Spectacular debut by Adjei-Brenyah. The author doesn't hold back in these bite-sized, flesh-out worlds, and the result is as gut-wrenching as it is riveting.

I received an advance copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Friday Black is a collection of stories that range from based in reality to speculative science fiction. Many of the plots for stories like Through the Flash, The Era, The Hospital Where, and Light Spitter could be the basis for modern Twilight Zone episodes. Each has a central character who leads you through a day in their life whether it be in an apocalyptic Black Friday retail nightmare, as a soul trapped in Purgatory, survivors of a nuclear event that has bent time, or a son dealing with an absent father.

Stories like How to Sell a Jacket as Told by IceKing and The Lion and the Spider provide to parallel story lines, one present and one past. In other stories it seems that there is an exploration of the past from an extremely impacted future - looking back to what was to know why this, why now. I feel Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah wants readers to be cognizant of the impact of history on our identities, our histories, and our futures. Ignoring what was as ancient history doesn't help moving forward, and stories are a great way to remember, reflect, and provide some sort of answer.

My personal favorites were The Era, The Hospital Where, The Lion & The Spider, and Through the Flash.

I recommend it to anyone who likes The Twilight Zone, who works in retail, who wants to see social justice issues addressed in the context of a speculative piece, and who want a small collection of highly readable and quick stories to accompany your to be read pile.