This is my favorite of P. Djeli Clark's works so far. He's a historian and I've always liked the historical details that he brings to his writing. In this instance, 1920' Macon really comes to life- it's the most vivid setting yet!

Maryse, the hero of the story, is a young Black girl who is working to undermine the Klan, especially the demonic Ku Kluxes who have learned to wear human skin and who exist on hate. Maryse has a whole network of friends, some of whom can do a bit of magic and some of whom know how to use explosives and rifles exceptionally well. The characters are developed quickly and all of them feel individual and interesting- it's too bad we're in a novella format because I'd have liked to have spent more time with some of them.

The basic theme is how hate is a destructive, cancerous force that feeds on itself and looks for opportunities to increase itself. Maryse has her own reasons for hate, and a magic sword that is a great aid in vanquishing her enemies. She has a choice to make, and if you've seen any Star Wars movies you'll figure out pretty quickly what that choice is.

I'm ready for this author to put out a novel! He's very good in the novella framework but that framework has its limitations. Clark is a storyteller instead of an author who focuses primarily on feel or concept. With a novella, you're going to have an initial exciting introduction to your characters, a problem to solve, a way to get information, and then the big fight at the end. Nothing wrong with this and I've happily watched many TV series follow just this formula over and over. And Clark has put some interesting questions into the book. He's also done a great job of illuminating parts of American history that often stay dark and unnoticed. I'd like to see him stretch a bit more, if he's got the time and energy.

A fiercely compelling and imaginative take on hate and racism, where the monstrous realities of our history are (partially) configured into full-on monsters. Clark's mind astounds me. He takes stories and legends and pieces of history and knits them into his story with uncanny precision. From the insidious hypnotism of propaganda films to the mysterious existence of Night Doctors, Clark always held me surprised and engrossed. As powerful as his imagination is, it's also strongly rooted in the historical period he writes about. He creates a narrative that is richly imbued with the voices and traditions of the time, which are too often underrepresented.

I don't read much in the way of body horror, so the unsettling and visceral descriptions of the monsters in this book shook me up and linger in my imagination. There were also moments of great beauty, too, but most important was the strength and the grit of Maryse and those around her, as well as the important delineation that anger is a very different thing from hate. A good book any time, but especially now.

Ring Shout is a lush, engrossing, truly stirring novella. It is full of the parts of my country's history I am still learning and still coming to grips with. It's amazing how much we are not taught, how much there still is to know, how much pain and suffering I can never truly understand. This novella was so powerful in that way, in how it depicted generational trauma and suffering, but also the resilience passed on, the strength and hope.
P. Djèlí Clark's writing brought me to tears several times, all for different reasons. I was most in awe of his storytelling, how immersed I felt in this world and these characters. How vividly I could see the images he painted. The monsters in this tale are not strangers, but true evil that this book confronts in such a unique and interesting way. And I truly loved the ending and resolution. A must read story for these times.

It’s taken me a good two weeks since reading Ring Shout to sit down and have the words to review it. Actually, scratch that. I don’t even know if I do have the words to review it. It’s still all a nebulous bundle of unformed thoughts right now so, yeah. Bear with this review.

Ring Shout is another of P. Djèlí Clark’s alternative histories, though this time it’s less fantastical and more horror and/or paranormal (i.e. not something I might normally enjoy, being the little baby I am). And it is still so so good.

I’m not sure I know an author who does novellas as well as Clark does novellas. Each of them is a perfectly contained story but also something that you want so much more of, because it is that great. It’s a perfect balance, for me. There’s a knack to writing novellas that simultaneously leave you satisfied but also wanting more.

And that’s definitely the case here. While the story itself stands alone fine, I found myself wanting more of the characters and the world. I mean, in the backstories of some of the characters alone you could imagine so many more tales. And it’s also a novella that I think you could read many times over and still be finding new things to enjoy about it.

