Luckily, Maryse Boudreaux has a magic sword and a head full of tales. Now, rising in power and prominence, the Klan has a plot to unleash Hell on Earth. Griffith is a sorcerer, and The Birth of a Nation is a spell that drew upon the darkest thoughts and wishes from the heart of America.

Djèlí Clark returns with Ring Shout, a dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror.ĭ. Publisher & publication dates: October 13th 2020 by Tordotcom Ring Shout has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.Representation: All main/major characters are Black, a main supporting character is a lesbian (or at least sapphic/ wlw), minor supporting character is JewishĬontent warnings: murder, death, gore/mutilation/body horror, violence, racism, white supremacy, racial violence, religion used to justify racial violence, references to hate crimes/ murder/ lynching, hanging/lynching, trauma, PTSD, grief, death of parent/family member, use of the n-word and racial slurs, reference to off the page rape of character’s mother, references to animal abuse, references to antisemitism Want more Black Girl Magic suggestions? Epic Reads has a good list consider navigating over to Black Girls With Magic & Books Club. If you loved Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation and The Deathless Divide, make sure to get Ring Shout on your reading list, STAT. The characters are so vivid, so strong, they could be sitting next to you, whispering their tale.

The storytelling is rich and haunting, filled with humor, action, and body horror. Ring Shout is incredible dark fantasy, loaded with Gullah tradition and African-American folklore and main characters that readers will immediately take to.

The Ku Kluxes have plans for Maryse, but so do the mysterious Aunties that appear to her. Teaming up with a gloriously profane sharpshooter named Sadie and a WWI vet, Cordelia, who goes by the nickname Chef, the three have a gift for taking down the Kluxes, until Butcher Clyde, a Klan leader, makes it personal with Maryse. Maryse Boudreaux is a woman with a gift for seeing the real faces of the Ku Kluxes – the demons who feed on the Klans, who are the racist humans whose black hate leaves them open to possession. It’s 1922, DW Griffith is a sorcerer whipping legions of demons into a frenzy with his film The Birth of a Nation, and a trio of young Black women are all that stands in their way. Djèlí Clark ( The Black God’s Drums) creates an incredible alternate America, where the Ku Klux Klan are actual monsters, in his latest book, Ring Shout.

Ring shout review