The Comet: A Classic Black Science Fiction Story of the Apocalypse
A short-read pocket book of Afrofuturist science fiction from one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
The Comet is a visionary tale of race, apocalypse, and unexpected human connection. First published in 1920, this overlooked short story by W.E.B. Du Bois now stands as a foundational work of Afrofuturist fiction, a cosmic parable about social collapse and spiritual reckoning.
When a mysterious comet strikes New York City, only two people seem to survive: Jim, a Black man working deep in a bank vault, and Julia, a wealthy white woman trapped in the silent devastation above. As the city around them vanishes into ash and silence, the rules of the old world fall away... and a new, uneasy intimacy begins to take shape.
In stark, lyrical prose, Du Bois explores what remains when power, race, and class dissolve in the face of cosmic upheaval. The result is a brief but haunting meditation on humanity, prejudice, and the possibility of rebirth in the ruins.
This edition features:
- A bold new design with Afrofuturist illustrations
- A curated “About the Author” section and historical framing
- Du Bois’s own reflections on the meaning of The Comet
Both timeless and timely, The Comet invites readers to imagine a world unmade (and remade) by the forces that lie beyond it.