Basically, what I’m saying is, if you haven’t read any P. Djèlí Clark before, you should absolutely put down what you’re reading an correct such a grievous oversight straightaway.

Ring Shout is a novella set in the US during the Ku Klux Klan, but retold in a dark, supernatural context.
First the title, Ring Shout, is a reference to a religious ritual usually performed by slaves, with deep roots in West African culture, in which the dancers would move in circle, patting their feet and clapping their hands. The ritual would be a praise to the Gods, a form of expression, and that alone sets the tone to this story.
We follow our main character Maryse, a young, Black woman who hunts Ku Kluxes, demons hiding under white hoods and false humans appearances. Together with her acolytes, she must defeat a dark plot bigger than herself and driven only by hate, fighting her own demons in the process.
I can safely say that everything about this story was great. Having read the Black God's Drums earlier this year, I already fell in love with Clark's writing, and when I heard about this new novella and its unique premise, I knew I would love it, and I was right. Everything, from the historical setting to the multilayered characters was well-executed, and the author's particular voice gave it a pure, Black storytelling aspect.
Reading this novella was a vivid, dark experience, the characters—especially Dr. Bisset and the Night Doctors—being the best part of it all.
I strongly recommend this novella, particularly with everything that's going on, and I can assure you it will be a story like you've never read before.

A dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror

The KKK are monsters. But what if, in addition to the human kind of monsters, they were also actual otherworldly demons? P. Djèlí Clark examines just such a situation, in this engaging and twisted novella. I really enjoyed this.

This is the third novella by Clark that I’ve read, and each one has been excellent. In Ring Shout, the author takes a look at an alternative, supernatural-horror-inflected history of the United States. Our main protagonist is Maryse Boudreaux, a resistance fighter with some otherworldly abilities and someone who has drawn the attention of the Ku Kluxes and also their supernatural opponents. Through Boudreaux’s eyes, we learn more about the ongoing struggle between these supernatural forces, as well as peripheral creatures who are not directly involved in the fight (but could be convinced to take part, given the right… inducements).

The KKK seem to be evolving, adapting, becoming a more evolved and dangerous beast. The first time we meet one in the story, Clark describes their transformation process in lurid detail. Something is changing among the Ku Klux ranks, however, and the group of heroes are starting to learn about an upcoming event that could spell doom on a huge scale.

“I’m saying that the organism—the Ku Klux—is evolving.”

“Evolving?” Sadie looks up, fiddling with the knobs of a microscope. “Like that monkey man’s book?”

“Darwin,” Molly answers, pulling the microscope away. “He the one. But you say that take a long time.”

Molly looks impressed Sadie remembers. “It’s supposed to. But I’ve recorded these changes over months. They’re happening, and fast.”

Very well-situated in the time (see the Darwin comment, above — and he’s mentioned elsewhere in the novella, too), Clark does a fantastic job of bringing the setting to life on the page. Whether in the quieter moments as Boudreaux et al unwind after a hunt, or when she’s recruiting otherworldly allies, or the final climactic denouement, the author’s prose is always engaging and evocative. His characters are great, fully-realized, and readers will quickly become invested in their fates. Clark spends little time explaining the supernatural “rules” of his creation, and instead we learn more as events unfold. There’s no info-dumping, and the story moves along at an excellent, steady clip as a result.

To say much more would be to ruin the story. To sum up, this is another excellent novella, and one I highly recommend. I can’t wait to read more by Clark.

The struggles is eternal, there are no easy fixes — continue the fight, or lose.

Effectively frightening, fast moving novel about Black women fighting hate. Dark forces have caused white racists to turn into supernatural 'ku kluxes' - only a few can see their true nature and have the gifts needed to hold them back. Fantasy/horror/alternate history.

Ring Shout is the latest novella from King of the shorts P. Djèlí Clark, and as far I’m concerned is his most important and powerful writing yet.

