Minister Faust
Malcolm Azania (born 1969), is a Kenyan-Canadian novelist, teacher, writer, and journalist who is primarily referred to by his pen name, Minister Faust. Aside from being a science fiction author, he is also a playwright, journalist, teacher, and poet.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Azania is the current writer in residence at the University of Alberta. Writing in the science fiction and fantasy genres, he refers to his subgenre of writing as imhotep-hop. Imhotep-hop is an Africentric subgenre which draws inspiration from a large number of ancient African civilizations and focuses on a future in which people struggle for justice. Being a political aspirant, most of his works deal with political themes in some way, with the most notable works being the ongoing War & Mir series.
A writer since his teenage years, one of Azania’s first works was the science fiction play The Undiscovered Country for Montreal’s Creations Etc. in 1986.
Azania’s debut novel, The Coyote Kings, Book One: Space Age Bachelor Pad (2004), was a finalist for the Phillip K. Dick award, The Locus Best First Novel Award, and The Compton-Cook Award. The novel follows Sherem, an Ethiopian savant as well as Hamza and Yehat through a story filled with action, pop culture and Africentric themes.
His second book, From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain (2007), was the winner of the Carl Brandon Society Kindred Award and the runner up for the Phillip K. Dick Prize. The story revolves around the therapy of six fictional super heroes and the difficulties of being a celebrity.
The Alchemists of Kush (2011) follows the paths of two Sudanese boys as they attempt to change the world.
The War and Mir series consists of two novels, War & Mir, Volume I: Ascension (2011), and War & Mir, Volume II: The Darkold (2014), with a third novel currently being written. The story centers on Taharqa Douglass, a man with a unique trait that marks him as a prime target for drafting into an interstellar war.
Azania co-wrote Mass Effect 2’s Kasumi DLC (Downloadable Content), which was initially released on April 6, 2010 for the PC and Xbox, and released on January 18 for the PS3. The DLC introduces a new character and several new outfits, as well as an original quest line.
Azania wrote BioWare’s Gift of the Yeti, an app for Facebook which was released in 2009 with the intent of raising $10,000 for Childs Play, a charity that funds hospitals for children. In the game, the player controls a yeti who must take Santa’s place one year, and deliver presents to everyone while evading the police.
Azania wrote maxis' Darkspore, which was released on April 26, 2011. The game involves creating an avatar and fighting across various worlds in an attempt to save the galaxy.
Azania’s stage writing career began at 17 when he wrote the science fiction play The Undiscovered Country for Montreal’s Creations Etc., and he continued his career by writing the play The Wonderful World of Wangari about the Kenyan Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Wangari Maathi. Azania also wrote sketches for local television shows the 11:02 Show and Gordon’s Big Bald Head.
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