Ring Shout
Ratings237
Average rating4
An alternative fantasy/horror novel with subtle commentary on our present times and the continued struggles for racial justice.??
This story had a charm to it. The historical context worked very well for this story. I largely enjoyed it, specifically the cosmic horror parts. The creatures, Dr. Bisset, and the Aunties. There were some parts that dragged on for me, which was typically combat segments.
I had a good time with this book. This book takes place in Macon, Georgia (where I currently live). It was fun being able to visualize the neighborhoods and streets that were mentioned. The story is original, I love the mix of historical fiction and fantasy. And it’s always great seeing racist people/monsters get their butts kicked. I loved the ending and decision making. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because of the slow middle.
This was a me problem. Since the election I'm
Having a really hard time focusing on audio books so I need to be really selective with my genre. This has elements of fantasy/magical realism and you need to pay attention 100% of the time. I will probably revisit in print in the future because I really have enjoyed This authors other books and have heard great things about this one.
This was a wildly entertaining book! Had no expectations or knowledge of the story prior to starting, it was a random library grab as I wanted a shorter read.
The book pulled me in rather quick. I didn't know the Ku Klux Klan could be made to look even more repulsive. Hate being the theme of all sides and worlds involved in the story, definitely made this an engaging read. Hate fighting hate!
The phonetic dialogue took a minute to get used to but was necessary, in my opinion. Added to the immersiveness and mood of the book.
Recommended read for sure.
I really don't know what to say about this book because I feel I need to reread it (listened via audio), but the premise of it was great. This story was about a group of black women in Macon, GA fighting off the KKK, who were literal monsters (Ku Kluxes) after the movie ‘The Birth of a Nation' premiered and the aftermath it left the black community. It was very action packed and gory with the details. The only thing I can say is that it was interesting.
I don't typically read this style of adventure-horror where it kinda gives swashbuckling in places, but I liked this! It's sharp and the monsters/horror setting is well done, and though it felt too fast for me to get emotionally invested in the characters I was supposed to feel invested in, I think it did what it needed to do well. Really recommend if you're looking for historical horror where the Black folks win.
I really liked seeing the journey Maryse goes on through this story. There is so much hate all around and the pain that is causes is dealt with in different ways. The thing that Maryse realizes about herself is powerful and important. I'm glad I read this one.
With all the flag-waving and cavorting, you might forget they was monsters. But I hunt monsters. And I know them when I see them.
I've been on a quest to find a horror novel that has all the elements I love in a horror movie, and this book's characters and dialogue jumped off the page and into my mind like a film projector on a mountainside. Disturbing but beautiful, heartfelt yet brutal, Ring Shout is a study in contrast. The elements of diasporic folklore, the historical setting, and the break-neck pacing all grabbed my attention and refused to let me go for 185 pages.
For how short it was, this book packed a sucker punch. Ring Shout is just the right length — long enough to explore its ideas and build a solid plot, but short enough to leave readers desperate for more. P Djèlí Clark books will be instant purchases for me from here on out thanks to the candid voices of his characters and gorgeous, gorey descriptions. Five stars.
yeah I think this is one of those where its me and not the book I think? seeing all the amazing reviews wondering if I read the same book as everyone and being very confused. I picked it up bc I love horror that also has some commentary and deeper meaning and this sounded promising but instead I feel like I got a fantasy action novella?? I'm not gonna give this a rating coz I think it's not fair and maybe I'm just not understanding this one (although I've read several reviews and book summaries/explanations and I didn't miss anything).
