Books by Brenda Cooper

Brenda Cooper examines the work of the new generation of African writers who have placed migration as central to their writing.

When humans can create new species, what rights do they have over the beings they create?The Making War is the long-awaited final book in the award-winning series that began with The Silver Ship and the Sea.Six genetically engineered children fought to survive in a small town where everyone hated what they were, on a difficult planet full of out-sized predators with long teeth and sharp claws. Because they were stronger than the colonists, they found a way to live, and eventually a way to leave.Alicia wants nothing more than to fly.But if she survives the dangerous transformation that will give her wings, she will become a slave.In the meantime, her ex-lover Joseph plans to fight for her freedom in a battle between two opposing planets. Powerful fleets are about to meet in the empty dark of space, and he wants neither to win. For help, he has his family, including his pacifist sister and his border collie.

Six friends work to stave off a war that will cross five planets.Together again after being separated for years, six heroes are banished from their Fremont...and they may have accidentally started a war in their home system. Their mentor, Marcus, stops them halfway home and tells them they must go to the planet Lopali, home of humans who have been genetically enhanced to fly. But although they can fly, they cannot reproduce, and they are held as pseudo-slaves by the people who created them. Marcus leads them into a last-ditch effort to stave off full-out war over the right for one being to own another. From the Endeavor Award Winning Author of The Silver Ship and the Sea

The colony planet of Fremont was supposed to be free of all geneticallyaltered beings--a new home for a pure race. So when six genetically altered children were abandoned on Fremont, they were not welcome. They vowed to get off the planet by any means necessary. Joseph and the others managed to escape, although Joseph finds their new home hostile, frightening, and deeply challenging. Chelo is left behind with her new-found love, Liam, and her best friend, the troubled Kayleen. Both sets of teens must contend with hostile adults, daunting environments, and unexpected challenges. And when Chelo's very life is threatened, Joseph must find a way to save her.

This issue of African Literature Today focuses on new novels by emerging as well as established African novelists.

The world, for some, has crumbled.Disease and natural disasters have brought on social collapse in the Pacific Northwest.For Sage, born and raised in the safe haven of the Oregon Botanical Gardens, that has never been more than academic. What more could she ask for than to be safe and fed?But life in the Garden is static.Sage longs to experience the world beyond the Garden walls as society climbs from the chaos. Her reckless exploration forces her elders to give her a choice: Stay here, hidden in safety, or go and never return.Sage chooses to leave.Will she learn soon enough on her journey that the world outside the Garden follows no law? That there is no predator more dangerous than man?Will she learn soon enough that to rebuild the world one must be ready to fight for it?She will need to if she chooses to live.

Young prisoners of war for as long as they can remember . . . Prisoners of a war they barely remember, Fremont''s Children must find a way to survive in a world that abhors their very nature. Or they must discover a way to leave it... Six genetically enhanced children are stranded on the colony planet Fremont in a war between genetic purists and those that would tinker with the code. Orphaned, the children have few remnants of their heritage other than an old woman who was abandoned at the end of the war, and a mysterious silver ship that appears to have no doors.To keep themselves alive, the children must leave the safety of the insular community and brave the beautiful but dangerous wilds of Fremont. Is it an echo of their own natures, or a proving ground of their genetic worth?In this battle of wills and principles, what does the future hold for Fremont''s Children?"Fast-paced and full-bodied, "Silver Ship" is character-driven hard SF at its best."- The Seattle Times"Distinctive characterizations, well-limned interrelationships, and the vividly realized Fremont contribute to an exciting coming-of-age story with a strong message about the evils of prejudice.""YAs are sure to relate to the travails and exploits of these extraordinary young people."-Booklist, Starred Review"This is an adventure story, because life on this planet can be treacherous, but it is also a story about the relationships between insiders and outsiders, between adults and the teens who are about to surpass them, and between people who need each other in order to survive."- School Library Journal"Cooper''s ...first solo effort combines the feel of classic sf adventure with strong, character-driven storytelling and lays the foundation for other tales set in her brave new world.... Suitable for both adult and YA sf collections."- Library Journal"Good plot, with some nice touches...Characterizations were particularly well done."-Locus"The relationships and issues are more than intricate enough to satisfy more mature readers. But the protagonists are young, and the themes are ones that must necessarily speak to young adult readers. Enjoy."-AnalogSelected by Booklist as one of the top ten 2007 adult books for youth to read. Winner of the Endeavour Award

Proposes a dynamic new approach to the production of knowledge on Africa, one that is global, multiple and heterogeneous, elucidating this through both discursive theoretical chapters and case histories.

This book focuses on the cultural politics of magical realism, as exemplified in the fiction of Syl Cheney-Coker, Ben Okri and Kojo Laing and contextualizes their fiction within current debate.