Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

13 reviews

almaprincess66's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

Nagyon profin imitálta H.P. Lovecraft stílusát és elég autentikus is volt a történet vezetés.

A probléma csak az hogy engem Lovecraft roppantmód untat. Nem képes a félelmet felkelteni bennem vagy elszörnyűlködtetni, ahogy ez sem.

De a Lovecraft fankonka csak ajánlani tudom!
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duckizza's review

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

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e_l_k's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The dedication reads "For H.P. Lovecraft, with all my conflicted feelings." Little else can summarize what is special about this little book. It turns Lovecraft's fear rooted in bigotry on its head to tell a story of hidden magics and the aggressions of society, and the hell they unleash within one poor Black man. "What was indifference compared to malice?"
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bkwrm1317's review against another edition

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dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

Another great read by LaValle. 

Jazz Age NYC (Harlem, Queens, and Brooklyn esp) Black man in his early 20s just trying to get by without breaking his body gets roped into a job that changes everything, and everyone, around him. Sorcery, things that wait in the deep, and corrupt white cops will keep readers on edge in this cosmic horror novella. 
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bibliofritz's review against another edition

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4.75

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zoe_celeste123's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This is a wonderful rendition of Lovecraftian lore that captures the essence of eldritch horror while also addressing and critiquing the racism and xenophobia in Lovecraft's original stories. This is a story I will remember for a very long time. 
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cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

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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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pizzaisjesus98's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad 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

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amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

This is part of tordotcom's four novella set re-imagining HP Lovecraft stories. The other novellas include the Dream Quest of Villet Boe, Agents of Dreamland, and Hammers on Bone. 

In this book, Lavalle takes HP Lovecrafts arguably most racist story and reworks it with a Black Protagonist and very white detective. 

Charles Thomas Tester is a street musician. He's not very good. He makes most of his money busking, and he occasionally delivers packages. As he goes about his day, he meets a rich eccentric white man who invites him to play at a party in his mansion. The story unfolds in a matter of days as Tester copes with the world he's been invited into. 

The white cop's POV was hard to read. Both men use their identities to keep themselves safe and both men learn what happens when their identities are removed.  

The police murdering Charles dad gutted me, and it forced me to reflect on our existing systems that allow Black men to be killed and white cops to walk away.


If you are a person who likes reimagining of HP Lovecraft's work like the City we Became and if you like speculative fiction, you will likely appreciate this book.  
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