A little under 200 pages, “Ring Shout” is a horror novella with an incredibly detailed world and very well crafted characters. Despite its length, it manages to create a very powerful story, that kept me invested all throughout.

The plot follows Maryse, a young woman in her twenties, who is part of a trio of black women fighting monsters called “Ku Kluxes” in Georgia in the 1920s. The story blends elements of horror and fantasy, along with historical fiction and folklore, to speak about the real horrors of that century. The vivid descriptions of this world, and the monsters that lurk in it, along with the perfectly paced fight scenes will definitely make this story stick with me for a while. I am looking forward to reading about more of Maryse’s adventures in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh, this book.
I knew I was getting a horror based on the summary. And I knew I was getting a Black woman fighting back against the Klu Klux Klan in the 1920s. But both of those things still didn't prepare me for how brutal it was to read.
The fact that this horror novella is based in actual US history, is so much scarier. Much more disgusting and distressing. And I loved our main character of Maryse and her fighting monsters.

This book is written in dialect and while I didn't find Maryse's voice too hard to get into, there is another character, Nana Jean, who is Gullah or was raised Gullah. I, personally, could not understand almost anything she said. I wasn't really a detriment to the story, but I had to skim over those parts so I wouldn't get too confused.
That being said, I think this could be a great book to listen to on audio because of the above reasons.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: In a fantastical, 1920’s Georgia, the Ku Klux Klan is on the move, but these Ku Kluxes are different, having not the usual, bigoted white men under the hood, but a new breed of demonic monsters fueled by hate and satiated with violence. Armed with a magical blade summoned from the most painful moments of slaver history, Maryse Boudreaux has made it her life’s mission to destroy every Ku Klux she can find, and anyone else that would stand in the way of her righteous path to vengeance. But now, as a new and powerful evil arises on the heels of D.W. Griffith’s film The Birth of a Nation, Maryse and her band of resistance-fighters must summon the power of their ancestors if they hope to save the world from itself.

With Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark has accomplished something truly special. While the bits and pieces that make up this heartfelt and action-packed novella will feel familiar to anyone versed in speculative fiction, the presentation is something that has never been seen before, creating a unique and persuasive journey through the worlds of ancestry, self-discovery, and, most importantly, Klan killing. Every drop of homegrown, systemic racism is here, from segregation and bigotry, all the way to cross burning and lynching, lined up neatly on the block and ready to get chopped. And when Clark swings his sword, it swings true, subverting expectation, rewriting history, and turning some of the most horrifying parts of American history into a playground for Black agency—a stage from which a group of radical, young women of color can grab history by the balls and do with it as they please.

What becomes unavoidably clear from the very start of this short novel is that, besides being an insightful and thought-provoking look at America’s sordid racial past, Ring Shout is also a compelling piece of fantasy fiction, bringing with it all of the magic, heroism, and world building to be expected from the genre. Clark has succeeded in creating an America that is both ours and not, all at the same time, reminiscent of the magic realism seen in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, but with the bloody action and deft humor of any modern vampire-slayer. At first glance, it is easy to assume that any attempt to make these seemingly incompatible themes work together is a fool’s errand, but, in the end, they manage to play off of each other in such fresh and exciting ways that they could very well spawn an entirely new sub-genre all on their own.

Verdict:

P. Djèlí Clark pulls no punches. This new entry into the world of historical fiction is a Klan-killing, patriarchy-smashing, sword-swinging celebration of Black power, oral tradition, and the kind of righteous, female-driven vengeance you didn’t know you needed, but have deserved all along. Clark has broken the mold with this one, and there is little doubt that Ring Shout is destined to be the subject of imitation for many years to come.

Ring Shout is a powerful, dark, and exhilarating read that is impossible to put down! It follows Maryse, a young black woman in 1922 Macon, who's a magic sword wielding monster hunter, only the monsters she hunts are the Ku Kluxes, Klan members so full of hate that they turn into demons.

P. Djeli Clark does a fantastic job of seamlessly blending history with fantasy to develop such a vivid, dark world. The characters are sharp, and sometimes funny, bold and complex, and the fast-pace and intense action combines with the books' commentary on racism and hate to create the fiercest of stories. I devoured this book! Ring Shout is a MUST READ, it's absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor.com for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lively and timely examination of the past, looking at a rise in the Klan during a renaissance of Black communities that had always been present - shown with connections to Gullah culture. Demon hunting is a fascinating lens and definitely stands on its own for adventure and character building.

