After the Flare - Paperback

Philip K. Dick Award Finalist - A Groundbreaking African Science Fiction Thriller

After the Flare by Deji Bryce Olukotun is a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and Special Citation Winner that reimagines global power dynamics through a catastrophic solar event. When a massive solar flare destroys electricity grids worldwide and devastating cyberattacks paralyze all communication, the world order shifts dramatically.

The Story

Former NASA employee Kwesi Bracket finds himself working at the only functioning space program left on Earth - Nigeria's. With Europe, Asia, and the United States knocked offline and thousands of dead satellites threatening to crash to Earth, the Nigerian Space Program becomes humanity's last hope. Their mission: launch a daring rescue operation to save the International Space Station.

But the challenges extend far beyond technical obstacles. Nigeria faces an influx of advanced biohacking technologies, while the militant Islamic group Boko Haram advances on the spaceport. A group of nomads discovers ancient technology more powerful than anything Bracket has encountered. Racing against time, Bracket teams with a brilliant Indian scientist and an eccentric lunar geologist to confront these threats and launch the rescue mission.

Award Recognition and Critical Acclaim

This sequel to Nigerians in Space earned both Philip K. Dick Award Finalist status and a Special Citation, cementing its place in contemporary science fiction. The novel explores technology, international ambition, identity, and 21st-century space exploration through an African lens rarely seen in the genre.

About Author Deji Bryce Olukotun

Deji Bryce Olukotun's work has appeared in Vice, Slate, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, Guernica, The Millions, World Literature Today, and ESPN. After the Flare is the second novel in the Nigerians in Space series, continuing his exploration of Afrofuturism and African perspectives in science fiction.

Perfect For Readers Who Enjoy

Fans of techno-thrillers, climate fiction, and cyberpunk will find After the Flare delivers on multiple fronts. The novel combines space exploration with post-apocalyptic survival, biohacking technology with ancient mysteries, and international intrigue with deeply personal stakes. This literary science fiction work offers both thrilling action and thoughtful examination of global power structures.