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Imaro (novel)
Encyclopedia
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 1970s. 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 eponymous hero 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. Saunders wrote and had published two more books in the series, The Quest for Cush
in 1984 and The Trail of Bohu
in 1985.
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
. A new story, The Afua, replaces it.
Growing up among the Ilyassai, a fierce tribe of warrior-herdsmen who despise his origin, the young Imaro struggles for acceptance after the breaking of a taboo forces his mother to leave him behind.
Imaro the outcast...
The boy becomes a man, unlike any other the Ilyassai has ever seen. His quest acceptance and identity continues. Yet he learns he has powerful enemies, human and inhuman. Prevailing over foes who desire nothing more than to see him dead, Imaro finds that in victory, there can be loss.
Imaro the warrior...
Departing from the Ilyassai, Imaro roams afar, wandering across the vast continent of Nyumbani, pitting his prodigious strength and courage against men, beasts and demons. Hunted by relentless foes, Imaro becomes the hunter. Eventually, he finds friendship and love among people who are like him, exiles and outlaws.
Yet forces beyond Imaro’s comprehension are aligned against him. As he rises to prominence, events preordained before Imaro’s birth begin to unfold.
Powers are stirring in Nyumbani, the Africa of a world that is beyond the one we know. And Imaro learns that some of the powers are aligned against him. As he struggles to hold on to his hard won acceptance, the warrior seeks the answer to the question that has haunted him all his life:
Who am I?
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
novel written by Charles R. Saunders
Charles R. Saunders
Charles R. Saunders also credited as Charles Saunders is an African American author and journalist currently living in Canada. During his long career, he has written everything from novels both fiction and non-fiction, to screenplays and radio plays.- Background :Saunders was born in Elizabeth,...
, and published by Daw Books
DAW Books
DAW Books is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company therefore claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy." The first DAW Book published was...
in 1981. It was probably the first foray into the sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
arena by a black author. The novel was a carefully chosen collection of six short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
(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
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
published by Canadian comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist Gene Day
Gene Day
Howard Eugene Day was a Canadian comic book artist best known for Marvel Comics' Star Wars licensed series and Master of Kung Fu...
during the 1970s. 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 eponymous hero set in the fantasy world of Nyumbani, but a lawsuit by the Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
estate over a poorly chosen cover quote (The Epic Novel of a Black Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
) caused a one month delay in shipping as the books had to be reprinted which led to poor sales. Saunders wrote and had published two more books in the series, The Quest for Cush
The Quest for Cush
The Quest for Cush also known as Imaro II: The Quest for Cush is a Dark Fantasy novel written by Charles R. Saunders, and published by Daw Books in 1984. The Quest for Cush was the second book in the original Imaro Trilogy...
in 1984 and The Trail of Bohu
The Trail of Bohu
The Trail of Bohu also known as Imaro III: The Trail of Bohu is a Dark Fantasy novel written by Charles R. Saunders, and published by Daw Books in 1985...
in 1985.
In 2006 a small publishing company named Night Shade Books
Night Shade Books
Night Shade Books is an independent publishing company based in San Francisco, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was started in 1997 by Jason Williams, with Jeremy Lassen coming on board as a partner shortly after the company's founding...
made a deal with Saunders to publish an updated edition of Imaro. This new edition excludes The Slaves of the Giant-Kings novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
which Saunders felt held too many parallels to the present day Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. 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 DAW Books DAW Books is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company therefore claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy." The first DAW Book published was... 1981 |
Synopsis
Imaro the forsaken...Growing up among the Ilyassai, a fierce tribe of warrior-herdsmen who despise his origin, the young Imaro struggles for acceptance after the breaking of a taboo forces his mother to leave him behind.
Imaro the outcast...
The boy becomes a man, unlike any other the Ilyassai has ever seen. His quest acceptance and identity continues. Yet he learns he has powerful enemies, human and inhuman. Prevailing over foes who desire nothing more than to see him dead, Imaro finds that in victory, there can be loss.
Imaro the warrior...
Departing from the Ilyassai, Imaro roams afar, wandering across the vast continent of Nyumbani, pitting his prodigious strength and courage against men, beasts and demons. Hunted by relentless foes, Imaro becomes the hunter. Eventually, he finds friendship and love among people who are like him, exiles and outlaws.
Yet forces beyond Imaro’s comprehension are aligned against him. As he rises to prominence, events preordained before Imaro’s birth begin to unfold.
Powers are stirring in Nyumbani, the Africa of a world that is beyond the one we know. And Imaro learns that some of the powers are aligned against him. As he struggles to hold on to his hard won acceptance, the warrior seeks the answer to the question that has haunted him all his life:
Who am I?
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 - a Shikaza [Kahutu in the first edition] woman who becomes Imaro's companion
- Pomphis - Bambuti Pygmy scholar and former jester, now friend to Imaro