Review: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

Title: Ring Shout

Author: P. Djèlí Clark

Series: Standalone

Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror/Fantasy

Publisher: Tor

Publication Date: October 13th, 2020

Edition: Hardcover, 185 pages

Source: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Book Depository | Bookshop | Powell's

Synopsis:

   D. W. 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. Now, rising in power and prominence, the Klan has a plot to unleash Hell on Earth.

   Luckily, Maryse Boudreaux has a magic sword and a head full of tales. When she's not running bootleg whiskey through Prohibition Georgia, she's fighting monsters she calls "Ku Kluxes." She's damn good at it, too. But to confront this ongoing evil, she must journey between worlds to face nightmares made flesh--and her own demons. Together with a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter, Maryse sets out to save a world from the hate that would consume it.

*****

   This was a very different book for me. Aside from being a novella, it's the first Horror book I've read. 

I liked it for what it was, but I did have some small issues with it. Namely the pacing. There was just something about the pacing that made it hard for me to stay fully engaged with the story. 

   I loved the characters, though the plot was a little confusing at times. The imagery was very creepy and one of the reasons it took me so long to read this short book. I haven't read a horror book before, horror in general often bores me. That wasn't the case here, I was just a little confused much of the time. 

   For such a short book, the chapters also felt long. A small part of me thinks this book could have benefitted from being longer, but I also think that it would have stretched things out a little had it been longer. 

   I'm wary of talking about this book too much because I think it's best to go into this book mostly blind, and I don't want to spoil anything. I'm just not sure if this book is 100% my cup of tea. I loved the writing and would love to check out some of his other work. Short-form fiction is hit or miss for me. And this book kind of sits in the middle. I didn't dislike it, but I can't say that I loved it either.