What was really interesting was that even when the stories were grounded firmly in this world they felt both old and modern. This collection has a great variety of ideas, and the stories brought me to unexpected places. I appreciated the personal information about the authors just as much, because it was so new to me. I don't know much about modern Africa and this made it personal.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

It was a very informative and interesting read. The writing was a little too academic at points which made it kind of hard to read but mostly it was very good. This isn’t my usual read but I enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an ARC for this great collection..

As a Nigerian, reading Ogenechovwe and Uchenna diving into the world of Afropantheology made me happy.
So here are my thoughts;

The witching hour: 3.5 🌟

Mannequin challenge: 4 🌟

City of the dead: 5🌟( I really love this one.)

Phial of Olodumare: 5 🌟 (this is beyond fantasy, time travel. This is metaphysics)

Ife-Iyoku: 4🌟 ( I've read this one before, and I am glad I read it again.

A dance with the ancestors: 2🌟( I couldn't understand what's happening.)

O2 Arena: 3 🌟( I do appreciate Ekpeki depiction of a nearby future but I felt some scenes were not needed.

Not going to list the others but I loved the last two stories and the essay. I will really love to see more Afropantheology collections.
In summary. I rate the book 4🌟

Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology is a unique blend of short fiction and essays that explore and are rooted in African mystical and spiritual traditions. As explained in the introduction, the term Afropantheology (pantheology meaning “the study of gods, religions, and the bodies of knowledge associated with them”) is coined here to describe stories that cannot rightly or respectfully be considered “fantasy” given that such stories present knowledges passed down by spiritual leaders and lore keepers.

I was very happy to receive a copy of this book having previously enjoyed two excellent collections edited or co-edited by Ekpeki: Africa Risen and The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (2021). The interspersing of short essays tackling such topics as supporting marginalized creators in their publishing endeavours and the politics of dystopia and ‘escapism’ in fiction with short stories, novelettes, and novellas invites reading the stories not only as stories (which are excellent), but with a thoughtful consideration of their context. Some prior knowledge of African religious and spiritual traditions would be an asset for a reader, but is not required to appreciate this collection.

An excellent collection all around — highly recommend.

*Thank you to the authors, NetGalley, Arc Manor, & CAEZIK SF & Fantasy for providing an ARC in exchange for this review*.