"Who is to blame for the hate that hate made?"


Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark is a fantasy/sci-fi novella that reimagines the horrific origins of the Ku Klux Klan, literal monsters, in a supernatural, not so distant, past. Narrated by Maryse Bourdreaux, a young Black woman bootlegger, sets out to save the world with friends Sadie and Chef at her side. When the sorcerer D.W. Griffith comes to town, Maryse wields her sword fighting Ku Kluxes but she must also battle her own demons.

This was my first experience with P. Djèlí Clark’s work and I was not disappointed. Clark melds both fact and fiction in a way that is thoughtful and cinematic. The action scenes, especially descriptions of Maryse fighting Ku Kluxes, were wonderfully tense, sanguinary, and built to a masterfully crafted climactic moment. I appreciated the cast of strong female characters and characters that were not willing to take a seat while the world decided their fate for them. The best writers are often able to take a short story, or in this case a novella, and spin an atmospheric and magical read which is precisely what Clark accomplishes.

Channie Waites, the narrator of the audiobook, is an animated speaker who differentiates the voices of each character slightly, adding to the storytelling. She does enunciate rather slowly but that can always be changed by altering the speed of the narration, which was my personal preference.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

An essential read. Through a series of short and perfect books, P Djeli Clark has become one of our most essential authors. The book was often extremely difficult to continue due to subject matter, but unputdownable due to how well the story was constructed. Should easily be part of the canon when it comes to fantasy books. A truly monumental book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The narration on this audiobook was superb!

Hard to give a synopsis of this book. It’s 1922 Georgia and black female resistance fighters take on the Ku Klux Klan. Some of the KKK are actually monsters Ku Kluxes (while the other KKK members are only monster-like in their views). There were multiple times were I said “ew” out loud. Ring Shout covers a lot of ground—horror, supernatural, race issues, bigotry, fantasy, and more,

While I thought the narration was fantastic, I think I would have preferred to read this book. There is a lot going on and if I was reading I would have slowed down and reread some passages. The second half of the book was slower going. I liked the main character and her two friends.

Ring Shout is a darkly imaginative historical fantasy. The novella transports readers to an alternate early 1920s South where protagonist Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter, fight with sword, bullet and bomb to defeat the Ku Kluxes. A highlight is the sweeping metaphor that the Kluxes are literal demons who infect others and promote hate and racial discrimination. Much happens in this rather short tale but the impact is intriguing and thought provoking for readers. Excellent audiobook narration.

Wow. I mean, really. Just wow.

This. Book. Has. EVERYTHING.

It's SO smart and gut-wrenching (on multiple levels because this is horror we’re talking about) and filled with characters who you would follow anywhere. The depth of emotion gave me chills. And it accomplishes so much in such a short amount of time; it’s truly next level writing.

The narrator stepped right into the spirit of the story and brought the characters even more to life and made the scary parts even more hair raising.

I keep thinking about how many levels this story works on! I loved it so much.

Don't let this novella fool you because it packs an absolute punch! Even with all of the truly gruesome horrors that this book details, the scariest of all of them is still the white supremacists.

Ring Shout is set in 1920s Macon, GA. Following the release of the popular film The Birth of a Nation, Ku Klux Klan members who view this film become evil demons known as the Ku Kluxes. Our heroine Maryse Boudreaux alongside her friends Sadie and Chef are tasked with hunting these demons down and killing them.

I was absolutely blown away by the writing of this book. It was haunting, raw, gritty, and immersive. The Ku Kluxes are LITERALLY what nightmares of made of. I loved the dynamic between Maryse, Sadie, and Chef. Even though these three were faced with dire situations, they also managed to have really great banter between them. I also really enjoyed the Black history that was sprinkled throughout the story like the Tulsa massacre.

Thank you to tordotcom for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Takes a fresh look at history/historically relevant places and re imagines them with his own very unique perspective.

Making the nefarious men in white sheets demons from another dimension while using cultural references of enslaved people. I loved the authors ability to delineate the paroxysm between the fear, justice, and equality driving the narrator.
.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. The narration was incredible. This is a dark fantasy and was very unusual. The characters were well developed and I loved Maryse Bourdeaux with her magic sword. She is such a strong and likeable woman. I loved Sadie too.

American or not, most of us know who the Ku Klux Klan are and what they are capable of! They are people who hate everyone who aren’t “them”. People who are capable of such terror couldn’t possibly be human. This thought was blisteringly taken to next level by Author Clark.

