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A review by eldritch_flower
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read this as an audiobook through the Libby app.
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The Ballad of Black Tom is a 2016 fantasy-horror novella by Victor LaValle, revisiting H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the viewpoint of a Black man.
In 1924 Harlem, Tommy Tester is a small-time hustler whose regular guise as a street musician brings him in contact with reclusive millionaire Robert Suydam, who wants him to participate in a nefarious scheme involving the Great Old Ones. Among the tools that Tester uses to thwart the scheme is the Supreme Mathematics of the Five-Percent Nation.
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Content Warnings: Racism, Police Violence, Death, and of course Cosmic Horror
"The Ballad of Black Tom" won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella, and was a finalist for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction, the 2016 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2017 British Fantasy Award for best novella, the 2017 Theodore Sturgeon Award, the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and the 2017 World Fantasy Award—Long Fiction.
Slate called it "riveting", "clever", and "compelling", and noted LaValle's comparison of "cosmic indifference" to targeted racist malice and brutality. Vice described it as "tightly written, beautifully creepy, and politically resonant", and emphasized that despite its nature as a literary "rebuttal", it is still "a thrilling Lovecraftian tale of mystery, monsters, and madness".
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This was a really great read. I really enjoyed the story and the narrator was excellent. Everything about this story was incredible. Incredibly written, incredibly thoughtful, and incredibly horrific. I love Lovecraftian horror, and this book really hit the spot. I highly recommend it. I can't say too much about the book without spoilers, but it was an excellent read
_______
The Ballad of Black Tom is a 2016 fantasy-horror novella by Victor LaValle, revisiting H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the viewpoint of a Black man.
In 1924 Harlem, Tommy Tester is a small-time hustler whose regular guise as a street musician brings him in contact with reclusive millionaire Robert Suydam, who wants him to participate in a nefarious scheme involving the Great Old Ones. Among the tools that Tester uses to thwart the scheme is the Supreme Mathematics of the Five-Percent Nation.
_______
Content Warnings: Racism, Police Violence, Death, and of course Cosmic Horror
"The Ballad of Black Tom" won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella, and was a finalist for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction, the 2016 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2017 British Fantasy Award for best novella, the 2017 Theodore Sturgeon Award, the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and the 2017 World Fantasy Award—Long Fiction.
Slate called it "riveting", "clever", and "compelling", and noted LaValle's comparison of "cosmic indifference" to targeted racist malice and brutality. Vice described it as "tightly written, beautifully creepy, and politically resonant", and emphasized that despite its nature as a literary "rebuttal", it is still "a thrilling Lovecraftian tale of mystery, monsters, and madness".
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This was a really great read. I really enjoyed the story and the narrator was excellent. Everything about this story was incredible. Incredibly written, incredibly thoughtful, and incredibly horrific. I love Lovecraftian horror, and this book really hit the spot. I highly recommend it. I can't say too much about the book without spoilers, but it was an excellent read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Body horror, and Gore