P. Djeli Clark has done it again. Ring Shout is once again a highly anticipated and talked about novella, and for all of the right reasons.

There are monsters hidden in the hearts of men. Sometimes, that is a figurative statement. Other times, it's literal. This is a story about the latter. The Ku Klux Klan is full of monsters – again, literally and figuratively.
That's where Maryse Boudreaux and her allies come into play. They hunt and fight these monsters, with the help of their experience, and Maryse's magical and singing sword.

“But I hunt monsters. And I know them when I see them.”

P. Djeli Clark has such a way with words. It's powerful, and empowering at the same time. He blends fantastical elements with history, and turns them into something new, and yet something that we can all connect to.

It's a talent that makes Ring Shout stand out so strongly. The description alone might have made that fact obvious, but there is so much more going on in this novella. Honestly, it almost defies description. It's wonderfully done, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Frankly, for a moment there I had forgotten that this was a novella, and not a full-length novel. That is how much P. Djeli Clark managed to fit into these pages. It's practically bursting at the seams, just begging to pull readers in and captivate them.

The timing of this release was not lost on me. I'm sure it's something that P. Djeli Clark had been working on for a while now, but the timing could not have been better. It hits the nail on the head that is our current political climate, making points and doing so with grace.

P. Djéli Clark’s Ring Shout is bold, fresh and wickedly entertaining. It's a historical fiction novella set in the early 1920s in Macon, GA. A time in America when Klan activity in the South is causing unsettling fear. But there’s something different about some of the “Ku Kluxes” that only a few people with the “sight” can spot. The main character, Maryse Boudreaux isn’t afraid to confront the Ku Kluxes and aims to end their reign of terror. Ring Shout is incredibly imaginative, yet astoundingly relevant and relatable. A mix of Akwaeke Emezi’s Pet and Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country, Ring Shout delivers an amazing cast of brave, strong-willed, and gun toting sheroes we should all root for.

WOW WOW WOW - this book was probably one of favourite reads of 2020 so far! I copied the synopsis of the book above because i think if you are intrigued by that then the book will not disappoint!

I studied American slavery while I was at university so I was naturally sceptical as to how you could entwine a fantasy element into something so serious, but the author does a great job. The book touches upon race and discrimination during the height of segregation and Ku Klux Klan memberships, but puts a paranormal spin on the subject that makes for such an interesting read! The book wasn’t too long and I binge-read it in one evening! I would 100% recommend this horror to anyone, especially people who are interested in this topic, and it would make the perfect spooky season read!

Another knockout novella from P. Djèlí Clark, a true master of alternate history SFF. Maryse and her fellow monster hunters root out Ku Kluxes, Klansmen turned into literal monsters to match their hate-filled souls. Otherworldly interference fuels the change and encourage the growing division and hatred in the U.S. And most people don't even have the vision to recognize them for what they are: horrifyingly corrupted monsters with a taste for flesh. Clark masterfully weaves the horrifying and fantastic with history, crafting characters and narratives that leap off the page.

Probably obvious that this book has a list of potential trigger warnings a mile long from depictions of the KKK and violent racism to eldritch monsters.

I know that 2020 isn’t over yet, but I am going to go ahead and say that this new release is one of the best books of the year.

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Thank you to @macmillanusa @torbooks @forgereads @netgalley and @pdjeliclark for the ARC of Ring Shout.

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Synopsis from the publisher: IN AMERICA, DEMONS WEAR WHITE HOODS. In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan’s ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die. Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan’s demons straight to Hell. But something awful’s brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up. Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?

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What genre was this book? I could not tell you. Horror, historical fiction, science fiction, and dark fantasy all seem to apply. What I can tell you is that this is an expertly crafted tale that will make you uncomfortable, will make you angry, but will also make you in a sense hopeful. This is a must read for our times. Be prepared to read something you can’t really describe but you know you will probably never forget.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

P. Djèlí Clark’s Ring Shout is the answer to the question of what if the Ku Klux Klan was not merely a human terror. A spell has allowed the Klan to summon Ku Kluxes – demon-like supernatural creatures to fight battles on their behalf, making them into a more concrete threat. At the same time, the film The Birth of a Nation has stirred up souls, hate and pro-Klan sentiments, enhancing their power. Set in the South in the 1920s around a group of resistance fighters, Ring Shout is a compelling story, harrowing and haunting. It is out from Tor.com on 13 October.

