Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Ballad of Black Tom

Tommy deals with too much shit already to have to put up with eldritch entities, wrong place and time for Malone, no eyes sounds better than no eyelids + eyes.

7.5/10.

Highlights: The effects of eldritch power on a real world.

Recommended for: Lovecraft Country fans, people who can stomach bodily horror, people who have a problem with Lovecraft’s cat’s name.

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naika's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

What resonated with me the most was the look into racism and injustice through a fantasy and horror lens. Charles Thomas Lester is a young, Black man in 1920s NYC finding a way out of no way. To survive he hustles, trying his best to draw as little attention to himself from police and his white neighbors. Of course, he can't escape or distance himself from the two. In fact, in the midst of one of his hustles, he finds himself unknowingly invited to a supernatural world by a peculiar, surly old white man. This "chance" encounter alters his world and identity, morphing him into Black Tom.

The Ballad of Black Tom is divided into two parts: the first part through the POV of Tom, and the second through the POV of Malone, a police officer. Personally, I found Tom's point of view strongest and most resonate. I think I understand the utility of Malone's character, but when the book transitioned to his POV, I felt a bit lost and it seemed as though so much of the integral pieces - particularly that of the transformation of Tom - occurred off screen.

There were aspects that were introduced that did not seem fully realized (e.g. the older woman who sought out Tom's services to retrieve a powerful book). Given all the moving pieces, I kept thinking how I would probably absorb the story better if it were adapted on screen. I have not read the source material this book was inspired by - and don't believe I ever will. I'm firmly comfortable getting a taste of Lovecraft's work through the perspective of Black authors, given his blatant racism.

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sweenerjoey's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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