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darnishabee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
kingrosereads's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Gore
enzoisprettycool's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Classism, Murder, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Racism
Minor: Medical content
rrmonroe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
A fantastic retelling of Lovecraft's "Horror at Red Hook," The Ballad of Black Tom is a quick but satisfying story of cosmic horror in 1920s New York City with a focus on the racial tensions of the time. I'm definitely going to be looking into more books from LaValle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Classism and Death of parent
_egg_wash's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
sabrinalefebvre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
3.75 ⭐️
Holy shit! I still can’t quite comprehend what transpired towards the end (my dads limited knowledge of H. P. Lovecraft’s works somewhat helped)
Heavy trigger warnings though for racism, racial slurs (towards black people and Native Americans) and murder
Holy shit! I still can’t quite comprehend what transpired towards the end (my dads limited knowledge of H. P. Lovecraft’s works somewhat helped)
Heavy trigger warnings though for racism, racial slurs (towards black people and Native Americans) and murder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Moderate: Murder and Blood
emilineopines's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Racism
keen's review against another edition
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Body horror, and Police brutality
Moderate: Death of parent
spencer_'s review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
nicoleonbooks's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Gore