Despite its serious subject matter, it is not just a serious book – it is thoroughly humorous, regularly making me laugh out loud while reading. The main characters are written in a very human way, and have a tendency to bicker, especially about the complexities of language use, which does lead to much situational comedy in tense moments.

One thing that stands out is Clark’s use of vernacular. He has a variety of language associated with both individual characters and groups of characters, used to flesh them out further and enhance cultural associations, both a sort of AAVE and Gullah, which reads as more of a creole language. This is extremely well done and consistent throughout the novella, evoking a sense of immediacy. (Being originally Swiss and based in the UK, I’m not the right person to comment on whether this is accurate or a version he invented for the book.)

And oh, I love the characters. Maryse, who knows how to use a sword (a magic sword, to be precise!) just as well as a gun. Chef, who cooks bombs rather than food, and roasts dogs to attract Ku Kluxes. And Sadie who is too sassy for her own good. A group of young Black women in their twenties hunting monsters. There are more of them, all just as interesting. When they’re not fighting monsters, they’re running drink in the middle of the prohibition. Women after my own heart. But then there is also the older generation of characters, the ones that have still experienced slavery.

The story is told by Maryse, who loves folklore. Early on in the story, she is shown with a book of folktales, and it is a theme that is visible throughout the novella. Elements of Southern folklore, such as haints (restless spirits) show up in the form of Aunties.

Ring Shout is one of the most unique books I have read this year, and with everything that has happened in the last few months, it has also become one of the most timely. It is serendipitous that the novella is published right now, as Clark mentioned in our interview that he originally came up with the idea back in 2015, and then pitched it at the start of 2019. It’ll be fascinating to see what kind of discussion the publication of Ring Shout will be generating once the general public has been able to read it later this autumn. It is addictive and thought-provoking, and a stark reminder that our society needs to do better right now. In my humble opinion, every single one of you should be reading Ring Shout right now and use it to interrogate your own prejudice.

A horror fantasy novel about a small group fighting against the literal hate fueled monsters of the KKK set during the Prohibition era in Georgia. There is just enough humor running throughout to keep you on your toes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor.com for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

Ring Shout is a novella that takes place in Macon, Georgia in the 1920s. It follows Maryse and her friends as she hunts Demons known as Klu Kluxes.

It's a beautiful stories about truths and lies. It's about power and choices. But most importantly it deals with hate and anger. As a Black Woman in the South, Maryse has been on the other side of hate. Dealing with the killing of her people by demons, both human and monster. Her whole life she has felt the anger that causes her to fight and protect herself and her people. But is righteous anger the same as hate?

Clark's novella also deals with your connection to your history. The anger Maryse feels comes from intergenerational trauma. It is where Maryse pulls her strength from, in the form of her sword, given by ancestral spirits. Clark does an excellent job of symbolism through the entire novella. Showing White Supremacy and hate as the disease it is and giving maryse a physical manifestation of her peoples memories, trauma, and strength.

The novella perfectly captures the inner voice of a young southern black woman living in 1922 with its rhythm and slang. The informal writing style allowed me to get a real sense of the main character's personality.

The protagonist is a demon hunter who slays Ku Kluxes, monsters who are born from hate. She wields a sword whose powers comes from the misery of past slaves. The descriptions of the monsters were gruesome and horrifying! A white tree with a fleshy interior. A body covered with mouths. Medieval torture.

The severity of the subject matter gave this book a different feel from the author's previous writings.

There were two books that came to mind when I read this novella, because they utilized hate through similar means:
Bitter Root (graphic novel by David F. Walker)
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (Jason Reynolds)

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor.com for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

P. Djèlí Clark has become an author I just trust will deliver great supernatural alternate-history narratives. The Black God’s Drums, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 and “A Dead Djinn in Cairo” all blew me away with strong characters, intriguing magic systems, recognizable locations (New Orleans and Cairo) and high stakes. I’m very much looking forward to A Master of Djinn (forthcoming in 2021), which continues the adventures of characters from Haunting and “Dead Djinn.” In the meantime, we have Clark’s latest novella, Ring Shout.

