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lilcurious's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
codalion's review against another edition
5.0
I'd have to be a pretty fucked up person to not have to sit with how fucked up this all is, because it's all true. There is and was no hope for so many people, no uplift; to read about hope brutally betrayed is to remember the truth (of Reconstruction, but not just). I wanted to say that before anything about the story's craft--if I tried to affect a distance, formulate a grave and somber and artistic remove, weigh it casually against traditions, I think, in my case, that would be monstrously dishonest, and also dishonestly monstrous.
It's also wonderfully done, though, on a sentence level, and as metafiction. I should note also that I came to this (having previously heard of the author but not in a while) after reading an essay of his on writing dialect for authors of color; as a biracial writer with only a strong native grip on "standard" American English, I can't imagine myself able to do any ongoing justice to the speech of my relatives, much less anyone else's, but it was a lovely read.
This is a bloody place where we live. We, as in everyone here, and also the fewer we, as in the devils in America who reap.
(I liked "Dad's" contributions. I hope he liked the final form of the story.)
It's also wonderfully done, though, on a sentence level, and as metafiction. I should note also that I came to this (having previously heard of the author but not in a while) after reading an essay of his on writing dialect for authors of color; as a biracial writer with only a strong native grip on "standard" American English, I can't imagine myself able to do any ongoing justice to the speech of my relatives, much less anyone else's, but it was a lovely read.
This is a bloody place where we live. We, as in everyone here, and also the fewer we, as in the devils in America who reap.
(I liked "Dad's" contributions. I hope he liked the final form of the story.)
kateelam's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
To be honest I did not know what was going on half the time, but it was disturbing AF regardless.
cj_jones's review against another edition
4.0
Almost nothing that happened in this book was what I expected. It's small--a light lunch of a read--but you may want to read it twice because there's a strong current underneath. I picked it up for free at a convention because the packaging, the art on the outside, was very attractive, and while the story is not pretty I feel I would have gotten my money's worth had I bought it. This story has re-ignited my itch to work on my southern gothic novel. We'll see how that holds out.
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
I can't remember what led me to read this novella. I tried reading The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps a few years back, and I couldn't make it through, but I read something about this story that made me want to read it. I'm glad I did, though when I first finished it, I wasn't sure.
It took time for the story to settle, and for me to realize just how good it is. I didn't like the metafictional asides (there are moments in the story where the author's -- not the narrator's, now, but the author's -- father interjects with comments about the story), but I realized they were clues as to what was to happen in the story. Why Wilson chose this device I don't know, but when he comments on Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin, it becomes clear that this story is about the violence done against African-Americans, historically and currently.
As such, it's not a comfortable story. We see white cruelty, though we also see hope through our main character, Easter, who lives in the late 19th century and possesses African magic. She has the ability to control "angels", who can either do good or ill. An uneasy bargain she makes to save her father leads to future violence ... or maybe the violence would have happened regardless.
The magic story works, as does the metafictional device (strange as it is), and the theme resonates. It's a powerful piece of fiction, though it doesn't reveal its significance until after some thought. Wilson is a talented writer, enough so that it makes me want to revisit The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps to see if I gave up on it too soon the first time around.
It took time for the story to settle, and for me to realize just how good it is. I didn't like the metafictional asides (there are moments in the story where the author's -- not the narrator's, now, but the author's -- father interjects with comments about the story), but I realized they were clues as to what was to happen in the story. Why Wilson chose this device I don't know, but when he comments on Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin, it becomes clear that this story is about the violence done against African-Americans, historically and currently.
As such, it's not a comfortable story. We see white cruelty, though we also see hope through our main character, Easter, who lives in the late 19th century and possesses African magic. She has the ability to control "angels", who can either do good or ill. An uneasy bargain she makes to save her father leads to future violence ... or maybe the violence would have happened regardless.
The magic story works, as does the metafictional device (strange as it is), and the theme resonates. It's a powerful piece of fiction, though it doesn't reveal its significance until after some thought. Wilson is a talented writer, enough so that it makes me want to revisit The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps to see if I gave up on it too soon the first time around.
greenblack's review
dark
emotional
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? No
leannj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime
pezski's review against another edition
5.0
A harrowing, beautifully written tale about how, even after everything had been taken from Africans enslaved to America more could yet be taken. Brutal and affecting.
emilycc's review against another edition
5.0
Whole story available here: http://www.tor.com/2014/04/02/the-devil-in-america-kai-ashante-wilson/#more-121588
Oof. This one hurt to read, but it's gorgeously written. Between this and Wildeeps, I'll read anything Wilson writes.
Oof. This one hurt to read, but it's gorgeously written. Between this and Wildeeps, I'll read anything Wilson writes.