.

A Powerful novella I shouldn't say more of or else I'd spoil.