In Ring Shout, Clark gives us a new magical alternate-history setting. The year is 1915, the place is Macon, Georgia. The story starts with action: Marlyse Boudreux and her compatriots Chef (the Harlem Hellfighter) and Sadie (she of the foul mouth and the perfect aim) take down a trio of Ku Kluxes – demonic beings in human form who move among humans fomenting hatred and discord. Ring Shout is not a non-stop action ride. There are plenty of quiet, thoughtful scenes interspersed. But this opening sets the tone: very little is at is appears and the threat is everywhere albeit hidden to most eyes.

That threat is about as Lovecraftian as one can get: unknowable beings from another dimension send minions to infiltrate and influence a human cult to bring about their own ascension on the Earthly plane. That the cult in question is the historical Ku Klux Klan is no accident but rather a pitch-perfect rendering of H.P. Lovecraft’s often blatant racism into this fictional world. Clark also takes Lovecraft’s penchant of making black characters nameless stereotypes and applies it to the people in this story that Lovecraft would have identified with. I don’t think we learn the name of a single human Klan member in the entire story, and most of them are described with as little detail as possible. The human Klan members are nameless, featureless tools of the cult leader, Butcher Clyde. We get a lot of detail about him as the main protagonist, but he’s as inhuman as the feral Ku Kluxes he controls on behalf of his masters. Clark also makes it clear that while this threat is supernatural, the supernatural is not responsible for the historical atrocities of the Ku Klux Klan. There are multiple mentions that Butcher Clyde and the Ku Kluxes are simply feeding off an irrational hate for non-whites that the human Klan members already harbor. It’s that hate that allows the Ku Kluxes entry into the human world, and that hate that allows their presence to go unnoticed by the people they are using.

It's apropos that the threat is generically Lovecraftian while the powers that fight against the threat are specifically culled from across the African Diaspora. The magic Maryse and her partners access is drawn from music, from storytelling, from the shared history of slavery and pain. The “ring shout” tradition that gives the book its title in front-and-center in the narrative, more than just a historical allusion. In fact, the chapters are bookended by descriptions of various “shouts” translated from the Gullah dialect into modern English by one of the few characters in the book who is white (which mirrors the way slave and sharecropper folk music was gathered by white musicologists in our world), explicating how the songs are also stories.

Marlyse possesses a magic sword gifted to her by three otherworldly “Aunties” (who, I must admit, reminded me of Mrs. Whatsit, Who and Which from A Wrinkle in Time, but who I’m sure have a much more culturally African basis of which I’m ashamed I’m unaware). But she also carries power of her own, in the memories of her brother and the Brer Rabbit storybook he gave her. Clark takes something white people are aware of via stereotype (in this case, the Walt Disney film Song of the South) and gives the power of those stories back to the people who first told them. The oral storytelling tradition among slaves also introduces the book’s possible secondary threat, the Night Doctors, who here are not just white slaveowners dressed up to scare their slaves into accepting their lot. (This is another part of the slave experience I’m embarrassed to admit I was unaware of before reading Ring Shout.)

The power of storytelling works both ways, and it’s an important story point that the Klan’s power is drawn largely from the way D.W. Griffith’s film The Birth of a Nation (and the books it was adapted from) galvanized disaffected white people into the Klan movement. Clark never downplays the power of words and pictures to motivate people both positively and negatively. In our current climate this is more obvious than ever. It’s not new to the internet age just more quickly spread.

While magic powers the proceedings, it is the characters that pulled me in and kept me invested. Marlyse’s first-person narration is melodic, by turns soothing and energizing, as befits the narrator of a book whose action so hinges on the power of storytelling. Chef and Sadie are equally as important to the story and equally as well-developed because of their proximity to Marlyse. Each brings something different to the narrative in terms of personality, especially in how they handle past trauma and current danger. Elderly Nana Jean, scientist Molly and even the three otherworldly “Aunties” are distinct personalities who bring different ways of viewing the world to the table, and I hope to see more of all of them if Clark ever gives us a sequel to Ring Shout. I also hope we’ll see more of the men in the group as this world develops. There were hints of personality for Michael George, Lester, and Uncle Will, but a novella only has so much space and these characters were not as important to this particular story.

