This was a neat take on the Ku Klux Klan and their actions. Some of the language I had to say out loud to try to understand and I wasn't always successful but that's likely due to my ignorance of the dialect. The main characters were strong and rowdy ladies which was pretty fabulous, but I also didn't find myself getting too invested in the story. Certainly makes one think about what went down.

Clark is a master of the genre, and this novella is yet another example of his skill. This is a great example of how conflict in speculative fiction can exist alongside real-world oppression; there's no need for authors to minimize or eliminate racism in order for a book to be fantasy. White sci fi writers should take notes.

Ring Shout has debuted at the perfect time in this ultra twisted time in American history. With recent shows like Watchmen, and Lovecraft Country echoing the mix of sci-fi, magic, and history. RING SHOUT is and explosion of character, a sharp vivid painting of era specific Georgia, and the monstrosity of white supremacy shown through the fantastical guise of the Ku Kluxes. The Ku Kluxes being the people so transformed by their hatred that it has literally infected their bodies. This monster hunting novel is perfect for the big or small screen. An instant classic.

QUICK TAKE: okay people, RING SHOUT is...AWESOME. Essentially Buffy the Vampire Slayer, except Buffy is a bad ass Black woman taking down the KKK in 1920s Macon, Georgia. Oh, and the “Ku Kluxes” as they’re called also happen to be demons from Hell passing as upstanding White residents of the community intent on unleashing hell on Earth. It’s short (180 pages), but really fun and scary and gory while also extremely relevant and timely with all of the racial injustice and police brutality we're still fighting against today. I read this one while concurrently watching LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, and I think fans of the show/book, as well as WATCHMEN, will find a lot to enjoy in this one.

P. Djèlí Clark is a masterful novella writer, channeling stories that would be epics in the hands of more long winded writers into short tales whose punch are far greater than their page count. In his latest novella, Ring Shout, we follow a group of warrior Black women whose penchant for seeing beyond bs means they can see the literal monsters behind the masks of KKK members who have been transformed into parasitical creatures.

Maryse Boudreaux is a Black woman in her 20s in 1922 who has lived in the South for her whole life. By the start of Ring Shout, she has found herself a magical sword wielding member of small, but mighty resistance against white supremacy — a resistance that includes: two ride-or-die team members, Chef and Sadie; a surgical crew consisting of Indigenous women; and a Gullah conjure woman. This determined team has been fending off Ku Klux monsters for a long time when the story begins, only to hear that a major recruitment effort is underway within a weeks time to indoctrinate even more racists into the KKK during a major showing of the film Birth of a Nation on Stone Mountain. Knowing that this will overwhelm their already dwindling resources and coalition, Maryse and her team work to prevent this surge in white supremacy.

In this story, P. Djèlí Clark does a terrific job of representing spiritual connections to other realms and how human interactions with these worlds can leave people just as vulnerable to the machinations of beings on the other side as humans may hope to use them. We see this best in Maryse’s interactions with a butcher possessed by a spirit from another realm who uses his segregated butcher shop to literally feed off of the hate of his white patrons, with no regard at all to their well beings. After the butcher has invaded Maryse’s dreams, she learns from further interactions that even the spirit who gave her the legendary sword she uses has ulterior motives. Ones are directly connected to the trauma she underwent in witnessing the murders of her immediate family. When breaking down the goals of the butcher and his Ku Klux monsters, readers are treated with his frank analysis of what white hate actually is and it is a WORD:

“You see, the hate they give is senseless. They already got power. Yet they hate those over who they got control, who don’t really pose a threat to them. Their fears aren’t real – just insecurities and inadequacies. Deep down they know that. Makes their hate like… watered-down whiskey.”

If you’re a fan of stories like Lovecraft Country where a racist society is just as much a burden on the security of Black people who fight actual monsters, you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

Thank you for the digital copy NetGalley!

Can't say enough good things about Ring Shout. P. Djèlí Clark has crafted an incredibly vivid world that expertly blends history with fantasy and horror. The pacing is wonderful and the characters even more so. This is among my favorite reads of 2020.