In Ring Shout he imagines The Ku Kluxes as demons/creatures conjured from afar or even a different universe which are driven by hate. Muckily Maryse Boudreaux and her clan of skilled young women hunt these creatures and they are damn good at it. But to eradicate them entirely and to stop hell on Earth, Maryse has to first face her own demons!! This not only sounds like a dark fantasy, it does get slasher-graphic at places and I LOVED IT. My reading experience was via audiobook, so it was extra fun!

Although a fiction-fantasy, this novel is timely and brilliantly points out several racial injustices that we may have ignored and pretended it was “normal” because of politicisation!!

Thank you TorDotCom and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I like to always start out by saying I am not an ownvoices reviewer so please seek out reviews by ownvoices reader. Especially with things being what they are politically. Now I do want to share a few of my thoughts on what I thought was a well planed and brilliant book.<br>
<br>
I&apos;ll he honest it was the current state of politics that made me first notice this book. It came up in a search for books by black authors and I always try and read as diversly as possible so this book had to be on my tbh. And I am so glad to say this book did not disappoint. It was fabulous both as a look at racial injustice and as a sci-fi/horror novella. <br>
<br>
This book hit every mark for me. Packing a lot of punch and power into a book that is under 200 pages is not an easy task especially when you add such a heavy and important element to the story but Clark pulled it off perfectly! I often find with novellas I am not satisfies by the ending but that was not the case at all here. I loved how ot wrapped up. This was honestly the best proof for good things come in small packages. <br>
<br>
I would say if you are looking for a unique sci-fi/horror book than this is the book for you. If you can handle reading about some of our darkest parts with is the book for you. Even if you just want to make your shelves more divers this is the book for you!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I had to speed through this, but it's really good! Super creative and cathartic, reminiscent of Lovecraft Country using fantasy and the ideas of the other to explore race in America.

Sometimes evil can lie in plain sight and sometimes it can be hidden under a white robe and hood. It is 1915 in Macon Georgia, where a sassy young marksman named Maryse Bourdeaux and her fellow comrades hunt and kill those who hunt them. But these “Klu Kluxes”, as they are called, are not ordinary men, they are literally monsters from hell. Can this group of ragtag warriors stop the killings and save the world? For fans of Dread Nation by Justina Ireland.
I applaud the narration of the digital audiobook copy. Very well done.

<i>Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher in return for an honest review.</i>

Very timely bit of fantasy horror for Black History Month, Halloween and indeed 2020. It's part of a wave of (often fantastic) fiction that's emerged over the last four years trying to make sense of the current racial tensions in America and to place them in an historical context.

There's a concern the country is still not reconciled with the depths of its historic racial tensions (like HBO's recent <i>Watchmen</i> series, the book makes reference to the horrific but largely forgotten Tulsa Massacre); frustration at a false equivalency that at best seeks to reframe historical injustice as a "debate" and at worst is provocation for a race war (I was reminded of the sledgehammer epilogue to <i>BlacKkKlansman</i>); the role of artistic talent in stoking racial tensions; and an awareness of the unfairness but necessity of always having to be better (which <i>Black Panther</i> also articulated).

But the main concern of <i>Ring Shout</i>, it struck me, was the cynical exploitation of deep historical divisions by actors with little skin in the actual game. It's a key facet of this particular cultural moment and one that will hopefully bring lasting shame to those doing it.

Through a blend of ahistorical revenge and magical thinking, Djèlí does a brilliant job of articulating all those concerns in an exciting and blisteringly satirical fantasy.

I am sad that this book is over. P. Djèlí Clark created an amazing fantasy narrative around the rise of The Birth of a Nation without ever excusing the behaviour of white people who were involved in the Klan. In this short(ish) novella I developed a love for each and every one of the characters, and was crying with all kinds of emotions by the end.

Not only was P. Djèlí Clark's novella itself amazing, but the narrator of the audiobook, Channie Waites, was incredible. Each character had a distinct voice that emoted their personalities. Her vocal inflections added a lot to this story for me and I'm definitely going to listen to more stories that she has narrated, starting with The Black God's Drums.

I recommend listening to the audiobook of Ring Shout if you have the chance.

I’m not a big fan of historical fiction or magical realism. I thought that this might change after loving Addie LaRue, but not quite. RING SHOUT essentially adds magical realism elements to racist violence in the post-Civil War South. KKK are literally monsters in the full sense, & Black communities literally have magical powers to resist them + to draw strength from their plight. the book is well-crafted & well-written, so if this is your genre then you’ll likely love it. I’d just prefer nonfiction from this era.

