South African Fiction

In 1927, South Africa passes the Immorality Act, prohibiting sexual intercourse between “Europeans” (white people) and “natives” (Black people). Those who break the draconian new law face imprisonment—for men of up to five years; for women, four years. Abram and his wife Alisa have their share of marital problems, but they also have a comfortable life in South Africa with their two young girls. But then the Act is passed. Alisa is black, and their two children are now evidence of their involvement in a union that has been criminalized by the state.

Just as Martine is settling into life on the wildlife game reserve, she is whisked away on a school trip. Her class is going on an ocean voyage to witness the Sardine Run, a spectacular natural phenomenon, off the coast of South Africa. What begins as an exciting adventure quickly turns perilous when a storm blows up and Martine and her classmates are thrown overboard into shark-infested waters. They are saved by a pod of dolphins, only to end up marooned on a deserted island.

Nico Storm and his father, Willem, drive a truck filled with essential supplies through a desolate land. They are among the few in the world, as far as they know, to have survived a devastating virus that has swept over the planet. Their lives turned upside down, Nico realizes that his superb marksmanship and cool head mean he is destined to be his father's protector, even though he is still only a boy.

Alex se oupa het grys hare, dra valstande en kyk graag na reis-programme op TV. Maar op ’n dag raak hy skielik mal oor...BREIIINNNSSS! Dit is duidelik dat Oupa besig is om in ’n zombie te verander. As Alex hom van dr. Zuurman en die zombiepolisie wil red, gaan hy ’n paar briljante planne, goeie vriende en hope broccoli nodig hê. En miskien kan hulle op die koop toe ook hulle droom bewaarheid om die Victoriawatervalle en Egipte te siene kry!

In the heart of South Sudan, Panyim and Nyakor prepare for adulthood within their tightly woven clan. As they navigate coming-of-age rituals, a neighboring clan's hostility disrupts their peaceful life. Panyim, eager to prove himself, joins the fight, while Nyakor uses her sharp mind to uncover the truth behind the conflict. Witnessing war's devastation, Panyim seeks a different path. Nyakor's discovery of a misunderstanding offers a chance for peace. With the guidance of the clan leader and his wise wife, Panyim, Nyakor, and their friends bridge the divide between the young generations. ...

An epic gothic adventure set in various locations in South Africa and the UK during the late 19th century. Sign of the Spider is a mesmerizing tale that revolves around the life of Laurence Ferran who is trapped within the confines of a dull suburban life in London. Spurred by hopes of breaking free and forging a new life, Ferran embarks on a thrilling adventure to Johannesburg, South Africa, a land of booming prospects during this period.While aboard the RMS Persian, Ferran builds significant relationships, particularly with Martin and the enchanting Lilith Battey. Ferran’s deepening ...

In the Early settler days, the British did more than go to war. Many found the local folklore and beliefs fascinating, and collected them together. This is one of the first explorations of South African folk tales.

South Africa - 1976 to 1994. A time of turbulence as the struggle against apartheid reaches its zenith, pushing South Africa to the brink. But for a one small boy in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg...his beloved housekeeper is serving fish fingers for lunch. This is the tale of Hamish Charles Sutherland Fraser - chorister, horse rider, schoolboy actor and in his dreams, first XV rugby star and young ladies’ delight. A boy who loves climbing trees in the spring and a girl named Reggie. An odd child growing up in a conflicted, scary, beautiful society.

In this powerful, edgy, and funny debut novel about making right and wrong choices, Bump gives us an unforgettable and lovable protagonist, Claude McKay Love. Claude is a young black man in search of a place where he can fit; born on the South Side of Chicago, he is raised by his civil rights-era grandmother, who tries to shape him into a principled actor for change. After a riot consumes his neighborhood, Claude decides to escape Chicago for another place, to go to college, to find a new life and identity. But he discovers, there's no escaping the people and places that made him.

It’s always been complicated between Libby Lawson and Greyson Chapman - and married life isn’t any simpler. But when Libby gets pregnant, she at last sees a bright future ahead. There’s just one problem: Greyson says he’s sterile. Furious, Greyson abandons the young family. Equally furious and deeply hurt, Libby cuts all ties with him. After all these years, it seems their relationship has finally expired. But love is resilient and endures even when you don’t want it to.

