Winner of the 2021 Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winner of the 2021 Locus Award for Best Novella
Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djeli Clark returns with Ring Shout, a dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan's reign of terror
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?
Staff Choice: Sophie
For such a slim novella Clark sure manages to create a whole world you can fall into, with demonic Ku Kluxes, powerful prayer circles, witches and haints and worse, and ghostly swords that sing their history. All set in 1922 Georgia.
It's the first book that reminded me of Neil Gaiman's type of storytelling and somewhat sinister imagination.
Staff Choice: Martijn
I liked this little book called Ring Shout by Djèlí Clark. It's a different voice than I'm used to, and good too (1915, Georgia, African-American girl with magical sword hunts Ku Klux Klan members which turn out to be actual monsters). There's a lot more depth to it than that though...