For similar flowcharts with different focuses, check out these:

Some housekeeping:

This flowchart is by no means comprehensive, nor do we claim that these are “objectively” the best books by people of color. We tried to provide enough variety that seasoned and novice readers alike can discover new stories to love. We wished to feature a variety of storytelling mediums, such as graphic novels, short fiction, and audio dramas. Only first books in a series and standalones are included, and each author is only listed once. This Flowchart is a continuing work-in-progress. We are aware of several issues with the chart as it stands (for which we apologise), and apologise for any offence caused as a result. We intend to amend these issues as soon as we can find the time. Should you be an author with a book featured on this flowchart and you wish it to be removed, please contact us and we will discreetly remove your book as soon as we can.

The final flowchart has 116 entries, and we could’ve included many more if we had room. Feel strongly about a story we left out? Let us know in a comment!

Here’s the chart:

High resolution image here.

If any of these books strike your fancy, here they are in list form with links to Goodreads and Amazon. Enjoy!

Classics

Beloved by Toni Morrison | Goodreads | Amazon

Mythic Fantasy

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee | Goodreads | Amazon

Fire Boy by Sami Shah | Goodreads | Amazon

Urban Fantasy

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard | Goodreads | Amazon

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara | Goodreads | Amazon

Bad Blood by L.A. Banks | Goodreads | Amazon

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older | Goodreads | Amazon

Jade City by Fonda Lee | Goodreads | Amazon

Zero Sum Game by SL Huang | Goodreads | Amazon

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Kreuger | Goodreads | Amazon

Paranormal Romance

Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw | Goodreads | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh | Goodreads | Amazon

Better off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon | Goodreads | Amazon

Erotic Science Fiction

The Stars Change by Mary Anne Mohanraj | Goodreads | Amazon

Space Opera

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi | Goodreads | Amazon

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon | Goodreads | Amazon

Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell | Goodreads | Amazon

Science Fiction

Mirage by Somaiya Daud | Goodreads | Amazon

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | Goodreads | Amazon

Want by Cindy Pon | Goodreads | Amazon

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany | Goodreads | Amazon

Science Fantasy

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee | Goodreads | Amazon

Star Wars: Finn’s Story by Jesse J. Holland | Goodreads | Amazon

Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter | Goodreads | Amazon

Dystopian

Ink by Sabrina Vourvoulias | Goodreads | Amazon

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline | Goodreads | Amazon

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich | Goodreads | Amazon

Legend by Marie Lu | Goodreads | Amazon

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor | Goodreads | Amazon

Apocalyptic

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin | Goodreads | Amazon

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson | Goodreads | Amazon

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith | Goodreads | Amazon

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac | Goodreads | Amazon

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson | Goodreads | Amazon

Steampunk

The Sea is Ours edited by Jaymee Goh & Joyce Chng | Goodreads | Amazon

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

Everfair by Nisi Shawl | Goodreads | Amazon

Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus | Goodreads | Amazon

Zombie Fiction

Zone One by Colson Whitehead | Goodreads | Amazon

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland | Goodreads | Amazon

Alternate History

Lion’s Blood by Steven Barnes | Goodreads | Amazon

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler | Goodreads | Amazon

Historical Fantasy

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo | Goodreads | Amazon

Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston | Goodreads | Amazon

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie | Goodreads | Amazon

Witchmark by C.L. Polk | Goodreads | Amazon

Mother of the Sea by Zetta Elliot | Goodreads | Amazon

Fantasy of Manners

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho | Goodreads | Amazon

Time Travel

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu | Goodreads | Amazon

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim | Goodreads | Amazon

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen | Goodreads | Amazon

Comedic Science Fiction

High Aztech by Ernest Hogan | Goodreads | Amazon

The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan by Zig Zag Claybourne | Goodreads | Amazon

Young Adult

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymulina | Goodreads | Amazon

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir | Goodreads | Amazon

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi | Goodreads | Amazon

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh | Goodreads | Amazon

Middle Grade

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh | Goodreads | Amazon

The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi | Goodreads | Amazon

Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano | Goodreads | Amazon

Fairy Tale Fantasy

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi | Goodreads | Amazon

Huntress by Malinda Lo | Goodreads | Amazon

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao | Goodreads | Amazon

Dark Fantasy

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Goodreads | Amazon

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez | Goodreads | Amazon

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due | Goodreads | Amazon

Mythology

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | Goodreads | Amazon

Sword & Sorcery

Imaro by Charles R. Saunders | Goodreads | Amazon

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed | Goodreads | Amazon

Romantic Fantasy

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope | Goodreads | Amazon

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi | Goodreads | Amazon

The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano | Goodreads | Amazon

Literary

The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar | Goodreads | Amazon

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James | Goodreads | Amazon

Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko | Goodreads | Amazon

The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker | Goodreads | Amazon

Magical Realism

Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed | Goodreads | Amazon

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende | Goodreads | Amazon

When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai | Goodreads | Amazon

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore | Goodreads | Amazon

So Far From God by Ana Castillo | Goodreads | Amazon

Fifteen by André Alexis | Goodreads | Amazon

LitRPG

Changing Faces by Sarah Lin | Goodreads | Amazon

Epic Fantasy

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri | Goodreads | Amazon

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu | Goodreads | Amazon

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang | Goodreads | Amazon

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang | Goodreads | Amazon

The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera | Goodreads | Amazon

Songs of Insurrection by JC Kang | Goodreads | Amazon

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter | Goodreads | Amazon

The Wolf of Oren-yaro by K.S. Villoso | Goodreads | Amazon

Graphic Novels

Storm: Make it Rain by Greg Pak, Victor Ibanez, Scott Hepburn, & Matteo Buffagni | Goodreads | Amazon

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda | Goodreads | Amazon

Black by Kwanza Osajyefo, Jamal Igle, Robin Riggs, Tim Smith III, & Sarah Stern | Goodreads | Amazon

Legend of the Mantamaji by Eric Dean Seaton, David Ellis Dickerson, & Brandon Palas | Goodreads | Amazon

Webcomic

The Meek by Der-shing Helmer | Goodreads | Website

Audio Drama

The Glass Appeal by Elijah Gabriel | Website

Here Be Dragons by Jordan Cobb | Website

Redwing by JV Hampton-VanSant | Website

Flyest Fables by Morgan Givens | Website

Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services by Lisette Alvarez | Website

Standalone Novel

Under the Penulum Sun by Jeannette Ng | Goodreads | Amazon

Severance by Ling Ma | Goodreads | Amazon

She Weeps Each Time You’re Born by Quan Barry | Goodreads | Amazon

Smoketown by Tenea D. Johnson | Goodreads | Amazon

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna | Goodreads | Amazon

Novella

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle | Goodreads | Amazon

The Sorcerer of Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson | Goodreads | Amazon

Novelette

Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang | Goodreads | Listen for Free | Amazon

Short Story

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar | Read for Free Now

A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong | Read for Free Now

The Water That Falls On You From Nowhere by John Chu | Read for Free Now

Anthology

Futureland by Walter Mosley | Goodreads | Amazon

Dark Matter by Sheree R. Thomas | Goodreads | Amazon

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