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ecolvig's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
vickycbooks's review against another edition
In general, I thought this was a thoughtful examination of really popular teen literature & shows and how Black characters were treated, albeit somewhat dated. I enjoyed seeing Thomas' descriptions of early fandom, but I did think that some parts didn't age as well as they could have. (VERY large warning for the last chapter on the book, which is centered on JKR and HP. It's from 2019, so it makes sense, but it's still jarring to read when you also remember the vitriolic hate JKR is putting forth.) I would recommend if you're someone who is interested in writing speculative fiction.
Content Warnings
The last chapter is centered on HP and doesn't generally acknowledge its faults (antisemitism, etc.), even outside of JKR's transphobia. This section will probably be fairly jarring for modern readers.
sbloom's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Essential.
e_flah's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The Dark Fantastic is an expertly argued look at race in the fantastic using four case studies: Rue in the Hunger Games, Gwen in Merlin, Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries, and Hermione in Harry Potter. Thomas used these case studies in really powerful ways to look at how media follows the cycle of the dark fantastic despite, in some instances, an attempt to subvert them. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves speculative fiction and wants to learn more about how race is portrayed in these genres.
'Darky,' a colloquial term for people of African descent during the late eighteenth century, signals that in modern English, darkness has never been just a metaphor. Darkness is personified, embodied, and most assuredly racialized.
jaqofmosttrades's review against another edition
5.0
This was an amazing read, highly recommend for anyone who reads books, watches TV or care about character rep. I will be thinking about this forever.
amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
This is an academic work broken up into 5 chapters. Thomas explores how Black girls as characters are explored in young adult fiction and tv. The first chapter lays out her Theory of why Black girls often play a role to move stories forward. In the chapters 2-5, she takes separate case studies to explore this idea.
It was thoughtful. It was deep, and if you enjoy reading diversely and thinking about reading, I'd recommend picking it up.
My academic reading skills are rusty, so I did have to set reading goals to finish, and I am very glad I did.
It was thoughtful. It was deep, and if you enjoy reading diversely and thinking about reading, I'd recommend picking it up.
My academic reading skills are rusty, so I did have to set reading goals to finish, and I am very glad I did.