Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

16 reviews

eficca33's review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

This book was a fairly short read but IMPACTFUL! It was sad and difficult to read at points (because of the sadness nothing) but necessary to read. This story is so nuanced in such a short amount of pages. Kudos to LaVelle. I will absolutely be looking forward to reading more of their work!

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minayana's review against another edition

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

3.75

A really fun and quick read. I haven’t read the Lovecraft book this is based on, so I can’t say how it compares. The author does a great job creating a creepy atmospheric setting with some really beautiful writing. I really enjoyed Tom as a main character. I don’t think this needed to be a full length novel, but I think it definitely would’ve benefited with maybe 30-40 more pages. It was a bit disappointing not being to see Tom evolve, as it was done off screen, but it also made it more mysterious so it just depends on what you prefer. I also would’ve liked the immigrant characters to have an actual role. They were mentioned quite often, but none of them even had a line. There are also no female characters in this book, other than a supernatural entity. The book touches on racism, classism and police brutality in a really effective way. Overall, it’s a great novella that you can finish in one sitting. I recently purchased Lone Women by this author, and I can’t wait to read it!

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kwims's review

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dark mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.0


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finchthearcher's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25


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laurareads87's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Well written, atmospheric, disturbing, and gripping.  The Ballad of Black Tom features strong character development in not a lot of pages and articulates social commentary without the story feeling weighted down by it.  This was my first Victor LaValle and I definitely look forward to reading more.


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librariabillie's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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emzhay's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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? N/A

5.0

This was a full body AND outer body experience. Wow. 

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keen's review against another edition

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

4.0


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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".

_______

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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violetfox's review

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.25


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