Alaya Dawn Johnson Books In Order

Publication Order of Spirit Binders Books

Publication Order of Zephyr Hollis Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Twisted Journeys Books

Publication Order of Tremontaine Books

Publication Order of Year's Best SF Anthology Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Alaya Dawn Johnson is a science fiction and fantasy author. She graduated from Columbia University with BA in East Asian Languages and cultures.
She likes all kinds of speculative and historical fiction. She also likes all types of ethnic foods, especially South Indian.

The Summer Prince

After a nuclear winter, the survivors in Brazil united and built the towering Pyramid city of Palmares Tres. The Palmares is a lush city glowing with tradition, tech, and loud gossip done by politicians. Every five years, the elected King chooses a queen and then lives for one year, after which he’s sacrificed.

Privileged and rebellious young artist June is captivated by the year’s election and bravely favors Enki. In the middle of the vibrant metropolis, June makes art that’s almost making her a legend. However, her dream of being famous develops into something more one she meets Enki, the brave new Summer King.
The whole city loves him so much, but June sees more to Enki than his eyes. All she sees is a fellow artist. Together, the two will come up with big and dramatic projects that the people in the city will never forget.

They’re ready to support the increasing rebellion against the government’s strict restrictions on new tech. Unfortunately, June finds herself falling hard for Enki but unfortunately, like the rest of the Summer King before him, Enki is destined to die.

With only one year to live, he has brilliant ideas and brings light to June’s severe issues like corruption affecting the city and her art. The author did a tremendous job of painting a perfect picture of what seems like a lush paradise with the themes like the impact of technology and the role of isolationism in a dangerous world.

The story is both evocative and exhilarating, leaving the reader trembling but craving for more. With its myths, political instability, and complicated history, Palmares Tres is compelling. June, Enki, and Gil challenge their world’s injustices.

June is a fantastic character whose growth in the course of the book is compelling. She passes through the post-apocalypse, a world that has survived and found a way to keep going.

Trouble the Saints
In the middle of the whirring of the city life, a girl coming from Harlem feels drawn into the sparkling underworld of Manhatten. She’s there to use her knives to spread fear among the most dangerous natives.

Phyllis is a notorious assassin who wants nothing more than to escape her killing life, but her past isn’t letting her go.

However, the ghosts from her past keep on following her wherever she goes, and now history has repeated itself at her doorstep, threatening the lives of the people she cared about. Can she sacrifice enough to save the whole community?

Trouble, the Saints is an unsettling novel where the dangerous magic of the Night Circus meets the historical exploration of an Railroad. Johnson set the story against the dark backdrop of NYC at the start of World War II.

It’s a dazzling and compelling story of interracial tension with a brilliant and deep American saga. According to the story, hands are a way of empowering people who have been disempowered for a long. Maybe they’ll reach the scales in favor of the marginalized.

As the story opens up, the author lets the reader understand that the hands are tied to histories of violence and inherited trauma that black people faced. It’s divided into three parts, each focusing on a different character for the reader to have a connection with each.

People are blessed differently through their hands, and the power is more prominent in black families than the white ones. It also brings vital racial themes into the novel, and considering the current time, it’s so relevant.

Johnson also discusses issues like morality and choice. Trouble, the Saints, differentiates itself from the rest in its genres through the themes and issues it points out to make a thought-provoking read.

Dev, Tamara, and Phyllis all thought they were good people and got up in a situation where everyone around them was evil. They all think they’re the good kid who is above their peers. Each realizes their faults and guilt and sets out on a redemption journey. They have to overcome the obstacles in their way to stay together.

The three work for a Russian named Victor in the 1930s-era New York bar used as a front for criminal activities. The characters have amazing features, flaws, and dual-sided characteristics. The initial part of the novel focuses on Phyllis and her inner struggle. When she is in a position to live a peaceful life under the protection of Manhattan’s prominent boss, she starts to want out.

The second part focuses on Dev, a lover, and friend, dealing with living a two-faced life with no idea whether his love is justified. The last part focuses on Tamara, a bubbly friend to the other two whose oracle calling gives her a dilemma.

Tamara regularly reads other people’s fates through her cards and, at the same time, appears to reject the responsibility of her ability. Violence is always present in the characters’ lives, and the outcomes of their actions track them over the years.

They live in constant danger for people of color fighting for the US. The author did a fantastic job weaving many varying details together to tell a story of three complicated people suffering racism and looking for love, safety, and worth.

The characters in the story protect, hurt, betray, and endearing in the same measure. They struggle with what they are willing to sacrifice in the name of love. They soon realize that the price is so high and sometimes being with someone means owning the ugly truths about them. Featuring magic and some supernatural, Trouble the Saints is based on an intriguing premise.

For readers looking for refreshing fantasy and historical fiction novels, Trouble the Saints is a real deal. The back and forth jumps were easy to follow and came at the right pace to keep the reader engaged.

Alaya Johnson portrays and discusses racism, sexism, and prejudice. The insight and eloquence with which the author lays out the social issues are brilliant.
She uses quotes that challenge the reader to ask themselves tough questions more.