Award-winning author P. Djèlí Clark, in a segue from the rich worlds of the djin, wades into Lovecraftian horror and merges it brilliantly with the horror that is the Ku Klux Klan. Set in Macon, Georgia in the year 1922, Ku Kluxes are carnivorous demons who travel with the white folk in sheets and three black women, Cordelia ("Chef"), sharpshooter Sadie, and Maryse, a young woman possessed of a horrifying past and a magical sword that channels the lives of other wronged individuals who came before her, are determined to take the Ku Kluxes down to protect their community. You know they will succeed but the path will be treacherous, filled with loss and the painful memories of Maryse's past, all rooted in the Jim Crow-era deep south.

If you loved "Lovecraft Country" this novella is bound to appeal. Come award season next year, you are going to see this on everyone's list! Clark's inventive and lively writing deserves every bit of recognition.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Channie Waites, who does a fabulous job bringing this story to life.

I received a digital review copy and a digital audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantasy, alternate-history story of a group of black women monster-killers in 1922 Macon, Georgia, trying to put down the latest uprising of the Ku Klux Klan. There are Lovecraftian monsters, spirits, magical swords, strong women, and so much more in this fast-paced and engaging book.

I listened to the audiobook and I was blown away by the narrator, Channie Waites. She has such an amazing range! She had to perform not just male and female characters and standard narration, but also the voices of other-worldly characters (one of whom sings her dialogue) and use different dialects. She really brought the book and the characters to life.

The premise of this book is that the Ku Klux Klan is made up of humans and demons, both of which are made stronger by hate. Only some people have the sight to see the monster within, and Maryse and her band of fighters have this ability. The women are more than capable - Maryse has a magical sword created by an African king who was enslaved and brought to America, another fighter is a sharpshooter with her Winchester - but the hate-fueled Ku Kluxes are powerful and their numbers are growing.

My thanks to RB Media/Recorded Books and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Ring Shout is a genre-bending novella set in the 1920s deep South that reimagines KKK members as literal monsters from hell. Yes, there is magic and there are monsters... but for me, it was the speculative fiction element that made me pick this book up and I think this will make it a good choice for anyone, whether they're into fantasy and horror or not.
Maryse may just be my favorite heroine of the year. She is a force, hunting down monsters, yet still showing her vulnerability and softness.
This book is harrowing, intense, and profound. There's a lot of commentary on race, humanity, and hate that's very relevant in our world today.
There's so much going on in the story. It moves fast- it has to to fit so much action and world-building in less than 200 pages. At that length it's one of the must-reads of the year.
The audio was narrated by Channie Waites, who did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. She did different voices for a number of characters and it definitely added to the tension in the book. This was my first time listening to her narrate a story, but after this I'll definitely be on the lookout for more.
Many thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC.

Ring Shout is an action-driven historical novella that combines horror with the kind of anime that have magical swords & monsters-posing-as-humans in them. The story takes place in Georgia during the 1920s and follows a group of black women who hunt monsters who take the form of KKK members. This is neat concept and I would definitely encourage other readers to pick this one up (I particularly recommend the audiobook version as I found Channie Waites' narration to be spot on). The story did strike me as a rather rushed and somewhat formulaic. Maybe I shouldn't have read this so soon after finishing another novella by P. Djèlí Clark but Ring Shout shares much in common with his other work. If we leave the setting aside we have a young woman who is the 'chosen one' or happens to be the 'only one' who can save the world. The stakes, dare I say, are too high for such a short format. If this had been a full-length novel, I wouldn't have minded as much. Here the side characters have rather one-dimensional personalities (we have the joker, the handsome love interest, the more level-headed in the team, the German who is Marx aficionado, three aunties reminiscent of the Moirai). Still, at least they had personalities. The main character, on the other hand, is very much defined by her 'chosen one' role. Nevertheless I obviously rooted for her as she slays KKK monsters.
While it wasn't a particularly thought-provoking novella (the whole discussion on good & evil was somewhat condensed) it makes for a quick and relatively gripping read starring badass black & queer girls/women. There is gore, some pretty-epic fight sequences, a few moments of respite, and a lot of banter. The author present his readers with some real creepy visuals (the mouths, enough said) and some subversive ideas. Overall, if you are new to his work this is definitely worth checking out (it will make for a solid Halloween read).

Taking the horror of the African American experience, and making it just slightly hyperbolic by adding magic and monsters - the fantastic kind. The thing is, is that there are already monsters in this story, racism and the white hooded hate group. Clark inserts monster monsters within their ranks who feed on fear and hate, and a lot of clever verbal and social commentary within the pages. This story was visceral and fantastic.
Highly recommend to fans of P. Djéli Clark, and modern twists on folklore within a horror story. I would be so glad to see any of his works that I've read so far adapted for the screen.
The audiobook narration was very good, only the chapters were not individually labeled and I had issues finding my spot when going back later. This might have been just a sample issue. I hope so.