RING SHOUT extraordinary, as are P. Djeli Clark's amazing short stories. I consider this Magical Realism exquisitely performed, filtered through an African-American and historic African perspective, wrung through the horrors of slavery both in Americas and in the Caribbean, and presents a fine rationale for the evil insanity behind white supremacy. I'm more than willing to believe the cause or at least the escalation is due to otherworldly cosmic monstrosities who feed on humanity's pain, suffering, hatred and animosity, thirst for vengeance, and indeed, every intrinsic evil of human nature.

Ring Shout follows Maryse fighting monsters and trying to stop an apocalypse. Basically.

I’ve been putting off writing this review because I haven’t had time for anything wops! Bear with me here and watch my vide review for more coherent thoughts haha. I really enjoyed this book, it is badass and puts us straight into the action. We are trying to kill these monsters that has been going around for a while, and it is basically a bunch of (white) people following a cult without even knowing. Our main characters is black and she is such a badass but at the same time a softharded girl. I really fell for her! There is definitely more elements and other mirrored things to our society, and honoring of culture and some parts based on myths/stories, but it has been a while since I read it + I don’t want to spoil + I’m pretty sure my brain didn’t even catch it all. I can already see how messy this review is, but my point is that it managed to fit a lot in just 200 pages! That is impressive. The story had twists and turns and I found myself cheering out loud for everyone in the end. Also, did I mention Maryse having a magical sword that appears at her will? What else do you need to know before you go and pick this up?! 4/5 stars.

I finished this book in one sitting (well once I sat down with it fully) and was blown away. This author has a way of telling stories and its in a good way. P. Djeli Clark takes the movie The b Birth of a Nation, the Klan, Black resistance fighters and mix them all with a whole lot of monsters. Gullah folklore and horror are perfect blends here as well.

Marsye Boudreaux and her crew fight Klan and Ku Kluxes alike and in their eye, there isn't really much difference in their appearance...one just wear their monster suit better. Marsye has been chosen as champion and given a blessed sword but she is still fighting her own demons and the guilt of not being able to save her own family. That anger builds over time and the enemy sees a chance to take advantage. Question is will Marsye succumb to a darkness that will surely swallow her and the world whole?

I am stunned at this story...honestly, I'm fascinated by it. The world building and character development was on point and this is a novella....

This author was able to weave an amazing story while telling us a story and kudos! The references of Gullah folklore and its speech throughout the read was spectacular as well, I do wish however that there was some kind of dictionary provided to give us some idea of what Nana Jean was saying.

I think what made this this story for me at least, is the characters themselves. Marsye and her friends were an amazing team but their individual stories bound them together. And the other cast of characters were a perfect pairing to their badassness. The other thing that makes Ring Shout is the horror elements. Horror should creep up you and remind you why you should be scared to death. With the background of old age racism and a people's folklore, this books does that and more

All and all, I enjoyed Ring Shout and P. Djeli Clark told a story I won't forget for a while.

Ring Shout was an interesting and compelling short novel. The first half was kind of confusing—sometimes it was difficult to understand descriptions of the fantastical creatures Maryse was facing. The use of spirituals throughout the story was an incredibly innovative and affecting choice.

I thought that the synopsis for this novella was incredibly innovative and original. The idea of a story with members of the KKK being bona fide monsters, that seem eerily similar to those crawling out of an HP Lovecraft story, and the group of black women who hunt them... like, yes please! I really enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the set up for the story. However, I felt that the story was a little too slow moving for my taste in novellas. My expectation for stories of this length is to be faced with nonstop action, horror, or suspense… and unfortunately this story didn’t quite hit the mark for me in that regard. While the story did have quite a bit of action, There were still a lot of moments that seemed to drag on for me which made the text feel longer than it actually was. I also feel that the execution of the plot didn’t quite meet the expectations I had for it after reading the synopsis.

Considering the climate and time that we're living in, this book came right on time. This follows a group of resistance fighters who hunts Klansmen. This book opened with action and I had to buckle up for this adventure. The fact that this book shifts the narrative and perspective gripped me and held me. This was well-written!