Disgustingly racism, violence, and hate are endemic to modern society. So the themes in Ring Shout are ALWAYS current, but boy is this absolutely a novella for now.

While I have no right to dissect these themes, I can say it is very much a book about racism. It highlights the everyday and innocuous ways in which we allow racism into our selves, and in doing so, allow it to infect and replicate.

Despite all this though it neither preaches nor points the finger of blame.

Instead, it asks you to see and to listen.


One of P. Djèlí Clark’s gifts is his ability to take real-life periods and places, re-frame them with his own unique perspective then coat them in a delectable layer of myth and fantasy.

In Ring Shout, however, gone are the dazzling streets of a prosperous alternative Cairo. Replaced with the brutal and all too real horror of racism in 1920s Georgia.

The story is told through the first-person POV of Maryse Boudreaux. First-person perspectives are very hit-or-miss with me and not things I always enjoy. Here though, thanks to the author’s undeniable skill, I had zero issues.

Maryse, along with her companions Sadie and Chef are such gloriously engaging characters. They continuously elicited from me genuine emotions as I experienced their hopes and fears, their pleasures and terrors.

P. Djèlí Clark creates such vibrantly nuanced characters, deep and gut-wrenchingly real. He brings to life such strong, STRONG women who thrive across each strata of character whether they be primary, supporting or background.

The enemy being fought here is racism, physically embodied by the Ku Klux Klan and backed by an otherworldly horror.

Real-world history is blended with fantasy such that while the flesh and blood racists aren’t excused or exempt from violence, the main targets are the monstrous ‘Ku Kluxes’, creatures who thrive on hate and are perceived as humans by those not gifted with the sight.

Behind it all, the main (multi)-mouthpiece is the truly disgusting Butcher Clyde. He’s the perfect manifestation of hatred and a master of all the ways it can be disseminated. Butcher Clyde is a vile character and one that will almost instantly take up home beneath your skin, his taint polluting and sickening like oil on water.

His offer at the end though! That ending!

On top of the fantasy is heaped an abundance of African-American myth and culture ranging from the joyous to the harrowing.

I loved discovering the titular ring shouts and reading the notations at the end of specific chapters, each describing a new shout.

Reading about bottle-men and night doctors, once I’d looked up their real-world origins was awful. It’s quite a thing when the horrors of fantasy are eclipsed by the horrors of reality.

The whole story is told with such an authentic flavour it has a personality all of its own. The language is delicious from its delivery and cadence to the southern drawl and Gullah patois that saturate the pages.

Its pacing is adrenaline fast and hits you with emotional hay-makers time and time again.

Ring shout is an angry, visceral lamentation that rises to an energetic crescendo. Brutal, unapologetic but shot through with hope.

A must read for everyone.

Macon, GA, 1922. African-Americans, Gullahs, and Creoles team up with supernatural forces to fight monsters made from KKK hatred. Ring Shout is a masterpiece for modern times. P. Djeli Clark puts his foot on the gas and doesn't let up until the final sentence. Everyone and their mother needs to read this book.

I tried reading this one, but I just could not get into it and decided to DNF as per my review policy. I do not think it's a bad book by any means. In fact, I actually think this one was really important in the current socio political climate. Unfortunately, this was not my kind of fantasy story and I struggled to immerse myself in it. I enjoyed premise of the story, but the narrative just did not work for me and I am not interested in providing a poor review of such an important story. I typically do not publicly rate or review books I do not finish. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I loved this book from the first few sentences. It’s action packed and gripping while also giving meaningful messages about the power of hate and how it can turn us into monsters—and in the case of this book, literal monsters.

Ring Shout is about a group of kick-butt black women living in 1920 who hunt monsters that take the form of KKK members. Clark does an amazing job of weaving magic and mythology into the Jim Crow south.

I’d highly suggest reading this novella. It’s excellent.