*spoiler alert and i also go on a lengthy rant that is incredibly necessary for my sanity
If you're a non black person who refuses to google what a ring shout is (or just refuses to intently read as these character perform it IN DETAIL), this is not the book for you. It's extremely valid to not enjoy this or to struggle with its plot. Its not at all valid to read an entire novel ingrained in gullah culture, black history, and ring shout rituals, only to come on goodreads and ask us what ‘all the ring business is about'? If you refuse to learn something new, to engage with a history that is uncomfortable, this is also not the book for you. If you can't engage with books with dialect and slang, this is definitely not for you. t is not “southern women speaking redneck”, or someone who “doesn't talk correctly”, it's black vernacular and short inclusions of the Gullah language. It was incredibly disheartening to read that so many people could read this and take absolutely nothing from it. Again, i have no problem with low ratings and genuine criticism. But I cannot sugarcoat that some peoples comments leave an incredibly bad taste in my mouth. I had to stare at a fucking wall to try and understand how someone could read this and pay so little attention that, by the end, they did not know what a ring shout was and how integral it was to the story. and then complain that they were confused. I personally had difficulties with the magic system so that is not what i'm talking about. But if you can read a 500+ page high fantasy novel, this really should be child's play!
No hate on audiobooks (I think they are awesome resources especially for busy bees and those with disabilities in particular!), but the recurring theme here is that people who were confused were LISTENING to the book. I personally slip in and out of audiobooks and this is not the type of book that is accessible in that way. If at all possible, this works best in print or e-book. If not, this is one I'd read sitting in my bed doing nothing honestly. But ultimately, you need to be paying attention. You need to care. If you do not care, don't read the book. I'm being incredibly serious. If you do not care about the themes presented in the blurb, please do not go through the process of reading and then making comments about dialect and tradition that you would never say to a black person's face. And if you don't read the blurb and complain that you ‘seriously wished you'd known what it was about before reading because you would've never picked it up if you did', KINDLY get a FUCKING grip.
ALL THAT BEING SAID,
Ring Shout surrounds Ku Kluxes, klan members turned monsters, that are evolving into something more powerful and hope to ~take over~. What they wish to take over is left intentionally vague, but it's important that they have hate to become more powerful. The badass main characters, who introduce us to the Gullah language and rituals, are saving the day with the help of ancestors and their ‘magical system'. I put quotes around magical system because, despite that being an accurate word for its function in fantasy, it is pretty deep rooted in real tradition, ring shouts, and Gullah culture in general. There's bloodshed, dialogue heavy scenes, death, and dream-like sequences that were incredibly engaging throughout.
I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as horror to be honest. Its gore was not extremely gory or hard to swallow to me. And the fight scenes were incredibly short, in my opinion. But I actually really enjoyed that because I was more invested in the relationships of this group/community. The biggest emotional investment here for me was the main speakers unwillingness to tell us her trauma. And that trauma was not spectacularly surprising and unexpected, but hey! It's the KKK. They are not the most creative and inventive bunch! I do agree with some others that I felt the rules of the magic system should be less haphazard. For example, the Night Doctor element confused me a bit because, with the books explanation of them, they kidnapped and used black people for their own gain. But in the end, they help defeat the cyclops? Was a bit confused if we were supposed to be rooting for them.
I think my ultimate criticism is that I was a bit disappointed that the HUMAN klan members weren't really antagonists here. They got to survive every time. And all the criticism received of them was always to their monster counterparts. So they didn't really take on any responsibility for anything because there was always some scarier, bigger monster to worry about. The human monsters got to stumble away in confusion and awe. Despite the fact that there wasn't quite enough connection between the KKK and Ku Kluxes for me, I think a fascinating aspect of the human members is their obvious lack of intelligence, how they are so easily recruited into the scheme, only to be taken over and used for evils they believed they were immune to. Not only this, but there was some seriously amazing commentary on their hate: “the hate they give is senseless...Their fears aren't real—just insecurities and inadequacies. Deep down they know that. Makes their hate like...watered down whiskey”. There were just some amazing moments that solidified the klan members were merely pawns in a much larger game. They didn't necessarily LOSE (as they still exist, were not defeated) but definitely did not win. That was incredibly refreshing. And I think it's important to say that, as mentioned in someone else's review, the human KKK members are not absolved of their hate because they were taken over by the Ku Kluxes. The Ku Kluxes merely took advantage of the hate that already existed inside them. I think it's quite rich that a white person could read the whole book, think about it enough to write a lengthly review on it, and still come to the conclusion that the author is trying to absolve the KKK of their crimes. Take away the gigantic cyclops/a hundred mouths and the monsters and KKK members are the same. In the end, I thought the concept was so so cool. I thought the execution was just as awesome. If anything, I wanted more history, more personal connections and exploration of self/identity.
