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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Loved the nods to the classic Lovecraftian horror. But rasicm is the real horror
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This form of storytelling is not my favourite. The way that all the characters’ stories were told separately, and only came together at the end. It made it feel like a collection of short stories.
Was still really interesting. I’ll consider reading book 2. But I preferred the show.
Was still really interesting. I’ll consider reading book 2. But I preferred the show.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
A heads up to those who are specifically looking for black stories by black authors, this isn't one (Matt Ruff is white). But, for what it's worth, it's a really good book either way.
An anthology of stories about members/friends of the Turner family and their encounters with both Jim Crow America and the manipulative sorcerer Caleb Braithewhite. It certainly has the lingering dread of a Lovecraft story, but the racism is scarier than anything supernatural happening. The sequence in the first chapter where a few of the leads stop at a diner that they think is safe is truly iconic (even if the show managed to improve on it).
Caleb Braithewhite is a great villain. In a world of police brutality and injustice, he's actually very nice (not kind) to the Turners, and despite manipulating them to use in his schemes, he's happy to reward them, confess his role, and seems to genuinely see himself as a benevolent force in their lives. He thinks he's smart enough to outplay everyone, and when he is outsmarted, he can't fathom what went wrong.
I did watch the show a few years ago and I feel like the book is more tonally consistent than the series. I will say that the book is lacking in the cosmic horror vibes that one would expect from a book with Lovecraft in the title. The mundane threats were great, but the supernatural threats were also very small-scale and human. Nary an eldritch god to be found. This feels like a petty quibble, though, as I did really enjoy this book for what it was and it doesn't seem fair to complain that the title didn't work for me.
An anthology of stories about members/friends of the Turner family and their encounters with both Jim Crow America and the manipulative sorcerer Caleb Braithewhite. It certainly has the lingering dread of a Lovecraft story, but the racism is scarier than anything supernatural happening. The sequence in the first chapter where a few of the leads stop at a diner that they think is safe is truly iconic (even if the show managed to improve on it).
Caleb Braithewhite is a great villain. In a world of police brutality and injustice, he's actually very nice (not kind) to the Turners, and despite manipulating them to use in his schemes, he's happy to reward them, confess his role, and seems to genuinely see himself as a benevolent force in their lives. He thinks he's smart enough to outplay everyone, and when he is outsmarted, he can't fathom what went wrong.
I did watch the show a few years ago and I feel like the book is more tonally consistent than the series. I will say that the book is lacking in the cosmic horror vibes that one would expect from a book with Lovecraft in the title. The mundane threats were great, but the supernatural threats were also very small-scale and human. Nary an eldritch god to be found. This feels like a petty quibble, though, as I did really enjoy this book for what it was and it doesn't seem fair to complain that the title didn't work for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Brilliantly inventive. Ruff has taken Lovecraft’s legacy and flipped it. Ruff’s ability to tell a larger American story filtered through a Lovecraft universe would be a difficult task for many authors, but Ruff has created something not only inventive and fun to read, but sincere and literary. I hope that the HBO show lives up to how well this novel was executed.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
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