Nigerian author Rogba Payne has won the inaugural Aldiss Award for Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction with his debut novel The Dance of Shadows. The award was announced at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, UK, where Payne’s editor Marcus Gipps accepted on his behalf. Launched in conjunction with what would have been Brian Aldiss’s centenary year, the award celebrates worldbuilding within literature and gaming, honoring the Grand Master of Science Fiction’s legacy.

The shortlist featured six works: Aman J. Bedi’s Kavithri, Gabriella Buba’s Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Veronica Roth’s When Among Crows, Caitlin Rozakis’s Dreadful, Wole Talabi’s Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, and Payne’s The Dance of Shadows. Two of the six finalists, Payne and Talabi, are Nigerian writers working to expand the imaginative boundaries of African speculative fiction. The judging panel included Janet Forbes, David Green, and Allen Stroud as chair, representing the British Science Fiction Association, the British Fantasy Society, and UK Interactive Entertainment.

The Dance of Shadows, published by Gollancz, is a high fantasy novel set on the fictional continent of Darosa, where gods, witch doctors, tribal chiefs, and colonial power collide. The novel follows Rumi, a young musician from the impoverished Odu tribe, whose life is upended when a terrifying figure known as the Priest of Vultures attacks him and his family, setting him on the path to become a Shadowwielder. Critics have praised the work as high fantasy rooted in West African tradition, rituals, and folklore, with Payne’s fiction characterized by its blend of West African spiritual traditions and the mechanics of fantasy, exploring themes of myth, magic, music, power dynamics, prejudice, and the legacy of colonialism.

Reflecting on the win, Payne wrote on Instagram: “It was such a wonderful surprise to see THE DANCE OF SHADOWS win the inaugural Aldiss award for Worldbuilding last month. It means SO much to see the book highlighted in this way and to know the mad world within its pages resonates with others.” He thanked his editor Marcus and the Gollancz team, his agents Rachel and Jordan at The Blair Partnership, and acknowledged that his family and friends “all share this award” with him, adding, “To be honored in this way amongst such a remarkable class of authors is a thing of dreams.” The award comes with a commemorative bookend and positions Payne alongside a growing cadre of African writers bringing diaspora mythologies into speculative fiction.

Congratulations Payne!

The Dance of Shadows is available from Gollancz.