Scan barcode
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I understand this is a reimagining of the H.P. Lovecraft book, The Call of Cthulhu. I haven't read any Lovecraft books, but I suspect they are reflective of the time during which they were written and not as socially conscious as many modern readers would prefer. In The Ballad of Black Tom, author Victor LaValle has established a racially biased and unequal setting where the main character, Tom Tester, lives a life where he is subjugated to the white population, despite his significant intellect and social charms. Tom is a street hustler, but skillful knowing when he must humble himself to survive, such as when he's questioned by the white police for no good reason. Tom knows how to play the part while an anger of discontent wells up within him, brought to a boil when his gentle, elderly father is gunned down during a baseless home invasion perpetrated by the police.
The author tells a story that answers the question, how far would a man go to flip the order and come out on top of his oppressors. Could someone be beat down so badly and feeling such grief for the loss of their contentment that they would strike a bargain with the devil? This novella is rich in world building and creates a very palpable dynamic between the main characters. There are a lot of eerie scenarios described in the book and experienced by Tom, but always looking for the best opportunity, Tom keeps a clear head and weighs his odds to come up with the decision that's best for him.
This book blends historical fiction, horror, and fantasy, but it's never taken too far outside the natural world we know. That happens just enough to catch glimpses into the possibilities that entice Tom and others to gamble on leaving the life they know to pursue the glory that can be found in other dimensions. It's a clever story and I was thoroughly entertained. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration of Kevin R. Free to be mesmerizing and especially suited to this story.
The author tells a story that answers the question, how far would a man go to flip the order and come out on top of his oppressors. Could someone be beat down so badly and feeling such grief for the loss of their contentment that they would strike a bargain with the devil? This novella is rich in world building and creates a very palpable dynamic between the main characters. There are a lot of eerie scenarios described in the book and experienced by Tom, but always looking for the best opportunity, Tom keeps a clear head and weighs his odds to come up with the decision that's best for him.
This book blends historical fiction, horror, and fantasy, but it's never taken too far outside the natural world we know. That happens just enough to catch glimpses into the possibilities that entice Tom and others to gamble on leaving the life they know to pursue the glory that can be found in other dimensions. It's a clever story and I was thoroughly entertained. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration of Kevin R. Free to be mesmerizing and especially suited to this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death, Murder, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief
wyabook234's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Grief and Physical abuse
pizzaisjesus98's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Hate crime
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Stalking, Slavery, Confinement, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Deportation
vigil's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Blood, Death, Cursing, and Racial slurs
the_bees_books's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
For fans of Jordan Peele, Candyman, Lovecraft Country and the black horror genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Gore, and Violence
rrmonroe's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A fantastic retelling of Lovecraft's "Horror at Red Hook," The Ballad of Black Tom is a quick but satisfying story of cosmic horror in 1920s New York City with a focus on the racial tensions of the time. I'm definitely going to be looking into more books from LaValle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Classism and Death of parent
emilineopines's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Racism
billyjepma's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Intoxicatingly excellent. In barely a 100 pages, LaValle tells a story that upends the grotesque xenophobia of H.P. Lovecraft and exposes how real evil isn’t found in the cosmic unknown, but in the very known prejudices and violences American society uses against its own people.
This isn’t a horror story, at least not in the traditional means, but it is a horrifying story. The Lovecraftian elements are fantastically unsettling, and are easily elevated by LaValle’s crisp, humanistic, almost poetic writing style. It’s that writing that makes the all-too-familiar racism and violence—spearheaded by society’s elite, the police force, and the foundation of our country— cut so deep, too. I wish the it had a little more meat to it, because there’s so much left to mine, but I can’t wait to read a helluva lot more of LaValle’s work.
This isn’t a horror story, at least not in the traditional means, but it is a horrifying story. The Lovecraftian elements are fantastically unsettling, and are easily elevated by LaValle’s crisp, humanistic, almost poetic writing style. It’s that writing that makes the all-too-familiar racism and violence—spearheaded by society’s elite, the police force, and the foundation of our country— cut so deep, too. I wish the it had a little more meat to it, because there’s so much left to mine, but I can’t wait to read a helluva lot more of LaValle’s work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM is a Lovecraftian retelling which transforms the original story from a litany of racism to a story of a 1920's Brooklyn Black man's existence in that racist miasma, and bloody revenge after a murder by the police.
The world-building dances a delicate line of conveying the racism of the 1920's while using only as much explicit racism as is needed to show the attitudes of the various characters. There's a scene which is all the more stark and impactful for using phrases still wielded today against Black people who have been murdered by police. I don't know if those exact phrases are anachronist or not, but if they are then the "authentic" 1920's version would involve a lot more slurs, and I have no quibbles with the author's choice of language here.
I love the first half where Tom is narrator, and at the end when he reprises the role. It's evocative and emotionally powerful, and to me it's the heart of the story. The section with the detective was good, I didn't like it as much because I don't like the detective, but it's really well written, and it shows how racism and xenophobia skews his impression of what's happening around him.
This is amazing on its own and I wish I'd just left it there. In order to review this in its full context as a retelling of THE HORROR AT RED HOOK by H.P. Lovecraft I read the source material. That was a terrible decision, I have regrets, it's so bad that it doesn't get a separate review, it's just bad. Almost all of the text is a litany of racial slurs and xenophobia with the barest thread of a plot. THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM is amazing and deserves to stand on its own, just forget about the original.
The world-building dances a delicate line of conveying the racism of the 1920's while using only as much explicit racism as is needed to show the attitudes of the various characters. There's a scene which is all the more stark and impactful for using phrases still wielded today against Black people who have been murdered by police. I don't know if those exact phrases are anachronist or not, but if they are then the "authentic" 1920's version would involve a lot more slurs, and I have no quibbles with the author's choice of language here.
I love the first half where Tom is narrator, and at the end when he reprises the role. It's evocative and emotionally powerful, and to me it's the heart of the story. The section with the detective was good, I didn't like it as much because I don't like the detective, but it's really well written, and it shows how racism and xenophobia skews his impression of what's happening around him.
This is amazing on its own and I wish I'd just left it there. In order to review this in its full context as a retelling of THE HORROR AT RED HOOK by H.P. Lovecraft I read the source material. That was a terrible decision, I have regrets, it's so bad that it doesn't get a separate review, it's just bad. Almost all of the text is a litany of racial slurs and xenophobia with the barest thread of a plot. THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM is amazing and deserves to stand on its own, just forget about the original.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism
CW for major character death.greenteadragon's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racial slurs