Reading Ring Shout is one of those experiences that operates on multiple levels: it’s an adventure, a horror, an educational, and social commentary all wrapped together, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I received an e-ARC to review via NetGalley.

Ring Shout, by thrice nominated nebula award author P. Djèlí Clark will win a Hugo or a Nebula and maybe just both for this story. I do not say this lightly as there have been a plethora of gorgeous work, both indie and traditionally published, that have been stellar. We are talking body and soul moving type work, but nothing I have read this year holds a candle to this. If you are not familiar with Clark's other books, let me elucidate you and baptize you in the world of his short story and novellas.
Firstly, The Black God's Drums written in a steampunkesque New Orleans featuring a Moxy filled young teen, African gods, a kidnapped Haitian scientist, and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God's Drums. When you read this story, you can practically feel the dark cobblestones under your feet, the heady moist air of New Orleans, feel the energy from sweaty dancing, and the power of a place steeped in lore. New Orleans is a special place, but the way Clark describes it is another world fueled by magic.

"As you know, we specialize in that thing you call hate. To your kind, it's just a feeling. A bit of rage behind the eyes."

The second book in his catalog is The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Where Clark takes on an alternative Cairo where humans live and work with otherworldly beings. While The Black Gods Drums beats with the heart of New Orleans, Clark takes you to Cairo and feeds you passion, silks, smells, and hot sand. Where New Orleans is dark and humid, Cairo is bright and dusty.

The last story in his catalog is that of A Dead Djinn in Cairo. This also takes place in Cairo but has a slightly different feel. It is power, hot sand, history, and bright light, but the story is, at its core, a police procedural. It has a very sam spade type feel.

Why the history lesson on his other books?

So I can help to describe the genius loci of the worlds he creates. The spirit of the place that embodies the culture, architecture, history, and people all combined make a place original. Its own special unique thing that can not be duplicated. Clark is such a good writer that he has created a genuine genius loci in Ring Shout. Halfway through the story, I was looking for a door, a window, anything that could let me into this world. There is no way that it wasn't real.

The story can be summed up that an evil sorcerer has infiltrated some hardened American hearts with a movie The Birth of a Nation. Those people become Klan members and physically change to be the embodiment of the hate they have. They become demons, or as they are known in the story as Ku Klux. Monsters from hell. This sorcerer is trying to open the door to literal hell and devour the souls of Earth's people. Enter Maryse, a female African-American bootlegger from Macon, Georgia that hunts these racist demons. She carries a magical sword infused with the pain of dead slaves. Their voices sing to her and fuel the rage that allows her to manifest the sword and the will to face the Ku Klux. She is a flawed hero in every sense of the word. She has a broken past that haunts her, and she struggles with her choices. But my god, is she this stories champion. I don't think I have ever read a female hero as well written as her.

Aside from that short summation, I can't tell you more of the plot. I would ruin it. This is a novella, and Clark uses few selected words when describing his worlds. Everything is purposeful, and there is not a lot of room to dance around the events described in the book.

Clark writes terrifyingly fantastic body horror in this story. The Ku Klux is frightening in many ways. First, and most obvious, is what they represent. In its most visceral form, racism is pure hate, and that hate has given rise to these creatures that feed on hate. Iconographically, the white hood is frightening in what it represents historically. And the transformation of creatures you are already scared of because of what they represent goes a step further in becoming an actual demon. Clark took fear on many levels, and it works so well. It is very Lovecraftian.

I loved that I could tell some of the influences that Clark has had when writing this. You do not often come across writers that have been influenced by A Wrinkle in Time and Madeline L'Engle. But I felt it in the three Aunties can be likened to Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. Or maybe a nod to the Greek Moirai. These wise Aunties guide Maryse, but they are full of secrets and know more then they are letting on.

Clark is one of the best authors I have ever read, and he is undoubtedly one of the greatest authors alive. I kid you not; if Clark described what fire was in a book of his, I would expect the pages to start to char and blacken as they internalize the prose he writes. To say this is good would be an understatement. All I can say is that Ring Shout should be studied in school for future generations to marvel and learn from.

I just witnessed the birth of a new American classic, and I stand in awe.

**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Once again masterfully depicting history through a fantastical lens, Clark has written us a captivating monster hunting story which unapologetically addresses the horrors of racism.

