Ring Shout – P. Djèlí Clark

100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: A re-release of “The Birth of a Nation,” threatens to unleash an evil even greater than the Ku Klux Klan on humanity, but Maryse, a fearless warrior armed with a magic sword, is here to save us.

Expectation: An adventure story with political and social commentary.

Reality: A genre-defying horror fantasy featuring an amazing cast of BIPOC women and one of the most terrifying literary villains in recent memory.

Recommended For: Fans of alternate histories, like “Inglorious Basterds” and HBO’s “Watchmen.”

Why I Read It: Bookstagram made me do it, and I’m glad it did!

My Take:

“Ring Shout” opens on Independence Day, with our Black protagonists watching as members of the Ku Klux Klan celebrate by marching down the streets of Macon, Ga., in full regalia — unashamed in their bigotry.

However, Maryse, Chef and Sadie will not stand idly by. They are warriors and protectors well-aware that monsters — both metaphorical and real — lurk behind those robes.

A trap is set to weed-out the zombie-like Ku Kluxes that hide among the humans, feeding off their hatred, and in an explosive instant we’re thrust into P. Djèlí Clark’s wickedly clever and incredibly creative alternative history of 1922 America.

While genre spanning, Clark’s short story is mostly horror fantasy with our heroes — almost all BIPOC women — racing to disrupt a re-release of D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film “The Birth of a Nation,” before it converts susceptible white people into hate-filled bigots, giving the Ku Kluxes a stronghold over humanity.

Our leader, Maryse Boudreaux is a complete badass that draws comparisons to Regina King’s Angela Abar/Sister Night in HBO’s “Watchmen.” Anointed by ancestors to wield a magic sword powered by the suffering of those that died at the hands of injustice, she is unstoppable in her efforts to break the Ku Kluxes’ spell and save all people.

But her journey is not an easy one. Like any superhero, she learns that with great power comes responsibility, and she must contend with her own fears, along with societal and mystical pressures, to achieve her goal.

Clark packs a lot of story and backstory into less than 200-pages, but the narrative remains tight and terrifying. Unlike some genre stories, Maryse is a fully formed person, and her relationships are real and meaningful. Her tangoes with Butcher Clyde — one of the most terrifying literary villains in recent memory — were both stomach-turning and entertaining.

There are a lot of surprises and allegories to our current racial realities that are best left explored by the individual reader. If you are a fan of “Inglorious Basterds” and “Watchmen,” consider this a must-read. Fans of horror, fantasy and history will also appreciate the ways in which Clark takes familiar ideas and makes them uniquely his own.

I’d be surprised if this doesn’t go down as one of my favorite reads of 2021.

Additionally, the audiobook is fantastically narrated by Channie Waites, whose delivery matches the cadence and realities of the Jim Crow era South and infuses the perfect amount of emotion into Maryse and evil into Butcher Clyde. I would gladly listen to any book she narrates.

Rating (story): 5/5 stars

Rating (narration): 5/5 stars

Formats: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: January 20 - 23, 2021

Multi-tasking: Okay. I think this would be great to listen to in a single session.