HOLY GUACAMOLE! What the actual hell did I just read? Ring Shout is a complete mind-freak of a story. For a 185-page novella, this one really packs a punch. Set in 1920s Georgia, this book takes real-life horror and turns it into supernatural monsters. There's always something about when stories take the real horrors of the world and turn them into the type of supernatural horror that mimics real-life in a way that somehow seems more terrifying, especially in this scenario where the horrors of racism are very real for particular groups of people, the act of turning that terror into a monster that feels more tangible to those who don't regularly experience the fear of racist acts.

So in this books there are the Klans (human KKK members) and the Ku Kluxes (supernatural monsters) - both are horrifying. Maryse is specifically a monster hunter with a magic sword, and has a group of her own that helps her in her fight - a sharpshooting sniper and an explosives expert. I'm particularly fond of the fact that main group of characters fighting the war against the Ku Kluxes trying to overtake the world is full of Black women. It's a special group and a special story, and I loved it so much while simultaneously finding it completely terrifying.

This book was so incredibly written, imaginatively done, and boasts such vivid story-telling. I cannot recommend this book enough. And since I live in Georgia and I'm familiar with the Macon and the Stone Mountain area, I was even more immersed in this book.

I was absolutely reminded of Lovecraft Country. Jordan Peele needs to get involved with the adaptation STAT.

Ring Shout is a short horror novella set in an alternative historical setting - and wow, how this book just blew my mind in the fast paced story telling and how well crafted it felt. I'm not the biggest fan of novellas, but I'll read everything by P Djéli Clark from now on. I really liked the writing style of it and how easily everything played out in my mind. A really enjoyed how Clark made the characters feel so real with so little words, and how the story was both magical and horrific at the same time and with a slash of magic realism.

It was a true horrific novella. A great read for spooky season.

What a wild ride! And a fantastic new take on historical fiction. I greatly enjoyed the different monsters, and how Maryse faces them.

I had seen Ring Shout around bookstagram with almost exclusively positive reviews. I knew it was a supernatural take on a dark moment in history, but I had no idea it would involve cosmic horror and a small group of whisky-running, magical sword-wielding heroines in 1922.

DW Griffith, director of The Birth of a Nation, uses sorcery to conjure up the classic and controversial film as a way to cast a spell over KKK racists who watch it and become monsterized.

The action/fight scenes are riveting and Maryse Boudreaux is one of the most fully developed female characters I’ve ever had the pleasure to root for. Author P. Djèlí Clark delivers more impact in a short novel than I’ve read in quite a while. Somebody needs to make a series out of this.

'Ring Shout' by P. Djeli Clark is an ebook about a group of women standing up against the racist and supernatural powers of the Ku Klux Klan in this alternate history story.

Maryse Boudreaux has seen a few things. So have her friends, a sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. They take on the evil creatures she calls Ku Kluxes with her magic sword and defies them. With the support of a community, this is a battle that culminates with an attempt to bring more evil forces in to the world with a showing of The Birth of a Nation.

I loved this story of monster hunters and the take on racism as a vehemently monstrous thing (like it unfortunately is in reality). I liked this take on urban fantasy and would love to see more of these characters. This was a fun read.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Macmillan-Tor Forge and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This book was amazing. A reimagining of the KKK and it's just as eerily haunting as the actual history.

I don’t read much of is fantasy. Ring Shout by P. Dejli Clarke blew me away. Mixing elements of horror and fantasy, this short but powerful novella tells the story of an alternate reality where the release of D.W Griffith’s film, The Birth of a Nation was a ritual that released things called Ku Kluxes, pointy-headed demons, into the world. The story set in Macon, Georgia, follows Maryse Boudreaux, our narrator who wields a powerful magically sword, along with her band of monster hunters as they try to stop the Klan from ushering in the apocalypse. This is a compelling story with a strong female characters that reckons with our nation’s Jim Crow past. If you enjoy adventure stories with action and monsters or you’re a fan of the television shows like Lovecraft Country or The Watchmen add this to your TBR ASAP.

I was really hoping that this book would live up to its fantastic cover and, luckily, it did. This is an immersive historical horror story that is both atmospheric, anxiety-inducing, and disturbing. It was very fast-pasted and action-packed and the author perfectly crafted an intricate world. You really feel like you are there in the story feeling every anxiety and fear.

