Welcome to our second post about the Horror A Month Storygraph Reading Challenge. Rather than reading the same book, we decided to pick up different books and analyze the prompt. We hope that you will enjoy this new kind of discussion. 🙂
February Prompt: Book Written by a Black Author
Discussion of the Prompt:
I had previously read The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, and as a novella that was a really good read, so I was looking forward to reading more of his work. I saw The Changeling available at my library, so I knew I had to choose that one for this book! I had no overt expectations other than anticipation for a creepy cosmic horror.
I never pick books based on author identity and as a result, this was a little bit of an awkward prompt for me to tackle. The list by Penguin Random House was quite helpful and since I had heard good things about Ring Shout from you, Ariel, I decided to give it a try.
Ariel’s February Horror Read
The Changeling by Victor LaValle
(Find it on Storygraph and Goodreads)
Synopsis:
Apollo Kagwa has had strange dreams that have haunted him since childhood. An antiquarian book dealer with a business called Improbabilia, he is just beginning to settle into his new life as a committed and involved father, unlike his own father who abandoned him, when his wife Emma begins acting strange. Disconnected and uninterested in their new baby boy, Emma at first seems to be exhibiting all the signs of post-partum depression, but it quickly becomes clear that her troubles go far beyond that. Before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act—beyond any parent’s comprehension—and vanishes, seemingly into thin air.
Some content notes to be aware of: Violence, Child Death, Death, Gore, Body Horror, Murder, Gun Violence
General Thoughts of Book
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this book but overall it was pretty great. At first, I didn’t feel the horror and dread, but by the third of the way through, I was fully hooked and wanted to know what was going on. Overall a solid read, and definitely a step up from January’s horror book.
Kriti’s February Horror Read
Ring Shout by P. Djèlà Clark
(Find it on Storygraph and Goodreads)
Synopsis:
Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. DjèlĂ Clark returns with Ring Shout, a dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror.
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.
Content Notes include racism, racial slurs, body horror, violence, hate crimes, slavery, torture, genocide.
General Thoughts of Book
Ring Shout was a unique read for me. The writing style was very new to me since I have never read this author before. I have focused a lot on Canadian and Indian history in the past few months and this book offered new information to me about American history. This felt like no other horror book I have read because of two reasons –
- The creatures from other dimensions had a gravity and creepiness to them that I had not expected.
- The relationship between hate and horror was quite new. While hateful acts are horrific in nature, I had not made that connection concretely until I read this book.
I think to truly understand and appreciate this book, one needs historical context and knowledge of the metaphors that are used to draw parallels between the fictional world and real world history. I lacked both and that is why I did not enjoy the book as much as I had wanted too. However, this is a short book and it still has a lot to offer. Ariel reviewed this book on her series when it first came out and you can read her thoughts here.
Closing Discussion for February Horror A Month
Next month our prompt is “Horror written by a woman” and we’ve got some ideas on what we’re going to read. Stay tuned for another great month of horror reads!
Thank you for joining us for our very second Horror a Month post! We look forward to bringing you some horror recommendations this year! If there are horror books you would recommend, please let us know in the comments. We will try to fit them into our prompts.
Cover image: Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash
Be First to Comment