P.S. I'm usually not so heated in reviews. Usually I am much more thorough on craft and what I enjoyed. And there was so much to enjoy here. but I thought some comments/reviews were genuinely insensitive. I would list them all in quotes here if I thought I could stomach it.
“Girl, every choice we make is a new tomorrow. Whole worlds waiting to be born”
Ring Shout puts a satisfying fantasy twist on dealing with racism. By that I mean it was gratifying to be able to read about killing racist summoned monsters. The book was jammed pack full of action with a very exciting climax. Clark narrates in the first person, to bring a lot of life to the main character. He does a great job of melding fantasy and horror, keeping me very engrossed in the book.
Not what I was expecting but it was good. I think it could really benefit from being a little longer and fleshing out some of the characters and events more.
I rarely ever talk at books but this one had me going “no, no, no, f*ck no” in a public place because I didn't want what was happening on the page to “really” be happening. The characters are endearing and I really wanted to spend more time with them.
Lovecraft Country-esque horror novella about fighting the Ku Klux Klan. The execution is lacking and the book employs of a lot of probably my least favorite mechanic in fiction, phonetic dialect. Wanted to like this, just didn't. But it is short. 2.5 stars.
The problem I often have with stand alone novella's and short stories is quite simply the length. It doesn't allow for the type of character development or plot progression I prefer. This novella also falls in that category and I just find I wanted more. I personally thought the stakes were too high and the discussion on good, evil, and hate to grand to be condensed to fit in under 200 pages. I did enjoy the characters and thought they were rather well developed for the page count, but some of the moments that are meant to hit hard, didn't land for me emotionally.
I found myself thinking several times while reading that, I think I would have enjoyed it more in movie format then novella. Your mileage may vary though, if you tend to like stand alone novella's, body horror, and such. I will say if you are going to read it, know that a lot of it is written in dialect (Southern, some Creole, Gullah Geechee etc), so if that's not your cup of tea for visual reading the audio book may be the way to go. Personally, growing up in the South did help me on this front I think, but even then I did have to re-read sentences (particularly Gullah) and puzzle out what was being said. Anyhow, would put at 2.5 if half stars existed on this platform.
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i enjoyed the themes, the characters, and the metaphors but the magic system wasn't really perfect for me but i would completely recommend this novella
Overall: Clark presents an imaginative take on the idea of the KKK as true monsters from another world, feeding on the existing hate in the human mind. The story goes at a good clip and there's never a dull moment. I found this to read as more of a YA urban fantasy than horror. There's magic swords, spiritual guides, and chosen ones and so on. Nothing wrong with that, but it's interesting that it's marketed as horror.
The Horror: There's some monster goo and weird creature bits but nothing here that should keep you from reading it if you usually shy away from horror. Nothing too intense or gory.
Characters: The adventure is led by Maryse and her comrades in arms, Sadie and Chef. I liked Maryse's sidekicks quite a bit. They had personality and since we knew less about them, it was easy to project what they're like. Maryse's character arc is pretty smooth; she's never in doubt for long for what that's worth. (It is a short book after all.)
Final thoughts: I think I might have appreciated this being a bit longer. So much happened and it felt rushed. There was no chance to make a deep connection with characters or events and it seemed like the kind of story where you would want that.
Súper guay, historia concisa que te atrapa hasta el final.
Habla sobre racismo utilizando la fantasía como medio y logra transmitir muchísimo