When a cold case dossier lands on Captain Benny Griessel's desk, he and his partner Vaughn Cupido, fellow member of the Hawks elite police unit in South Africa, reluctantly set to work reviewing the evidence of the disappearance - and possible murder - of ex-cop Johnson Johnson on the world's most luxurious train line. Two fellow travelers might have the answers Griessel and Cupido need - but they too seem to have disappeared into thin air, and the few clues that exist suggest a cover-up.

This is the moving story of the unforgettable Rosa Burger, a young woman from South Africa cast in the mold of a revolutionary tradition. Rosa tries to uphold her heritage handed on by martyred parents while still carving out a sense of self. Although it is wholly of today, Burger's Daughter can be compared to those 19th century Russian classics that make a certain time and place come alive, and yet stand as universal celebrations of the human spirit. Nadine Gordimer, winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature, was born and lives in South Africa.

From the Editor: Night in London is a feast of non-stop action. It moves with the velocity of a breaking wave. And it gains a special impact from the fact that it rings of authenticity. When Casey Christie describes the viciousness and extreme brutality of a criminal gang, he is writing from raw experience. Christie was at the cutting edge of the police drive against criminals in Johannesburg. And we meet again with the colourful crew he assembled in his first novel set in South Africa—the fearsome Black Bastards, so called because they have special police dispensation to wear all-black ...

Journey into the heart of South Sudan’s Nuer tribe with The Individual: The First Societal Unit, a captivating tale that weaves the rich fabric of African culture with the universal quest for identity and belonging. In this evocative narrative, follow Panyim, a young Nuer man standing at the threshold of adulthood, as he navigates the sacred rites and communal responsibilities that will define his place within his tribe. With each line etched on his forehead during the Gär ceremony, Panyim’s personal journey becomes deeply entwined with the collective destiny of his people. Guided by ...

Tales from the Eastern Cape, gathered in 1886.

Ramsay Wick, the legendary warrior, has spent much of his life fighting to keep Aegemald safe. His latest mission - as leader of Team Leopadillo - is more dangerous than any before it; to find and vanquish the Alpha Dragon who seeks to cause destruction. Fortunately, he has a secret weapon in his arsenal. Join the team of warriors and wizards on their nail-biting journey to the dragon’s lair where, confronted with an impossible choice, Ramsay will have to make a life-changing decision.

Fleeing her moribund marriage in Cape Town, Beth accepts a diplomatic posting to Shanghai. In this anonymous city, she hopes to lose herself in books, wine, and solitude, and to dodge whatever pangs of conscience she feels for her fealty to a South African regime that, by the 21st century, has betrayed its early promises.

Gold medalist in the 2024 FAPA President’s Book Awards! Excerpt: It seemed the daughter, at only eight or nine years old, had more wisdom than her mother and all the others involved, including the deputy, all the witnesses at the scene of the accident, and the judge. That blessed little child bravely hopped up to the witness box and told her story. “I was asleep last night and heard a woman calling me. She said ‘Wake up, Dora, wake up!’ When I opened my eyes, a beautiful angel with long, blonde hair and blue eyes was standing by my bed. I knew she was an angel because she had wings ...

Ex-mercenary Sonja Kurtz is out for revenge after her daughter Emma is assaulted by an abalone poacher while on a beachside holiday near Cape Town. When the poacher is murdered, Sonja is targeted by a violent local gangster and must flee the country. As Sonja leaves a trail of destruction in her wake—from the threatened wilderness of Zimbabwe to the treacherous beaches of northern Mozambique—a concerned Emma must find the courage to rescue her mother. But is Sonja a cold-blooded killer? Or is there a darker conspiracy taking place in southern Africa's underworld?

There’s no place in politics for love… and no place for love in war… Kai, the Water Prince, found himself having to give up his hopes of choosing the woman that his heart desired and marrying for the sake of peace. As the day drew near when he would be forced to choose a queen to rule the entire Realm by his side, the tension weighed heavily on him. He had three choices, all queens and with amazing potential in their own right, but that didn’t put Kai’s mind at ease that his right to his heart’s desires were being compromised for the greater good. Shanira, the Fire Princess, was...