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A review by carlosernesto
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
4.0
Interesting retelling of The Horror at Red Hook, shifting much of the emphasis to an African-American confederate of Robert Suydam.
In lieu of an analysis, here are strong and weak points --
Strong:
LaValle treats the themes of immigrants and poverty in early 20th century New York with much greater insight than HPL, turning one of his ugliest stories into a look at marginalization and resistance.
The characterization is solid.
The plot moves nicely and keeps the tension up.
Weak:
The prose is serviceable but sometimes clunky.
It significantly cuts down the plot, which means the climax comes nowhere near the psychedelic weirdness of the original.
In lieu of an analysis, here are strong and weak points --
Strong:
LaValle treats the themes of immigrants and poverty in early 20th century New York with much greater insight than HPL, turning one of his ugliest stories into a look at marginalization and resistance.
The characterization is solid.
The plot moves nicely and keeps the tension up.
Weak:
The prose is serviceable but sometimes clunky.
It significantly cuts down the plot, which means the climax comes nowhere near the psychedelic weirdness of the original.