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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
I hopped on Libby in search of a spooky audiobook for the season. I nearly passed by this because Lovecraft is in the title and I have feelings. BUT the title was familiar. A little Google reminded me that Jordan Peele is creating a tv series with the same name. In fact, his new series is being adapted from this book! If you like Peele's movies Get Out and Us then you will enjoy reading this.
The author takes on the terror of living during the Jim Crow era and mixes it with supernatural terrors like weird cults, Lovecraftian monsters, portals, and ghosts. Atticus Turner returns to Chicago after he receives a mysterious note from his estranged father. Upon returning to his hometown he discovers that his father has gone missing. He and his uncle go off in search of the elder Turner and launch a fantastical adventure. This book is a collection of short stories that complete the overall narrative.
Some of the biggest frights come from the indignities of living while black during this era. However there is some humor laced throughout. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it; I definitely recommend. I look forward to seeing the adaption when it airs next year.
The author takes on the terror of living during the Jim Crow era and mixes it with supernatural terrors like weird cults, Lovecraftian monsters, portals, and ghosts. Atticus Turner returns to Chicago after he receives a mysterious note from his estranged father. Upon returning to his hometown he discovers that his father has gone missing. He and his uncle go off in search of the elder Turner and launch a fantastical adventure. This book is a collection of short stories that complete the overall narrative.
Some of the biggest frights come from the indignities of living while black during this era. However there is some humor laced throughout. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it; I definitely recommend. I look forward to seeing the adaption when it airs next year.
Holy shit. A friend told me to read it. Even though the summary didn’t pull me in I put it on hold.
Matt Ruff’s writing is great and binds the whole thing together. Fundamentally it’s a collection of pulp stories, sharing a rotating cast of main characters. They all touch on Lovecraft style horror, but that sits right along side Jim Crow racism. The sickening feel of both themes, the constant threat, and the surreal ness of the situations are uncomfortably similar. It’s horror.
The ultimate resolution is satisfying and the book goes on just long enough. I don’t think a single story is weaker than the others and by the end I felt like I understood each character.
This was a great book and I’m a bit sad it’s over.
Matt Ruff’s writing is great and binds the whole thing together. Fundamentally it’s a collection of pulp stories, sharing a rotating cast of main characters. They all touch on Lovecraft style horror, but that sits right along side Jim Crow racism. The sickening feel of both themes, the constant threat, and the surreal ness of the situations are uncomfortably similar. It’s horror.
The ultimate resolution is satisfying and the book goes on just long enough. I don’t think a single story is weaker than the others and by the end I felt like I understood each character.
This was a great book and I’m a bit sad it’s over.
The writing is excellent and compulsive. The characters are good. But I had some issues: one, Lovecraft is only barely evoked, in a monster (never seen) that clumps through the forest, and in a massive cult that is, however, not even much like a Lovecraftian cult. There are monsters, but they're too obvious and dull. There are old books, but they have actual, usable, functional power. Really it doesn't work as Lovecraft. And then second: the blackness of the characters (who are all black; main characters, I mean) is based almost entirely only in the idea of their oppression. I'm glad they are sci-fi geeks and aspiring astronomers. But it really felt like (and is) a white author's somewhat heavy-handed educational tract about how bad Jim Crow was, with little effort beyond Jim Crow to represent the black experience. Maybe just me. And what do I know, as I'm a white guy, too? But it bothered me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
This book took me a while to get through because I’ve been pretty busy recently, but I really enjoyed it. It was not what I was expecting it to be and it was a lot less involved with the horror genre than I thought, but it was an excellent story.
I liked that the book’s chapters were essentially short stories that were interconnected. I liked some chapters better than others, but I thought the different supernatural elements were interesting. However, the scariest parts of this book involved the racism that was experienced by the characters instead of the supernatural parts.
This was a story that was necessary and important, and I liked how it was written. I also found out there’s a sequel and I’m be interested in reading it eventually.
@Paperbackdanny on Instagram
It’s decent but for the most part it doesn’t catch that Lovecraft feeling. It’s more of a mystery book, and maybe even more anthological. It does a great job of reclaiming great content (Lovecrafts Cthulhu mythos) from awful circumstances (Lovecraft’s glaring racism) - that’s really where the book shines.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
really difficult for me to follow along and comprehend but that’s a me thing! Utilized a lot of summaries and recaps but ultimately so captivating
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially its telling of the oldest battle of good vs evil, and how one chooses to fight. Great character development. Highly recommend.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No