If you like alternative history and speculative fiction, add this to your October pre-orders. P. Djeli Clark has lit my brain on absolute fire with this latest release. I like to go into books without a whole lot of preliminary info, so the only thing I'll say is badass Black heroines, a magic sword, and excellent social commentary + supernatural action.
Side note: I think this will be superb on audio, and I plan on revisiting this book when it comes out in October for a fuller review!

I absorbed this in a single day and it was a welcome respite from the news. I love a story with a tough female heroine and a big heap of folkloric fantasy. It's a quick read, and highly recommended for readers of alternate history or fantasy action, and fans of tough chicks who hack KKK-member monsters to death with magic swords.

Anyway, I’m very happy to report that the author’s newest novella is not only his best yet, but an agonisingly timely and heart-wrenching story of resistance, horror, and hope. It manages to celebrate aspects of what was a typically dark time in African-American history, walking the line between wish-fulfilment fantasy and cosmic horror without giving in to either. There is a simmering tension between optimism and futility in both the story and the telling of it, which resonates to this day – especially right now.

Ring Shout tells the story of a gang of resistance fighters in 1922 Georgia – a historical setting a little more grounded in reality than some of Clark’s previous, and just as richly evoked. Of course, the departure from history that makes this fantasy – with hints of cosmic horror – is that the Klan are not just a human evil, but a gateway for another evil from outside our reality. These are what our hunters – a war vet with a penchant for explosives, a sharpshooting prodigy, and the wielder of a mystic sword – hunt, rather than the actual human Klan members. Helping them are a diverse cast including a gullah magic woman, a Choctaw scientist, a Jewish Marxist, and a slick creole juke-joint owner.

It’s a great cast, and I found them even more real and rounded than in previous work. The plot is also his most complete, perhaps because this is by far his longest novella (perhaps even a short novel). The length allows him to explore the story completely while also keeping the tight focus that serves the shorter format so well, and leaves the large cast just enough room to breathe – and suffer. I’ve been crying out for longer works from Clark for a while, because you are always left wanting more – even with about 50% more in this case!

The most interesting choice in the novel is to blend the true-to-life horror of the KKK, Jim Crow, and segregation in the South with a fantastical cosmic horror of inhuman beings feeding off the hate and fear. On some level, you would have thought the actual horror was enough – and while he doesn’t lift the blame from the actual Klanners, he leaves the conflict with them aside, somewhat off-limits – perhaps reflecting historical constraints. As tempting as it would be to re-write the era with a team of elite and magical heroes wreaking righteous vengeance, that might cheapen the sacrifice and struggle of the actual resistance. Instead, our heroes are saving the world – not just “their people” from an even greater threat, despite the best efforts of white racists. There is a sort of tragic nobility in this, and perhaps an acknowledgement that some monsters are easier to fight – and defeat – than others, even with magic swords and the power of the Shout.

Sadly, it’s a fight that’s still going on.

So, if you want a fantastic, timely, tense, power-packed short (but not too short) read, then I can recommend few better than this from one of the stars of the novella scene. Looking forward to whatever he does next – which might just be a novel!

I loved this story from start to finish. At times raw and painful, but ultimately honest and oh-so necessary. The author knows how to set and describe a scene - what a movie this would make (if done properly). I know a book has me when I want to ditch work to read, turn off the TV to read, fight off sleep so I can read.

Clark has written a deeply disturbing novella, filled with gnashing teeth and monsters hiding in plain sight. But what's most horrific is how of-the-moment this piece of historical fiction feels. In the America of RING SHOUT, racism is a plague, given literal monstrous life by puppet masters controlling pliable white Klan members. Combatting this supernatural scourge is literal Black girl magic, harnessing the injustices of centuries into potent revivalist power.

I don't know the last time I felt so floored by a story, horror or otherwise. There's body horror and eldritch horrors and the horror of reality, all mixed together in a work that's striking and somber but also, in its own way, celebratory. The persistence of Black resilience and resistance is something to be shouted, to be passed through the generations. But the most terrifying truth of RING SHOUT is how required that resilience and resistance continue to be.

