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magikfaye's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
readwreyn's review
4.0
from its captivating cover art to its riveting premise, “Ring Shout” was definitely worthy of all my time. set in Jim Crow America, Maryse, a heroine and huntress with a magical sword, is battling against a racist organization parallel to the Ku Klux Klan—except they have demons and monsters on their side. with a brilliant exploration of hatred as the mother of all prejudice, the story will make you root entirely for its protagonist. not to mention all of the vivid storytelling which are both disturbing and fascinating. it will definitely make you question how much of it is fantasy and how much are facts. with less than 200 pages, i’d definitely recommend this for fans of horror and fantasy.
leovino's review
5.0
does trypophobia include where you are scared of a man covered in gaping hungry mouths? also for a friend
sabzidyke's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pufferfish70's review
3.25
Intriguing example of “historical fantasy” set in 1920s Jim Crow Georgia. While the expository dialogue and info-dumping weighs down the narrative at times, Clark’s easy but fine prose and especially his gift for body horror make this a worthwhile read. The focus on female characters and the poignancy of the theme that foregrounds the narrative (the nature and management of hate) add interest. Ending follows a predictable pattern and feels a bit rushed. The addition of a “sequel hook” is not most welcome.
mapieson's review against another edition
I read this as an audiobook and I think I missed out on a lot.
taybalboa's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sydsnot71's review
5.0
This is an excellent book. A bit more horror than fantasy I think. With a basis in real-world Gullah culture and real-world events (and hate.) I was going to compare it to Lovecraft but it is anti-Lovecraft. The gibbering cultists are white people. The magic of black people is sanity. The magic of white people, through film, is hate.
It is so well written too. I think you can see P Djèlí Clark's training as an academic historian in the way real-world events are weaved in and out of the horror. I'm not a great reader of horror and this is probably mild for regular reader's of horror stories but the body horror here is ickily convincing. There's sticky fluidy yuck (and psychological horror too.)
Our hero, who tells this story, is Maryse Boudreaux and she hunts monsters. Monsters created in the wake of the release of a film and that film is D.W.Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" - one of the most comfortably racist films ever made. Released in 1915 in our world, that film helped re-birth the Ku Klux Klan. It made them out to be the romantic protectors of poor white women. It was one of President Woodrow Wilson's favourite films. But then Woodrow Wilson was a pretty racist man, which - funnily enough - you never really learned when I was at school studying the Versaille Conference.
In the world of "Ring Shout" D.W. Griffith, its director, is a sorcerer and "The Birth of a Nation" helps open the door to another place where creatures lurk. Creatures that turn men into monsters. Creatures that have a plan. It's not a plan that is likely to end well for humankind. These things never do.
Maryse is an excellent character and she's not just a cardboard cut out hero. She has dimensions and doubts. We first meet her with her friends and fellow monster hunters Chef and Sadie on the roof of a building watching a Klan rally in Macon, Georgia in 1922 and as the story goes on we find out more about her past and present.
The pacing is great. The writing is superb. It feels like a story - unfortunately - for the now. We don't need monsters from other worlds. We are our own monsters. That's a cliche, but that's also the comfortable truth.
Recommended.
It is so well written too. I think you can see P Djèlí Clark's training as an academic historian in the way real-world events are weaved in and out of the horror. I'm not a great reader of horror and this is probably mild for regular reader's of horror stories but the body horror here is ickily convincing. There's sticky fluidy yuck (and psychological horror too.)
Our hero, who tells this story, is Maryse Boudreaux and she hunts monsters. Monsters created in the wake of the release of a film and that film is D.W.Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" - one of the most comfortably racist films ever made. Released in 1915 in our world, that film helped re-birth the Ku Klux Klan. It made them out to be the romantic protectors of poor white women. It was one of President Woodrow Wilson's favourite films. But then Woodrow Wilson was a pretty racist man, which - funnily enough - you never really learned when I was at school studying the Versaille Conference.
In the world of "Ring Shout" D.W. Griffith, its director, is a sorcerer and "The Birth of a Nation" helps open the door to another place where creatures lurk. Creatures that turn men into monsters. Creatures that have a plan. It's not a plan that is likely to end well for humankind. These things never do.
Maryse is an excellent character and she's not just a cardboard cut out hero. She has dimensions and doubts. We first meet her with her friends and fellow monster hunters Chef and Sadie on the roof of a building watching a Klan rally in Macon, Georgia in 1922 and as the story goes on we find out more about her past and present.
The pacing is great. The writing is superb. It feels like a story - unfortunately - for the now. We don't need monsters from other worlds. We are our own monsters. That's a cliche, but that's also the comfortable truth.
Recommended.