Reviews with content warning for Death - Ring Shout

Clark's intention for this book was to show that fantasy stories about wielding swords and slaying monsters can exist outside of the fantastical worlds of white people where people of color barely exist. He wanted to show that black people can be the protagonists of these stories.

I think that in his quest to convey these ideas, Clark has made one of the most compelling modern fiction stories I've ever read. Clark was able to craft a story that centers on slavery and black pain without it being fetishized. I love that Clark decided to make the protagonist a black woman, as I think that introduces a deeper, more intersectional aspect to the themes of anger, hate, and trauma stemming from slavery, racial violence, and systemic oppression.

Another thing that Clark succeeded in (whether intentional or not) was highlighting just how strange the KKK actually is. They wear white sheets and chant while standing around burning crosses. They give themselves ranks and funny names. When you think about it, and when you put all of that within the context of a story like Ring Shout, the whole absurd ritualism of it all becomes so obviously apparent. They're fucking crazy. And it's even crazier that they claim to do it under the guise of *checks notes* Christianity and believing that they were... highly enlightened. Insane.

Anyways, I think this story is so good! The incorporation of Black-American culture, rituals, and magic as a means of goodness and strength instead of being stereotyped as primitive was so nice to read.

This book made me really interested in learning more about African-American folklore.

Content Warnings

entityj's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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chris_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny 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

3.5

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matthewclan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jocyavega's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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

4.0

This is a fantastic quick read for anyone who enjoys some dark historic fantasy!
The way places, things, and moments/ feelings are described throughout the story. It's like perfectly hitting the nail in how a feeling should feel or setting the mood to a place or how a thing is giving off a certain vibe. <Spoiler>I enjoyed the way it's described how the hatred the KKK have within them is what calls/ creates these monsters that come out of them and turns them. And how (when the offer was presented) hatred can be created from placing that hatred into your pain and letting it fester in that pain.
The characters feel real and it felt great to have characters who have a lot of personality that gives them dimension! I just wished their story continued or at least get more stories about them all!
I think the novella itself is the perfect length because, even though it's short and I'm sure we'd all want it to be a longer, it gets the story arcoss and offers the reader a great read!

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