Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Ballad of Black Tom

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

41 reviews

kingrosereads's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

An inclusive Lovecraftian-inspired sci-fi mystery horror.

Tommy Tester is a hustler from 1920s Harlem. He does what he can to provide a roof over his and his father's head. As a black man, he's cautious and aware of his surroundings and who his customers are. One night, it seems he's hit the jackpot when a mysterious stranger offers him a few hundred dollars for a couple nights' worth of work. That's when Tommy is thrown into a world of nightmares, curses, and magic.

Full disclosure: I'm not actually familiar with Lovecraft source material. I've seen and read a lot of Lovecraftian shows/movies/books, but I haven't actually read anything by H.P. Lovecraft (and for good reason). I am aware this is a retelling with an alternate ending of The Horror of Red Hook, but I haven't read that book. I will say this was a very compelling story that I ended up loving despite taking me awhile to get into it. I'm new to the sci-fi horror reading scene, so I don't really know the rules and the background, but this was a great story. I appreciate the commentary on race and having a black protagonist in a sci-fi story.

That being said, I didn't find the story scary so much as being mysterious and creepy with a disturbing scene or two. Truly, the scene that evoked the most emotion from me was his father's death.

I wish it was a little longer. It felt too short and I was just starting to love the chaos!

I definitely recommend this book to anyone interest in having an inclusive sci-fi horror.

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nicoleonbooks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Weird. Strange. Creepy.

LaValle uses this Lovecraftian horror novel to explore rasicm. Malone was a great way to depict white complacency. Listening to the audiobook feels like listening to a really good creepy podcast.

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amandaquotidianbooks's review

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I haven’t read the inspiration text, but I can imagine what LaValle did to subvert it. I loved how the cosmic horror elements were contracted with the horrors of racism and police brutality. Tommy Tester was such an interesting characters. His journey was devastating and empowering. I appreciated the detail that Detective Malone’s first name is also Thomas. And it was all wrapped up in a perfect bow. I’ll definitely be reading more from LaValle!

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evenstr's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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eldritch_flower's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I read this as an audiobook through the Libby app.

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The Ballad of Black Tom is a 2016 fantasy-horror novella by Victor LaValle, revisiting H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the viewpoint of a Black man.

In 1924 Harlem, Tommy Tester is a small-time hustler whose regular guise as a street musician brings him in contact with reclusive millionaire Robert Suydam, who wants him to participate in a nefarious scheme involving the Great Old Ones. Among the tools that Tester uses to thwart the scheme is the Supreme Mathematics of the Five-Percent Nation.

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Content Warnings: Racism, Police Violence, Death, and of course Cosmic Horror

"The Ballad of Black Tom" won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella, and was a finalist for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction, the 2016 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2017 British Fantasy Award for best novella, the 2017 Theodore Sturgeon Award, the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and the 2017 World Fantasy Award—Long Fiction.

Slate called it "riveting", "clever", and "compelling", and noted LaValle's comparison of "cosmic indifference" to targeted racist malice and brutality. Vice described it as "tightly written, beautifully creepy, and politically resonant", and emphasized that despite its nature as a literary "rebuttal", it is still "a thrilling Lovecraftian tale of mystery, monsters, and madness".

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This was a really great read. I really enjoyed the story and the narrator was excellent. Everything about this story was incredible. Incredibly written, incredibly thoughtful, and incredibly horrific. I love Lovecraftian horror, and this book really hit the spot. I highly recommend it. I can't say too much about the book without spoilers, but it was an excellent read

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