Would you give up your freedom to live in a world without crime? This is the basis for a futuristic Botswana in Tlotlo Tsamaase’s dystopian debut novel, Womb City, which came out earlier this year. With elements ranging from invasive microchips and AI-powered simulations to vengeful ghosts, this book straddles the line between sci-fi and horror, drawing deeply from the wells of both genres.
Nelah Bogosi-Ntsu has the perfect life on paper: She is one of Botswana’s most successful female architects, she’s married to a respected member of the police force, and though she may have struggled with fertility in the past, she’s about to have the child she’s always dreamed of through the help of cutting-edge synthetic womb technology. Then there is the side of her life the public doesn’t see: the invasive surveillance, the humiliating AI assessments, and the microchip in the back of her neck that would take control of her body should she ever attempt to commit a crime. All because of criminal actions taken by one of her body’s previous inhabitants, before Nelah’s consciousness was uploaded into it. They say that these extra precautions and preventative measures are what keep Botswana safe, but Nelah can’t help but notice it’s almost always women whose bodies are considered criminally prone and are kept on a tight leash by the men in authority. Nelah powers through these indignities, keeping her mind on her future daughter and indulging in a passionate affair with Janith Koshal, the son of a powerful corporate mogul. Then the unthinkable happens—despite everything put in place to prevent it, Nelah and Janith manage to commit one of the worst crimes imaginable. As they try to outrun the consequences of this violent act, they stumble upon the traces of a much larger conspiracy and coverup and realize that Botswana may not be nearly as safe and crime-free as it advertises.
The sci-fi elements of this story help to serve one of my favorite horror devices: the main character’s inability to trust her own mind or perceptions. Nelah’s microchip records her daily thoughts, feelings, and interactions, which are then reviewed by AI for any sign of criminal impulses. Her husband, abusing his position in law enforcement, can also access these recordings for a manual review. Nelah lives in fear that her own mind will betray her secrets and send the full power of the law crashing down on her. Even worse are the AI simulation assessments, in which Nelah is placed into a virtual reality and tested with scenarios that might tempt her to commit a crime—an ordeal to which she is subjected every few months. After a particularly lengthy and immersive experience, Nelah is continually questioning whether she ever actually left the simulation, having lost all faith in her sense of reality. When things start to go truly wrong in Nelah’s life, she has no idea where to turn for truth and safety, since she cannot even find those things in her own head.
Equally as terrifying as the sci-fi horror are the elements rooted in local folklore that even the futuristic science of this world cannot fully explain. Take, for example, the vengeful dead. In this book, murder victims can rise from their graves to exact a bloody justice, tormenting their killer’s loved ones with the same pain and violence that they experienced. These ghosts are solid enough to wrap their hands around your throat, but they are not subject to the usual laws of physics and they are visible only to the killer they haunt and their immediate intended victim. They seem to set the rules of the bloody game of vengeance, but they also appear to answer to some higher power. Nelah’s encounters with one such ghost are brutally gory, but even as she struggles to preserve her own life and save her family, she cannot help empathizing with the spirit who does not seem fully in control of her own actions.
Whether you’re looking for a sci-fi dystopia filled with feminist rage or some visceral horror that will get your blood pumping, Womb City has something new to offer. You can find a copy on shelves now at your favorite local retailer, or you can buy one online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you’ve already read it, let me know your thoughts in the comments!