Black Empire

By: George S. Schuyler, Brooks E. Hefner, Brooks E. Hefner - editor, Brooks E. Hefner - introduction

Narrated by: Landon Woodson

A pioneering work of Afrofuturism and antiracist fiction by the author of Black No More, about a Black scientist who masterminds a worldwide conspiracy to take back the African continent from imperial powers

A Penguin Classic

“An amazing serial story of Black genius against the world” is how Black Empire was promoted upon its original publication as a serial in The Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to 1938. It tells the electrifying tale of Dr. Henry Belsidus, a Black scientific genius desperate to free his people from the crushing tyranny of racism. To do so, he concocts a plot to enlist a crew of Black intellectuals to help him take over the world, cultivating a global network to reclaim Africa from imperial powers and punish Europe and America for white supremacy and their crimes against the planet’s Black population.

At once a daring, high-stakes science fiction adventure and a strikingly innovative Afrofuturist classic, this controversial and fearlessly political work lays bare the ethical quandaries of exactly how far one should go in the name of justice.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of additional notes and information on the writings of George S. Schuyler.

Critic reviews

“An incredible science fiction novel . . . It’s just a fantastic book, filled with romance and war and politics. I loved this book, and I couldn’t have been more surprised by it.” ―Bill Goldstein, NBC’s Weekend Today in New York

“Imagine W. E. B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver and Marcus Garvey rolled into one fascist superman, and there you have Dr. Henry Belsidus. . . . [Black Empire is] an Afrocentrist’s dream.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The New York Times Book Review

“Dr. Belsidus, a Harlem criminal mastermind, . . . is pulp fiction villainy at its best . . . like Fu Manchu before him and Ernst Blofeld after. . . . Readers today may still find themselves thrilled.” —Public Books

“Indispensable reading for anyone interested in early Afrofuturism . . . Searing in its indictment of entrenched racism . . . Rip-roaring yarns with sharp satirical points.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Fascinating . . . A proto-Afrofuturist potboiler poised between Black Panther and the works of Percival Everett . . . Lurid, pulpy fun.” ―Library Journal

“A fascinating piece of work . . . Fast-paced, action packed . . . A solid read―there’s good adventure here, and Schuyler tells his story quite well―and it’s also of literary-historical interest. The Penguin Classics edition is also an excellent one, from editor Brooks E. Hefner’s useful Introduction to the interesting appendices.” ―The Complete Review

A story for our (Black) progeny

I loved the story. It is a story that helps our children imagine the possibilities of a self-determined people vying for their sovereignty. I appreciate the introduction & background to allow the reader to understand the context of the author & the time he was in. 5 star from a Black Sun ☀️

Awesome SciFi

I enjoyed every chapter!! The reader did an awesome job! This is a groundbreaking work!

Phenomenal yet believable

The practicality of it all. Every process is synchronized and utilizes the ideology of all black activists so perfectly that it is impossible not to believe. He focuses on educating the masses, disregards gender norms, establishes a network of black minds, but is steadfast in his desire to remain separate. The protagonist balances the line between dictator and savior perfectly.