Ring Shout is a masterful work of speculative fiction that plays with narrative, structure & character voice.

Even though it doesn't span that many pages, the world building is smooth and allows the reader to navigate it with a set of well-developed pieces of information. It's easy to connect to the character, it's easy to understand the threat, it's easy to empathize with them.

The threat itself is terrifying, especially in a world where The Birth of a Nation is still considered a landmark in cinema & shown to film students as a tool to understand the route film ended up going. Its use of speculation is unique and gripping - using Ku Kluxes as monsters and demons that need to be hunted - and just for that and the parallels it runs, I hope many people will pick it up when it comes out.

I want to touch up on the character voices as well - to me, it's always incredible when an author manages to give their characters a certain set of turns of speech, making the reader give this character a voice. To me, the ability to do this means that the author successfully managed to make the reader see the character as real & listen to them and hear their voice.

The only thing missing for me were better action scenes - I got a little lost in them and I bet they would have had even more impact if I didn't.

However, I enjoyed this immensely and would recommend it to every fan of speculative fiction & everyone who wants to learn something about the dynamics that Black people had, and still have to to this day, face when they interact with white supremacy. It's a great metaphor for power mongering while being a solid piece of horror/fantasy fiction.

Ring Shout is a fantastic piece of speculative fiction. It takes place in the deep south of 1922 Georgia, USA. It combines Lovecraftian monsters and juxtaposes this with the real-life monstrous existence of the KKK and a world filled with fear and hatred.

The story seamlessly weaves these two ideas and mixes them with historical details and African folklore, including the cunning Burh Rabbit. Into this Clark introduces some breath-taking heroines, especially our main character Maryse Boudreaux, smart, audacious, kick-ass brave, just the type of heroine you want on your team!

They combat the supernatural Kluxes as well as the KKK and white supremacy.
Other over-arching themes are of love, strength, the struggle, determination and above all togetherness and the desire to survive.

What I loved about this book was the superb worldbuilding combined with the very relevant subject matter.
It’s an exciting but challenging read which makes you think. At times it can be a brutal read, but Clark deftly manages the plot and action. This is a solid read that packs a massive punch.

You should note this book contains the following (trigger warnings: violence, racial hatred, racism, gore).
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for providing a digital review copy, all opinions are my own.

So much happened in this novella, and honestly my only critique I have is that it deserved to be its own series instead of just a one off novella.

For the time we did have with the characters, I did grow attached to them and I felt distraught when they were injured. The world building was also incredibly well done and I felt like I had some idea of how this world worked, even with a limited time in it. There was also enough left up to the "unknown" so there is still a lot of magical elements in the world, so you aren't all-knowing by the end.

It's one of those books you have a ton of fun reading, but you can also tell there was a ton of effort put into research for the background. Just more proof for why you should research your novels thoroughly!

(Read as an e-arc)
Wow. Clark has outdone himself yet again! This novella, when it comes out, is going right next to The Black Gods Drum.
And a lot like TBGD, he mixes elements of African American and African Folklore and mythology. And in such a way that I can barely put into words. This story is powerful, insightful, meaningful, spiritual. All the uls! And emotional too.
It's also interesting to reads books that connect to parts of my life that rarely connect anywhere else. Specifically the spiritual/magical scenes. They were beautiful and I felt and saw the scenes described. They were vivid and spellbinding.
These characters too, such a short story and so much depth given to these women and men! I cant even pick a favorite! And his world building! Again, wow. The Klan is already monstrous, but to up the ante to actual monsters that resemble the all too familiar white veiled terrorists, truly horrifying. I really wish this were part of a series because we get so much: sex positivity, Black love, black narratives in historical fiction, multiverses, kicking Klan butt! All the best things and more are in this book that I recommend everyone add to their TBR, immediately.