u/Zestyclose-Depth7372

In the 1960s, Zambia briefly had its own space program. Its aspiring “Afronauts” reportedly trained by rolling downhill in an oil drum, with ambitions of reaching both the Moon and Mars.

The story was already stranger than fiction, so I used it as the foundation for a comic novel: Afronauts — Zambia’s Space Race.

I developed the concept, characters, historical direction and humour, then used Librida’s AI-assisted writing and revision tools to create and repeatedly rework the book. The result is less “AI writes a book from one prompt” and more a human-directed experiment in using AI as part of the writing room.

It’s free to read here:

https://librida.com/book/b9494045-1c3a-4ee2-a0da-baba49d3d2bd?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=afronauts_launch&utm_content=writingwithai

I’d genuinely value feedback on two things: does the landing page make you curious enough to start reading, and does the first chapter earn a second?

I’ve just finished Afronauts: Or, How Zambia Won the Space Race (Mostly), an AI-assisted novel inspired by the wonderfully strange true story of Zambia’s 1960s space program.

The basic premise: Zambia has just become independent, the US and USSR are racing to the Moon — and Edward Mukuka Nkoloso decides Zambia should ignore the Moon entirely and beat them both to Mars.

His resources include oil drums, ropes, an extremely optimistic training program, a teenage Afronaut, a missionary, and two cats.

The tone is intentionally absurdist and deadpan, but I wanted the characters and the historical setting to still feel like more than just a joke.

I’d really appreciate beta-reader feedback, particularly on:

• Does the humour work, or does it become repetitive?
• Are there places where the pacing drags?
• Do the characters feel distinct and worth following?
• Does the AI-assisted writing ever become noticeable or feel “AI-ish”?
• Most importantly: where would you stop reading, if anywhere?

Don’t worry about being polite — finding the weak spots is exactly what I’m looking for.

Read it here:
https://librida.com/book/b9494045-1c3a-4ee2-a0da-baba49d3d2bd

In the 1960s, while the US and Soviet Union were racing to the Moon, a Zambian schoolteacher named Edward Nkoloso announced that Zambia would beat them both — and send the first African astronauts into space.

That wonderfully improbable piece of history became the starting point for Afronauts.

It’s a fictionalised, humorous retelling inspired by the real Zambian space programme: homemade rockets, enormous ambition, questionable engineering, Cold War observers, journalists, cats, and a country that has only just become independent deciding that the obvious next step is… Mars.

I’ve also made a movie-style poster for the book, which is the image attached to this post.

📖 Read Afronauts free on Librida:
https://librida.com/book/b9494045-1c3a-4ee2-a0da-baba49d3d2bd

I’d genuinely love to hear what people think — particularly whether the mix of historical absurdity and fiction works for you.

In the 1960s, while the US and Soviet Union were racing to the Moon, a Zambian schoolteacher named Edward Nkoloso announced that Zambia would beat them both — and send the first African astronauts into space.

That wonderfully improbable piece of history became the starting point for Afronauts.

It’s a fictionalised, humorous retelling inspired by the real Zambian space programme: homemade rockets, enormous ambition, questionable engineering, Cold War observers, journalists, cats, and a country that has only just become independent deciding that the obvious next step is… Mars.

📖 Read Afronauts free on Librida:
https://librida.com/book/b9494045-1c3a-4ee2-a0da-baba49d3d2bd

I’d genuinely love to hear what people think — particularly whether the mix of historical absurdity and fiction works for you.