Blood of Kings brings African-inspired fantasy to Comic Con Africa

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After nearly seven years of researching, writing and building the world, Zama is bringing it to Comic Con Africa as an exhibitor and speaker, giving fans a chance to discover its characters, lore and African historical inspirations.

Welcome to the Outlands

Set across a continent of competing kingdoms, Blood of Kings is built around power, loyalty, survival and the difficult choices that come with them.

The novel features around 100 named characters, with 11 serving as points of view through which readers experience the story. That means there is no single version of events — and no guarantee that readers will agree on who they should trust.

“Nobody in this book is just one thing,” says Zama. “Every major character in Blood of Kings is nuanced and making a genuinely difficult choice about power, loyalty or survival.”

For readers drawn to found-family dynamics, enemies-to-allies storylines and political fantasy, Zama says there is plenty to explore.

“It’s a big, sprawling world, but it’s held together by very personal stakes.”

Not everyone is meant to be liked

With 11 different perspectives, Zama has deliberately created a cast that can divide opinion.

Some characters have already become favourites among advance reader copy and beta readers, while others are designed to test the audience’s loyalties. There is also at least one character Zama expects readers will particularly enjoy disliking.

“Whatever kind of character you like, you’re likely going to find at least one that resonates with you, and probably several that will frustrate and infuriate you,” he says.

That uncertainty is part of the appeal of the Outlands. Readers are not simply following heroes and villains, but characters forced to navigate complicated decisions where power, loyalty and survival rarely have straightforward answers.

African history meets epic fantasy

The world of Blood of Kings is rooted in Zama’s longstanding interest in history.

He grew up fascinated by history and encyclopaedias and initially considered writing historical fiction. Fantasy ultimately offered him the freedom to build an entirely new continent while drawing on the histories, cultures and landscapes that inspired him.

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“Epic fantasy has always drawn on real history and culture to build its worlds, that’s not new,” he explains. “What feels meaningful is putting African-inspired history, politics and landscapes into that same tradition, on the same table, told with the same scale and ambition as anything else on that convention floor.”

At Comic Con Africa, Zama will unpack some of those influences, taking audiences behind the world-building and exploring the ideas that shaped the Outlands.

From fan to exhibitor

Zama’s appearance at Comic Con Africa also marks something of a full-circle moment.

He has attended the convention as a fan for the past three years. This time, he will return as both an exhibitor and speaker, selling signed copies of Blood of Kings and sharing the world he has spent years developing.

“The event is a magical, almost spiritual experience every time,” he says. “To experience it as not only a fan but an exhibitor and speaker this time around feels like coming full circle.”

For Zama, there is something particularly meaningful about introducing the Outlands in person.

“I’ve spent years with these characters in my head. Getting to hand them to a stranger in real time and watch that first spark of curiosity happen live is exactly why I wanted to do this in person rather than just online.”

Discover the world behind the book

Comic Con Africa visitors will be able to buy signed copies of Blood of Kings, hear Zama speak about the novel and its inspirations, and take part in a quiz with spot prizes.

For fantasy fans, it is also an opportunity to get a closer look at a South African-created world that brings African-inspired history, politics and landscapes into the epic fantasy tradition.

And with so many characters, competing loyalties and different perspectives, choosing a favourite may not be quite as easy as it sounds.

Blood of Kings at Comic Con Africa 2026

Blood of Kings author Tapelo Zama will be at Comic Con Africa 2026 from 24 to 27 September at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec. Visitors can meet Zama, pick up signed copies of the book, hear him speak about the Outlands and the world-building behind the novel, and take part in a quiz with spot prizes.

Zama’s invitation to fantasy fans is simple: “If you love unpredictable plots where no one is safe, and a world big enough to get lost in, the Outlands is waiting.”