Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Ring Shout audiobook is an experience. I loved it!
The historical elements were so well done. The SFF elements were fantastic. The body horror and gore were top notch. The narration was PERFECTION!
Maryse Boudreaux is a Georgia-bootlegger with a magic sword a taste for hunting monsters.
The monsters in question, Ku Kluxes, are plotting to unleash hell on Earth, using D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation to channel their message to the masses.
Maryse, along with her fellow monster-hunting friends, think the world is already tough enough, they don’t need any more challenges to overcome.
They set out to rid the South of this blight and save the world from the hate that wants to consume it.
Clark packed a lot of punch into this novella. There were so many important, and timely, details to consume. The narrator helped to channel life and emotional power into it that I’m not sure I would have felt on my own had I read a hard copy.
I loved the historical feel of the story and how there were strong elements of the fantastical mixed with real life horrors.
I thought it was balanced really well to provide maximum impact; especially towards the end when the final showdown ensues.
Maryse and her friends were fantastic, but Butcher Clyde was such an incredible villain. He stole the show in my opinion.
My goodness! He was horrifying. Well, him and his minions.
I highly recommend this novella, particularly the audiobook. It’s a quick read, but so worth picking up. If you’re not sold yet, perhaps a few of my favorite lines will entice you:
‘This one carries the anger of her people. Pure, yet untapped. We could do much with this.’
‘What we owe this world? Why save it, when its never done a thing to save us?’
I can’t wait to read more from this author. This was all-around fantastic.