Taking place in early 20th century prohibition era America, the monstrosity that is the Ku Klux Klan have been given a very supernatural twist. Sorcery at the centre of the Klan’s movement has given rise to an evil which spawns Lovecraftian monsters from the hate in people’s hearts. We follow 3 kick-ass Black women who lead the hunt of ridding the world of these demons in Macon, Georgia. With elements of African American culture alongside the magic of folktales, this fast paced read draws you in from page 1.

Ring Shout immediately gave me vibes of Rebecca Roanhorse’s Sixth World series but with a much more Eldritch/Lovecraftian edge. So yes, expect something dark and gorey. But also be ready for well-rounded characters that you’ll instantly warm to and a historically rich narrative with a social commentary that will stay with you for days.
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars

In the vein of Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country, which I also read this year and loved, Clark’s book expertly melds Lovecraftian horror with the everyday horror of history. As the book begins, it’s only about a year out from the Tulsa Massacre, which you may have seen depicted on Watchmen. If you didn’t, then the briefest explanation is that a group flattened Tulsa’s prosperous Black community basically because they could.

I could be fanciful and call them a group of monsters or something like that. But they weren’t monsters, not in the literal sense. They were men, and one of the themes of Clark’s book is how easy it is to slip the barrier from man to monster. Or woman to monster. As in many fantasy stories, there come opportunities for our hero, Maryse, to give into temptation. She could succumb to fear, for example. Or she could let herself be subsumed by rage. Once we learn her history, after all, could we fault her?

And in sharing her history, Clark takes us on a tense as hell journey that includes violence and body horror. However, it’s not just horror. Even in the rough times, there were pockets of joy. We get to share those with Maryse and the other characters, whom Clark vividly renders. We get to know Sadie, an Alabama sharpshooter, and Chef, a woman who fought with the Harlem Hellfighters in WWI, the best, but all of the characters feel real. Even the ones who aren’t actually natural in the book.

Those moments of joy remind them and us why they’re fighting so hard. It’s not just revenge; it’s release. And it’s still so relevant today. There are still groups of people out there, lonely and isolated, looking for release and community, and thinking they find it in circles of hate. But there are also other people out there who can form their own circles. We can drown out that hate. We can raise our voices to a shout. And we can fight the monsters, too.

Ring Shout, by P. Djèlí Clark, is a haunting fantasy/horror novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror. ⁣
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Feeding on hate and violence, the Klan plans to unleash hell on earth - but Maryse Boudreaux, armed with a magic sword, a book of folk tales, and her friends Sadie and Chef, is ready to confront her worst nightmares and save the world. ⁣
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With Ring Shout, Clark once again takes a clever conceit and executes it flawlessly. The result is an action-packed, darkly unsettling, wild roller coaster ride of a story you won’t want to miss. ⁣
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Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the advance review copy! ⁣
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⁣Content warnings (the following to a large degree; it IS horror): violence, gore, intense racism, lynching, family deaths, mention of sexual assault, medical abuse/trauma.

Trigger warnings: Body horror, Ku Klux Klan, arson, lynching, gore

In this historical dark fantasy, the Ku Klux Klan also turns into literal abominations powered by hate. What stands between them and summoning their elder god is a Black girl with a leaf-shaped sword and the power of Shouts.

The voice in this novella is incredible. This story could not have been narrated by anyone other than Maryse in Georgia during Prohibition. The setting and prose leap off the page and immerse the reader in rhythm, aesthetic, slang, cuisine, and more. This effect works well during the more uplifting moments centering Maryse and her community, and brings forth terrors when the mouths start appearing on metaphorical monsters in uncanny places. The creature designs fit the Shout motif which repeats throughout the novella.

The pacing is great and hits several familiar beats as far as fantasy stories go. To say more would ruin some magical moments and spoil some of the fun, horrific action sequences that span this book. But I found Maryse's character arc compelling. Moreover, I loved the relationship among Maryse, Chef, and Sadie. One of my favorite things to see in fantasy is the girl Chosen One surrounded and supported by other women in her community. It was joyful and uplifting, despite the tragedy and horror happening around them.

This book is intense and horrifying, but ultimately fun as a community of eldritch horror slayers go against a KKK steeped in Lovecraftian designs.