This is such an inventive concept! I was immediately taken in by Clark’s writing in RING SHOUT, where we’re dropped right in the middle of the action and the hilarity that is Maryse and her two besties. Clark’s descriptive writing is what dreams (or haunting nightmares) are made of, and I was fully able to visualize what as happening throughout the entirety of the book. The mix of real horrors such as racism and the KKK mixed with the fantastical horrors of Klu Kluxes and eye sockets with teeth was chilling to the bone…yet I couldn’t stop writing. I already have one of his other works on my TBR, and I’m looking forward to adding more to my collection by P. Djèlí Clark!

Book Review
Title: Ring Shout
Author: P. Djeli Clark
Genre: Historical/Fantasy/Dark/Supernatural
Rating: ****
Review: I read The Black God’s Drums by this author a while back and was intriguing at the strange genre combination that just seemed to work and when I got a copy of Ring Shout, I couldn’t wait to get into it. All I knew about this novel before hand was that it is a supernatural twist on the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror which was even more intriguing. In the opening of Ring Shout, we are introduced to Maryse Boudreaux, Sadie and Cordelia better known as Chef as they wait during a KKK march on the 4th of July 1922. Them seem to be waiting for certain members of the KKK present at the march and we soon learn that some of them aren’t human, they can only be identified by the strange way the move and their love of animal flesh, particularly dog. The trio of women have a trap set when three of the Ku Kluxs appear, Sadie quicky shoots the body of a dead dog filled with explosives thanks to Chef. However, the explosion doesn’t kill the Ku Kluxs which baffles the women as that should have been the result, while Sadie tries to take down one now transformed into its giant and ugly state the other two have gone after Maryse hiding in a cotton warehouse. However, Maryse has a special sword which she uses to deal with the creatures and I have a feeling despite being labelled as the softest of the group she isn’t soft at all.
After dispatching the creatures, the trio cut up their kill and make for home before the police arrive, taking some bootleg whiskey for their trouble which is ironic as Prohibition is still in place. During the drive back we get some background on the creatures, it turns out that the first Klans were created by witches who summoned creatures known as Ku Kluxs but they were swiftly dispatched but their evil endured. Other sorcerers tried to revive the Klans but they couldn’t reach enough people until D. W. Griffith, a sorcerer decided to work the evil into a movie rather than a book to reach more people and they used the spell The Birth of a Nation to basically brainwash to white population into believing that the coloured people were their enemy, the monster in need of exterminating which was extremely dark when you think about the actual history and crimes of the KKK. All three girls were recruited by Nana Jean as they all had some grievance against the Klan, for Sadie its because they killed her grandfather, for Maryse I am assuming it was her mother and brother but it is explicated stated but it doesn’t seem that personal with Chef. Nana Jean also seems to be running something scientific to do with the monsters as well as running a bootleg. The bootleg in question is a liquid used as a form of protection from the Ku Kluxs called Mama’s Water which the trio run when they need to. Mama’s Water is created by performing the Shout which seems to be a divine ritual of sorts but it hasn’t been explained that well yet. While I was enjoying the story, I did have a small issue with Nana Jean’s dialogue as she seems to be speak with a particular dialect that I found difficult to read. From the scientist, Molly we learn that the creatures are evolving. Molly has a theory that the creatures come from another world and are adapting to ours which is responsible for these changes. Something big seems to be building too as the attacks the creatures have been making are becoming more coordinated even when the creatures themselves have little intelligence like someone is directing them which would be really bad as they would have to find out who that is and stop them to make any real impact. D. W. Griffith is also planning to reshow the movie that spawned so much hate that coming Sunday in order to create more hatred for the creatures to feed on.
Every single on of the girls is aware of the war they are fighting in and how it is growing, Maryse reflects that a few years before the attacks were localised but they are spreading out all across the South and even into the Midwest making it very difficult for them to fight and they have even lost whole pockets of the resistance because of this. By the time, the girls can relax for the evening at Maryse’s boyfriend’s bar, Maryse is pondering on what Nana Jean said but soon gets distracted by her tasty man and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him. When she awakes some time later after having soon disturbing dreams featuring what I believe is her as a child being hidden from the slaughter that followed the Civil War and finding her sword and escaping from a figure calling himself Butcher Clyde, she finds her sword glowing. Maryse obviously knows this means something and goes to it where she is seemingly transported into another place, kind of like the Spirit Realm in Avatar, where she meets the 3 aunties, these spirits guide her and give her information when she needs it. They warn her that the enemy is getting stronger and there is a veil over what is coming so not even they can see it and when Maryse mentions Butcher Clyde they are horrified as she has let the enemy in. This entire section of the novel was supernatural/paranormal feeling but I didn’t really understand what was going on as the relationship between Maryse and the aunties isn’t explained neither is how she came to be in possession of the sword or what its true purpose is.
