By Livy Onalee Snyder, Punctum Books, Associate Director for Community and Library Outreach
Darieck Scott’s The Dream-Slaves is a queer, science fiction odyssey that pulses with themes of liberation, identity, and survival amid dystopian forces. Published by Punctum Books in September 2024, Scott’s novel transports readers to Norio—a city where reality and magic blur, and the boundaries of humanity itself are contested. The Dream-Slaves is now available for review, and we hope you’ll consider diving into this immersive, thought-provoking journey.
The Dream-Slaves depicts a world where only memories remain of a dead universe, survival means navigating an empire ruled by those who wield both magic and technology with disturbing power. This darkly speculative novel follows Aleixo, an immigrant without even a true claim to his own name, whose journey from catering gigs to elite circles unravels a secret: he may not be human at all, but a “dream-slave” assassin, engineered by those resisting Norio’s ruthless dominance. As he unearths memories and a fierce magic within, Aleixo realizes he is part of a struggle much larger than his own—one that holds disturbing echoes of our own planet’s histories.
Scott, known for Keeping It Unreal and Extravagant Abjection, again challenges readers with complex explorations of race, sexuality, class, and power, all woven into a richly speculative, imaginative tapestry. As Aleixo contends with the sinister forces that control Norio, he is forced to confront not only what he is, but who he is—a question with profound implications for humanity itself.
Darieck Scott is a professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley and an acclaimed author in both fiction and nonfiction, with awards including the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Studies. His works examine the intersections of identity, fantasy, and resistance, and in The Dream-Slaves, he combines thrilling speculative fiction with a deep philosophical inquiry into what makes us human.