I've enjoyed P Clark's other novellas t hi is year and eagerly awaited Ring Shout. Like his last two books, the tone and setting are totally different. This novella absolutely flew by, the is visceral and draws together cosmic horror and the abject terror of Black people living in the Jim Crow era. I loved the variation in dialogue with Creole making an appearance is a wonderfully steamy scene. This is one of my favourite reads of the year. It doesn't disappoint. Clark is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

I have been putting off doing a review as this is (hands down) one of the best books (novellas) I have read this year. I loved the characters to the point of tears at one point (no, I am not going to give spoilers) and I wish there was a way that the author could continue the story or even provide a prequel. I love the world the author created and I adored the characters in it. I will provide a review closer to publication. In the meantime... if you get a chance to read this novella.... read it!

I had an extremely hard time deciding how to rate this book. I have settled (mostly) on a 3.5. This read is a dark and violent horror with a Lovecraftian influence and it was great to read. The pace is a whirlwind and there is constant action, never a dull moment. The characters are great and vibrant and engaged. The writing is atmospheric, descriptive, and results in extremely visceral scenes.

But. BUT. I think this was just too short of an exploration for me. I needed things to slow down slightly, just enough to get everything fully fleshed out. I wanted to be able to connect with the characters more deeply and see them as more than just comic-book like figures. I wanted to delve into this clever analogy and get more history and more future. It was a great exploration of evil and the darkness within, but I just. needed. more.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Ring Shout is a wild ride all the way through. The characters are interesting and badass and the mysteries surrounding Maryse's backstory and sword are compelling. Its handling of racism in the time of Jim Crow and the way Djèlí seamlessly integrates that into his cosmic horror cosmology is seamless and the final confrontation is eminently satisfying.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for anyone who is into cool action sequences and sweet justice. A word of warning that it doesn't shy away from the reality of racist violence, even as it packs the plot with literal demons.

Great for fans of Lovecraft Country looking to keep the scares and history lessons going now that season one has wrapped up!

Novellas are fantastic for readathons or getting out of a reading slump, sadly I found myself in the latter during the last week of October but thankfully I had an arc of Ring Shout via Netgalley to pull me out of my reading funk. This novella contains so many different genres and themes; I think it could be described as an alternative American history novella with magical realism, supernatural and horror elements. We follow Maryse, a vengeful fighter, along with her friends who hunt ku kluxes as something bigger and even more hateful starts brewing in their town.

I absolutely adored each character, they were all so vivid and unique! I loved the friendships in the novella, the fantastically descriptive action scenes and the important topics of racism and hate. I thought the novella was incredible, emotive and very impactful in so many ways - I haven't read anything quite like it before. The body horror elements and how the ku kluxes were physically described was so disturbing (so based on the body horror included, it might not be for everyone); however I would highly recommend it! I definitely want to read more from this author!

I LOVED THIS.

I devoured it in one sitting. Gosh, I love it when a book is the perfect length. Sometimes, even the greatest stories either drag on or end leaving you feeling like you wanted more. Ring Shout is a masterfully crafted supernatural horror that gets to the point straight away. It's impressive that Clark manages to get you attached to these characters right off the bat. I loved the mix of historical fiction and supernatural elements. Too much of horror these days is dumbed down or overly literary. Ring Shout finds the perfect middle ground. I can't wait to read more of Clark's work!

It's slightly hard to write a review of something that's so seeped in history from a country you're not from. Add in the racism and persecution that black people experience under white American, it's tough to know how to go about it.

Ring Shout is the story of three young women who hunt down demons. The demons, as a rule, inhabit the bodies of the KKK. The first scene of the novella is of them springing a trap on a group of demons, and just getting out by the skin of their teeth; the story goes hard, doesn't pull punches, and nothing is safe.

From a plot perspective, you can tell that Clark is a fan of epic fantasy; it hits some of those notes, from finding a magical sword, to coming into your power to defeat the great evil. But it's also realistic in how it portrays interactions amongst the different groups, whether they be human or the mythic. In the end it comes down to how humanity choose to behave. Maybe in this world it's evil controlling them, but as Clark points out, it only ever fed on what was already there.

Like all of Clark's works, I really enjoyed this. Slightly disappointed that it wasn't longer, but hey novellas always seem to hit that spot of being the perfect length and not long enough at the same time. After two previous novellas of his, this cements his writing as a favourite of mine, and gives me an urge to get a little bit more familiar with history than I am.