After finding out who Butcher Clyde is Maryse can’t wait and pays him a visit which doesn’t go the way she expects as there is something about him which throws off the power, she uses to wield her sword and he warns her that they will be paying her a visit very soon as they have been watching her for a long time. Maryse naturally assumes that they will attack Nana Jean’s farm but they very quickly learn the attack is on Frenchy’s, the bar run by Maryse’s boyfriend. The trio immediately head down to the bar which has been set alight with several Ku Kluxs inside and out as well as human KKK members and Butcher Clyde. Maryse heads inside to help people get out and look for her man because she can’t see him anywhere but Lester, a flame of Sadie’s tell her he was taken by some clan members. The trio are preparing to leave when they realise Sadie isn’t with them and it turns out she was overrun by the Ku Kluxs and very quickly bleeds out due to those injuries and dies in Maryse’s arms. Enraged by the death of her friend, Maryse begins cutting through the clan members even the human ones to get to Butcher Clyde but when she clashes with him his many mouths break the harmony she has with her blade and he breaks it leaving her defenceless. It is only Chef’s quick thinking that gets them out of there in one piece but Butcher Clyde reminds her that he has something she wants and she will come to him soon enough. Without her sword she doesn’t have a way to meet the aunties but her anger and will are enough to summon her to them. They explains that their gifts are being dampened by the veil and she alone must stop the coming of the Grand Cyclopes but she has to be careful. Maryse we learn was part of a prophecy to be a champion for the enemy but the aunties preventing this making her a champion for good but she could easily be swayed over to the dark if they held the right leverage over her which I think they have.
The aunties tell Maryse to find the Night Doctors, another supposedly mythical creatures and try to persuade them to join the fight but they will expect something in return. Maryse follows the aunties instructions to the letter and ends up meeting Dr. Bisset, once an ordinary human who went looking for the Night Doctors and found them giving up his mortal life in the process for life eternal. However, Dr. Bisset went searching in 1937 and Maryse is from 1922 and she explains that any time outside this one might not exist if they don’t stop the Grand Cyclops but the Night Doctor want to take her pain from her. Maryse is forced to confront what truly happened to her family but she won’t let the Night Doctors take her pain, instead she makes them confront the pain and suffering they inflicted on others which make them angry and they cast Maryse out so she can’t count on their help in the coming battle. As all the available hunters head to the meeting place where the Grand Cyclops is going to be brought back, they realise they are hopelessly outnumbered so Maryse goes alone with Chef to see if she can bargain with Butcher Clyde and prevents the battle altogether. While Clyde explains the purpose, she is intended for and what the Grand Cyclops actually is, Maryse almost gives into the darkness but she suddenly realises that her people’s cry for justice isn’t the same as hate and never will be which breaks the spell, they have over her. Maryse attacks with everything she has but the Ku Kluxs willingly give themselves up to heal the Grand Cyclops when out of nowhere Dr. Bisset arrives and this might turn the tide in their favour. However, I am sceptical of this since the ending of The Black God’s Drums was an absolutely sucker punch to the gut.
The final battle between Maryse and the Ku Kluxs was amazing as was the ending of the novel, however, I always leave Clark’s books lacking something. I think because the books are so short there isn’t enough time for all the elements to be developed on, like Maryse’s brother and what truly happened to her family should have had more time as well as her relationship with Sadie, Chef and Michael George to make them seem more realistic. I also felt the particular magic system and unique weapon could have been expanded on a little more as well. Due to this I can’t in good conscience give the book five stars because it was essentially lacking something that would take it from a great book to an amazing one but I am excited to read more of Clark’s work in the future.

P. Djèlí Clark writes truly incredible speculative fiction and Ring Shout is no exception. Set in 1915, Ring Shout centers on Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters as they hunt Ku Kluxes, monsters that hide themselves and their actions in the Ku Klux Clan, because monstrous men create space for literal monsters.

