My latest airplane reading was a relatively short book by James Blish. Most of his work is straight up sci-fi, but Night Shapers is quite a different work altogether. The book takes place in 1900-ish Africa, and posits what would things have been like if many of the primitive beliefs and powers of African witch-doctors were real?
It’s a great premise, and not something I’ve run across elsewhere (as opposed to the dystopian future meme) so if you’re interested in something short and off the beaten track, give the book a whirl.