The legacy of slavery is strong and the Clan plans to use a showing of The Birth of a Nation (an actual real life propaganda film) to bring Hell to Earth. Maryse, with the guidance of her fox-spirit aunties, will fight to put a stop to this and protect her people.

Lyrical and punchy at the same time, Ring Shout is a fantastic short novel.

Ring Shout is by far my favorite book that I have read this year! I decided to read this because I enjoyed Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, but Ring Shout far surpassed Lovecraft Country in my opinion. While the novel is short, it packs a hefty punch. I quickly fell in love with the characters and their histories. I love that black culture and history was pulled into this fantastical world. I have been recommending this book to anyone and everyone who will listen!

It's taken me a while to try and put my thoughts together on this one.

I was confused and a little bored in the beginning, but oh my gosh am I glad I kept reading because this was unlike anything else I've ever read!
If I had to say it was like the best of Lovecraft but spun on his racist head. The monsters in this story are racists and while they are actual abominations, it's terrifying because of the realistic portrayal.

The writing is poetic and lyrical and made even the gory bits beautiful somehow. I'm not sure what else to say, but this painted a fantastical movie in my mind and I loved it.

READ THIS

The writing, like Maryse's sword, SINGS. I read portions of this aloud on multiple occasions because the writing was so stunning and took my breath away (a passage I've returned to multiple times is when Maryse's sword first appears). Cinematic, badass, brilliant - with a big emotional punch.

This was unlike anything I've ever read before.
The way the monsters were described was so visceral and menacing.
I love the way the book talked about heritage and how the connection to your ancestors can give you strength.
The writing was extremely unique and powerful as well as lyrical.
This book had a great sense of time and place. It set the stage so well.
I enjoyed the characters immediately and you really felt their ties to one another. I do wish there was a little more time spent fleshing them out near the beginning but overall I just really loved this book.

My Thoughts:

- I had no idea what to expect going in, but I found blood and gore and trauma and so much emotion, but also friendships and hope and healing. There was a little of everything, which is what really made me love this novella. I will warn you that the beginning is a bit of a shock. It’s quite violent and gory, and while I’m a fan of violence, I’m not so much a fan of the gore. Definitely turned my stomach in some places. For a minute, I considered whether this was the book for me. Ultimately, I stuck with it, and oh my gosh, I’m so freaking glad I did. If you hit the 15% mark and you’re still not quite sure if this is the book for you, giving it a little more of a chance. The beginning feels like a shock impact, but for a reason. After all, this takes place in an alternate history around the early 1900s, where racism is still a well-accepted thing. As you can imagine, not a great time for all the main characters, who are Black.

- Race plays an important role in this novella, and it’s not always pretty, but I bet it’s not quite what you expect. I mean, I sure didn’t. There are definitely the obvious culprits when it comes to racism and segregation and all the things we know took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Add onto that, though, a hint of magic … the dark kind, if you will. Ku Kluxes are monsters from somewhere else that are infiltrating the Klan and riling up normal white folk. That’s where Maryse and her gang come in, because they can see the monsters among the humans and take them out … sort of. That’s the goal, at least. Never quite as easy as that, though, is it? There’s a lot of uncomfortable moments in this book when it comes to race, regardless of what side you’re on, and the story really asks you to just sit in that unease for a while and get used to it. We can’t grow if we don’t face our monsters head-on, can we? You’re going to be asked to bear some horrible things along with Maryse and her crew, but trust me, the payoff will be worth it.

- This is a coming-of-age story for our older main character, Maryse, who thinks she’s already got things figured out. I still absolutely love coming-of-age stories with older protagonists, because as it turns out, more years on Earth does not equate to miraculously figuring out your stuff. Who would’ve guessed? I’m a fan of coming-of-age stories for older characters because they remind us that regardless of your age, you can change. No matter where you are in life, you can always become something better, do something more, or have a life-altering experience. This is definitely the case for Maryse. I don’t want to go too in-depth with this, because this is a pretty big part of the plot. Needless to say, the character has some things to work out, and I loved her emotional journey.

- Even though this book is filled with a lot of darkness, the message is rather uplifting, and I walked away with so many beautiful moments. That may seem a little counterintuitive, considering this is a horror about racial strife, but bear with me. There’s a lot going on in this, especially for a novella. The friendship bonds and found family are *chef’s kiss*. Oh my gosh, I just loved this crew so much. Rooting for them was easy. There were so many beautiful one-liners and nuggets of wisdom and just wonderful words that I for sure couldn’t include them all in this review, but Clark’s writing is just gorgeous, layering meaning on top of meaning.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

P. Djèlí Clark has absolutely solidified himself as one of the leading voices in novellas, more specifically in diverse fantasy, with his last few works, and Ring Shout is absolutely the pinnacle of those skills. With a film already in the works, Ring Shout‘s small stature hides a big punch. P. Djèlí Clark creates a world fantastical, but one that could easily exist inside inside our own, with a metaphor for racism that feels uncomfortably real. While I read this novella in a single sitting, I feel like it’s going to stick with me for a long time.

The Ku Klux Klan are monsters, both inside and out. While they begin as human monsters, they evolve into literal ones, feeding on the hate that white America has for its Black members of society to morph into massive Alien-like beings that kill indiscriminately. While some are blessed with the sight to be able to see these monsters, most just see them as hateful humans. But Maryse can see them. And armed with a magical sword her fox-spirit aunties gave her, she can kill them too. No matter how many Ku Kluxes she hacks to pieces, however, more just keep coming, fueled by America’s hate, and with a new showing of Birth of a Nation coming up, Maryse knows that there’s a bigger plan in play. She has a community and friends all trying to bring down the same evil she is, but racism is not so easily killed, and Maryse soon realizes that the way to win back America is rooted in her own past and realities beyond her imagination.

While the monster of racism in the pages of this book feels familiar, the monstrous origins of the Ku Kluxes and their evolution process is strikingly original. This novel does a great job in balancing the fantasy element of the novel (the monsters and their origin) with the ugly realities of racism while tying them inexplicably together. While the racists we know and hate aren’t the literal monsters Maryse spends her time chopping up, it is their feelings and internal ugliness that drives the monsters forward. When someone hates enough, they become part of the Klan, not yet monsters but not still men, and when they fully immerse themselves in their racism, they turn into full Ku Kluxes. This process is horrifying in the physical deformations and transformation that occurs, but still felt familiar. As an (American) society, we’ve watched a decent chunk of the nation devolve into hateful, frothing beasts, more openly intense and dangerous than they’ve been in a while. While this threat has always been there, this is the first time it’s been at the forefront of the national cultural consciousness in some of our lifetimes. Ring Shout, taking place in the 1920s and full of nine-foot tall monsters, felt hyperreal and true to our times. To be a racist is to be a monster.

Maryse’s voice was absolutely flawless. It wasn’t just that her narration felt conversational or open with the reader, it was very literally like she was talking to us, telling us this story. Her dialogue and narration is almost identical and gives us this feeling that she’s sitting right there with us, shouting and exclaiming over an open fire. She’s such a lovable protagonist, messy and traumatized, but a wonderful friend and a fierce fighter. Her narration makes it so easy for us to fall in step next to her throughout this story, to get fully immersed in her head and her point of view. This intensely personal style was perfect for a novella. It really was the perfect tone and length to feel like Maryse was a friend telling you about her life. This stylistic voice transfers over to the dialogue, where Clark deftly handles not only the vastly different personalities of the characters, but the different dialects as well. One of the characters speaks in a completely different dialect of English than most readers will be familiar with and her speech is spelled out phonetically. It was unusual to find an author who was willing to go so far to capture a character’s voice, and while it took me a few pages to adjust, it paid off wonderfully. These characters sound so real. They sound like your neighbors and grandmothers; Clark does an impeccable job not only in creating conversations, but in capturing the human spirit.

Ring Shout was the epitome of the perfect novella. Perhaps uncomfortably real for some and not for the audiences who are looking for a light and fluffy read, but undeniably important and original. Clark has the length and pacing of a novella down flat and continues to write about subjects that are tough but meaningful. Beyond the important social issues this book raises, it’s simply great: Maryse’s voice is stunning, the horror is gruesome, the dialogue is realistic, there wasn’t a single thing not to love. Clark’s novellas are one of the best things coming out of the science-fiction/fantasy genres these days and I continue to await his next work with anticipation.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ebook.

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Absolutely beyond phenomenal and creative. This one will stick with me for months/years to come.

This would be a phenomenal pick for those who enjoy Lovecraft Country!

Ring Shout is a unique and visceral read. It is scarily relevant to our times and filled with incredible strong female leads.